Precast concrete has long been a preferred option for building materials. It offers a wide range of benefits that may help you complete your project faster, affordably, and inclusively. Among these advantages, one of the most notable is that it protects your investment. This can be attributed to some of its inherent properties. Here, we explore how precast concrete protects your investment.
Precast Concrete is Fireproof
Due to concrete’s inherent fire resistance abilities, precast concrete buildings offer excellent fire protection without requiring additional precautions. It prevents fires from spreading throughout the structure, lowering the risk for the building’s occupants. Precast elements don’t burn or melt, so the damage in such a building is relatively small compared to damage in buildings constructed using other building materials following a fire. This lowers the cost of repairs as well.
Precast Protects Against Collision and Other Loads
Precast concrete components are particularly resistant to pressure forces, making them ideal for use in applications where strong pressure forces are in play. They’re employed in the construction of power plants and other facilities with significant safety risks to prevent damage to the building, such as that caused by an earthquake or a plane crash.
Precast Protects Against Explosions
For structures where protection from explosions is a priority, precast concrete components can be employed to keep those structures safe and prevent the destruction of the building. To ensure the safety of the precast pieces, careful production and superior concrete quality are essential.
Precast Protects Against Corrosion and Other Environmental Influences
Provided the reinforcement is adequately coated with concrete, precast concrete elements are protected against corrosion. Additionally, since precast concrete components are highly impact-resistant and can’t be sliced open, precast concrete buildings offer protection against break-ins and break-outs where necessary. This is the primary reason why precast concrete elements are often used to construct prisons.
Precast Protects Against Earthquakes
In places with a high seismic risk, the kind and quality of building materials play a key role. In the event of an earthquake, you must prevent building collapse to keep occupants safe and extend the useful life of the structures. Precast concrete is made to absorb extreme impacts and resists other high-pressure forces. The reinforcement used in precast concrete elements absorbs occurring tensile forces. When the reinforcement’s tensile strength and the concrete’s compressive strength are combined, optimum protection is provided against high loads.
Connections between the various precast concrete parts are also crucial because they must withstand thrust and shear stresses in addition to other forces. Sensor-based data acquisition can also be integrated with precast concrete elements. For this, microchips are embedded in precast concrete elements to collect data on the loads and forces acting on the construction component.
This information can be quite valuable, especially in the case of an earthquake, when buildings have to withstand exceptionally high forces. The built-in microchips can transmit a signal to alert the occupants to exit the building in time. Additionally, information regarding the loads and forces acting on the building can always be accessed when necessary. It can also be used to make modifications for future constructions.
Precast Protects Against Electromagnetic Fields
Precast concrete is ideal for substation construction as it offers protection against various risks. They meet all the requirements for electromagnetic field protection, fire protection, and intrusion protection. Precast concrete components are also waterproof.
Precast Is Economical
Economic factors play a key role when choosing a suitable building system. This is especially important for large housing projects. Precast construction requires less time to complete compared to other types of construction. It’s up to five times faster than the in-situ construction approach.
A quick construction process results in less money spent by the building owner on on-site infrastructure and financing. Precast concrete construction, which is industrialized, also requires less on-site supervision and coordination. Precast components are assembled on-site before interior work begins.
As a result, fewer teams are on site, translating to a reduced need for coordination between different teams. Due to the precise fabrication of precast concrete pieces and the use of slim construction elements, savings in concrete and reinforcement are possible. The production costs of precast concrete components are reduced by these material savings.
The production facility is managed and controlled by a master computer. As a result, one can efficiently use materials like concrete, steel, and others while at the same time conserving resources. The factory’s batching machinery carefully adjusts and mixes the concrete mixture. Buildings made of precast concrete require no maintenance for at least 50 years. This drastically lowers maintenance costs.
Should you decide to invest your hard-earned money into putting up a structure, whether residential or commercial, you would do everything to protect it. TKL’s precast concrete has inherent characteristics that work to protect your investment and ensure it stays standing for years to come.