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WHY IS PRESTRESSED CONCRETE STRONGER THAN PLAIN REINFORCED CONCRETE?

  • By Southport Concrete Corp.
  • 20 Jul, 2018
When it comes to building a commercial building that can handle the stresses of time and storms alike, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the various materials and the differences between similar sounding options. Concrete is certainly a very strong building material, but some forms of concrete are even stronger than others.

Prestressed concrete is one of the strongest options, and you should understand a few simple principles behind all that strength before choosing it for your commercial building.
Concrete's Innate Weaknesses

All of the world's strongest building materials, including steel and concrete, have specific types of forces that they're still weak against. For example, you can press downward on a slab of concrete without damaging it until thousands of pounds of pressure are exerted in a small area. However, pulling on a piece of concrete will damage it at a far lower amount of force.

Pressing on concrete is known as a compressive force, while pulling or bending the concrete is known as exerting a tensile force. Concrete just isn't as strong against tensile forces, so reinforcements are used to counter these natural weaknesses.

Each type of reinforcement is designed to combat a specific type of stress, and prestressing the concrete makes it particularly resistant to tensile forces. This fact is why prestressed concrete is most commonly used on suspension bridges where metal cables are constantly pulling on the concrete, but it can be used in buildings as well for more secure foundations, pilings, and weight bearing walls.
General Reinforcements

Not all reinforced concrete is prestressed. Inserting the metal rods known as rebar into concrete as it's being poured is the most common form of reinforcement, along with the use of sheets of metal mesh. Steel bars and mesh are used because steel has high tensile strength, so the forces are transferred to the metal buried within.

Fiber-based and chemical additives can also greatly increase the concrete's strength, both in general and against specific forces. Yet none of these methods are quite as strong as prestressing.
Prestressed Concrete Concepts

The prestressing process goes a step beyond just combining concrete and steel and relies on two of their other attributes. First, concrete gets stronger from being compressed and forced together. Second, steel is similarly stronger when it is stretched and attempting to return to its normal length. These two concepts are combined in the manufacturing process, which consists of

  • Stretching large steel cables to a certain level of tension between sets of supports
  • Pouring concrete into a mold around the stretched cables
  • Curing the concrete with the cables still under tension
  • Cutting the cables loose so that they begin pulling back together and pressing the concrete at the same time.

This process creates a tremendous amount of stress inside the piece of concrete, but it's the kind of stress that both concrete and steel are both best at handling. The internal stress is used to balance out the forces pressing on the concrete. For example, stretching cables just at the bottom of a slab pushes the tension upward and makes the concrete want to bend. If there's a strong force pressing downward against it, the two balance out rather than damaging the concrete.

Prestressed concrete isn't necessary for every commercial project, but it can help you create structures that you didn't think were possible with concrete. These pre-cast pieces can be fit together like a jigsaw to create curves, columns, arches, and other structural shapes that are often tricky to make with reinforced concrete alone. Give us the details about your project and we here at Southport Concrete Corp can help you decide if it's the right material for your building.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
When completing any construction project that involves a foundation, the use of concrete pilings is essential. These columns that have been pre-cast and cured before installation provide needed support and reinforcement to the foundations used by your home or business. They have many qualities that make them beneficial to a variety of projects:

  • Cost effective: When anything is manufactured on a massive scale, your costs decrease substantially from having something custom poured.
  • Superior quality: Being pre-cast, pilings are checked for every sort of defect before being installed, giving them an additional safety advantage.
  • Underwater usage: There are several instances in which the pouring of concrete in certain types of subsoil or other environments won’t set. The use of formed piles easily takes care of that issue.
  • Convenience: With a wide selection of piles all ready to go, you are able to select what you need and install them at your convenience.
  • Adaptability: Trying to pour the exact shape you need is a thing of the past with concrete pilings available in square, round, octagonal and other shapes.
  • Incredible strength: Because of the nature of the piles, the reinforcement used inside is more likely to stay put without getting disturbed or moving its place. They also have high bending and lateral resistance to hold their strength in adverse conditions.
  • Eco friendly: With no leftover materials to clean up at the installation site, piles are the most environmentally friendly option when supporting your foundation and in other applications, such as retaining walls, embankments and cofferdams.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
Southport Concrete Corp is a leading builder of seawalls  in the Southport area. A seawall is a barrier that prevents waves from inundating property and land. These concrete walls are ideal for areas that are susceptible to hurricanes and frequent flooding. During storms, the sea level, as well as lake and river levels, can rise dangerously high and threaten communities and natural areas. The wall stops the water in its tracks and keeps communities from sustaining millions of dollars' worth of damages. Despite their name, our walls can be built near any large body of water, and our company can construct the following types:

