Prestressed concrete glossary
The key words of prestressed flooring, explained simply. Each term links to the GEP product concerned.
- Anchorage
- Steel device that locks a prestressing tendon at its end and transfers its force to the concrete. See: Post-tensioned slabs
- Grouting (joints)
- Filling the joints between hollow-core slabs with concrete so they act together. See: Hollow core slabs
- Hollow-core slab
- Precast prestressed concrete slab, lightened by longitudinal voids, for long spans. See: Hollow core slabs
- Infill block
- Concrete or polystyrene block placed between the beams of a floor. See: Beams and blocks
- Layout drawing
- Drawing showing the position of each beam, infill block or slab in a floor. See: Beams and blocks
- Post-tensioning
- Prestressing applied by stressing tendons after the cast-in-place concrete has hardened. See: Post-tensioned slabs
- Prestressed beam
- Small precast prestressed concrete beam that carries the infill blocks of a floor. See: Beams and blocks
- Prestressing
- Technique that compresses concrete with tensioned steel so it carries more load over longer spans. See: Home
- Pretensioning
- Prestressing applied in the factory: the steel is tensioned before the concrete is cast. See: Hollow core slabs
- Propping
- Temporary supports that hold a floor while the concrete is poured and hardens. See: Beams and blocks
- Span
- Distance between two supports that a floor covers without intermediate support. See: Products
- Strand
- Cable of several twisted steel wires used for prestressing. See: Post-tensioned slabs
- Structural topping
- Cast-in-place concrete layer over the beams and blocks or slabs that ties the floor together. See: Beams and blocks
- Trimmer frame
- Reinforced concrete frame cast around an opening to carry the loads of the cut elements. See: Hollow core slabs
- Welded mesh
- Steel reinforcement mesh laid in the structural topping. See: Beams and blocks