Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

The prestressing of concrete has several advantages as compared to traditional reinforced concrete (RC) without prestressing. A fully prestressed concrete member is usually subjected to compression during service life. This rectifies several deficiencies of concrete. For instance;

1. Section remains un-cracked under service loads
• Reduction of steel corrosion (Increase in durability).
• Full section is utilized (Higher moment of inertia (higher stiffness)).
• Less deformations (improved serviceability).
• Increase in shear capacity
2. High span-to-depth ratios
• Larger spans possible with prestressing.
• For the same span, less depth compared to RC member.
• Reduction in self weight
• More esthetic appeal due to slender sections
• More economical sections.
3. Suitable for precast construction

And, there are some limitations in prestressed concrete, some of those;

1. Prestressing needs skilled technology. Hence, it is not as common as reinforced concrete.
2. The use of high strength materials is costly.
3. There is additional cost in auxiliary equipments.
4. There is need for quality control and inspection.