  • Curved
  • Vertical
  • Mound
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
You have a lot of options when it comes to building materials in Southport, but there are some that are more high-quality than others. At Southport Concrete Corp., we offer ready-mix concrete. As a product that is made in a factory, it offers the highest quality possible, as it is regulated under specific conditions. Being carefully monitored while it is mixed, it allows maximum economy at every turn. It is a convenience for contractors because it can be delivered to most jobsites. If a truck can get there, the ready mix can get there. It can also be poured directly from the truck into handling equipment or formwork, minimizing loss and mistakes.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018

Although the terms cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient in concrete.

Concrete is basically a mixture of paste and aggregates. The aggregates are crushed stone or sand and gravel; the paste is made of water and Portland cement. Concrete material happens to get stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not the name of a particular brand of cement; it’s the generic term for the type of cement utilized in almost all concrete (ex: stainless is a type of steel and sterling is a type of silver).

Pervious concrete, also known as "green concrete," is a choice that helps combat building code issues with storm water run-off.

Cement is composed of 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume. Then through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bring together the aggregates into a rocklike form. This developing and hardening process continues for years, again meaning that concrete gets stronger as it gets older.

By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
There are many residences that need to use a septic tank. If you find yourself in such an area, consider what Southport Concrete Corp. can do for you. We can cast septic systems  for you, and we have been operating in Southport for almost 20 years. We can inspect your location to design a septic system that is perfect for your expected needs, bringing you long-term plumbing solutions.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
Concrete driveways are durable and attractive, and they provide a solid, reliable parking surface for vehicles. However, maximizing the lifespan and appearance of your concrete driveway depends upon making the right choices both before the concrete is poured and for many years after that, too.

Below, we’ve listed some important things to keep in mind in order to prevent premature concrete driveway failure.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
Concrete is an ideal construction material for countless numbers of applications due to the substance’s strength, reasonable cost, and ease of installation. Paving surfaces is one of the many uses for this flexible medium. However, concrete is prone to crack, and it is normal for even the best-laid concrete surface to develop hairline crevices.

While these tiny cracks are often insignificant, they are unsightly and detract from the overall appearance of the paved surface. You can preventing these cracks by installing contraction joints; below is more information about these important features and their installation.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
If you're hoping to replace your tired old countertops with something more modern and durable, you've likely considered popular options like quartz, granite, marble, or solid surface. However, many homeowners do not realize that concrete makes an excellent countertop and has plenty of advantages.

Just like any other countertop surface, there are specific advantages that concrete offers. How do you know if concrete is the right choice for your new or remodeled kitchen?
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
Concrete is one of the most versatile construction materials currently available. You'll find concrete used for everything from seawalls to countertops.

But not all concrete is exactly the same. When you choose concrete for a building project, you may have several options for the mixture contents and the laying process.

In this blog, we compare two common laying processes: precast concrete and onsite ready-mix pouring.
By Southport Concrete Corp. 20 Jul, 2018
Though concrete is incredibly strong and resilient, untreated concrete can be stained in some circumstances. This is primarily due to the internal crystalline structure of concrete at the microscopic level.

Concrete consists of tiny cement particles locked together with sand and other crushed materials. In between these particles lie tiny air gaps that can be filled with just about any liquid that comes their way. That includes water, paint, oil, and other fluids dropped on the surface of unsealed concrete.

As a consequence, you can’t merely wipe concrete stains away. Instead, you have to treat the stains with the right methods, chemicals, and tools.

Below is a brief guide to removing two common but tough stains that affect concrete.
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