Precast production is one of the prime areas in the construction sector due to its uses and demand in the country. Due to precast’s various applications, large quantity of builders and developers are looking forward to adopting the precast to achieve speed and quality in construction processes.

In many construction projects, project delivery schedules are increasingly facing delays due to labor shortages. These circumstances have led developers and construction companies to explore alternative construction ways to accelerate building projects and meet project timelines.

In this day and age, a high number of developers are shifting from traditional construction practices to advanced construction practices such as monolithic construction using aluminum formwork. Since the use of aluminum formwork is restricted by the number of repetitions; construction companies and builders are shifting towards Precast Construction Technology for their projects.

In precast manufacturing, construction chemicals play a crucial role by offering greater benefits in moulding and easy removal of precast shuttering to enhance the durability, strength, and lifespan of the precast concrete. Some developers, construction firms, and builders are establishing their precast plants, while others are partnering with manufacturers to place orders.

As the developers and builders understood the new technology in precast production, the requirement for precasts is increasing gradually. Private and public sector institutions gearing up their projects to meet the timelines and deliver the best outcomes to the public and their customers. Hence, modern technology in precast construction is shaping the future of the construction industry.

Most governments are promoting the adoption of modern construction technologies. That said, new tenders are being called by government institutions for building construction with the help of precast construction technology in the places where the precast units are present.

Let’s have a look at some of the examples of the utilization of precast construction technology by public sector institutions:

Defence Research and Development Organisation: Constructing the apartments by using new precast technology in fewer days compared to the conventional method.
Military Engineering Services (MES): For quicker delivery of their concrete structures, MES is highly promoting precast construction technology.
Government of India: The precast concrete policy is approved by the central government for the construction of national highways with a subtle goal to encourage cost-effective and long-lasting infrastructure development throughout the country.
Telangana State Government: Affordable houses have been built by the TS Government with the help of precast construction technology, tunnel form technology, and monolithic construction technology in Hyderabad and some other cities in Telangana.

Having a glance at the examples of government organizations and developers utilizing precast technology highlights its greater benefits. Nonetheless, let’s check out those advantages that are appealing to builders and developers.

Advantages of Precast You Didn’t Hear About

Let us have a look at those amazing benefits of the precast that will help you understand this new construction technology better.

Regardless of weather conditions, precasts are possible to be made in a factory environment.
Precasts can be manufactured with greater precision and enhanced visual appeal.
Precast manufacturers require less labor resulting in cost savings over the project. Additionally, precast technology has positive outcomes like reduction of waste and lower costs due to the repeatability of components.
With the help of precast construction technology, quicker production cycles, easy scalability, and consistent repeatability are achieved.
Precasts of standardized designs are easy to achieve with this new precast construction technology while offering the benefits of offsite production of precast with parallel working opportunities.

Now that you are aware of the precast technology and its benefits in the construction industry. Keep reading to know more about the types of precast systems.

Types of Precast Construction Systems

Precast systems can be categorized based on the type of load-bearing structure they use. The main types include frame systems, large-panel systems, slab-column systems with walls, and mixed systems.

Precast Frames

It is possible to build precast frames using either linear components or spatial beam-column sub-assemblies. Spatial sub-assemblies have the benefit of allowing the connection points between the sub-assemblies to be positioned away from the critical areas of the frame. However, linear elements are more commonly used due to the challenges involved in forming, handling, and installing spatial components.

When linear elements are employed, the connections are typically positioned at the junction of beams and columns. For easier construction and effective shear transfer, beams are often supported on corbels attached to the columns, creating hinged joints at the beam-column connection. In some cases, rigid beam-column connections are utilized to maintain continuity in the longitudinal reinforcement passing through the joint.

Large – Panel Systems

Multi-story buildings are constructed with large panel systems with concrete floor panels and large walls that are connected both horizontally and vertically. These panels form box-like structures, with the wall panels creating the rooms of the building. Both vertical and horizontal panels share the responsibility of supporting gravity loads.

Typically, wall panels are one story higher, while horizontal floor and roof panels act as a one-way or two-way slab. When these are joined together, these horizontal elements act as diaphragms, transferring lateral loads to the walls. Depending on the layout of the walls, large-panel buildings can be classified into three main types: longitudinal wall systems, cross-wall systems, and two-way systems.

Slab-Column Systems with Shear Walls

These precast systems depend on shear walls to resist lateral forces, while slab-column structures primarily handle the vertical loads from gravity. This category includes two main systems like Lift – Slab system with walls and a Prestressed slab-column system.

In the case of the Lift-slab system, precast reinforced columns of concrete and slabs form an integral part of the load-bearing structure.

In general, precast columns are two stories high and each precast structural elements are assembled using special joints. Reinforced concrete slabs are poured in layers within moulds on the ground. Cranes are mostly used to lift these precast floor slabs from the ground to their designated height. The slabs are first raised to the top of the columns and then carefully lowered into position. Temporary supports keep the slabs steady until they are firmly attached to the columns.

In the prestressed slab-column system, horizontal prestressing is applied in two orthogonal directions to ensure structural continuity. Precast concrete columns are typically 1 to 3 stories tall, while the reinforced concrete floor slabs are designed to span the distance between columns.

After assembling the slabs and columns of a story, these are prestressed using tendons that run through ducts within the columns at the floor level with the space left between the adjacent slabs. Once the slabs are prestressed, the gaps between them are filled with in-situ concrete, creating a bond between the tendons and the spans. The seismic loads are primarily resisted by shear walls, which can be either precast or cast in place, strategically placed between the columns at proper places.

With an understanding of the types of precast systems, let’s check out some in-demand and famous precast concrete structural elements.

Popular Precast Concrete Structural Elements

Precast concrete structural elements are widely recognized and highly used in various types of structures from residential buildings to large-scale infrastructure projects. Find out those popular structural elements ahead.

Wall Panels

Wall panels are one of the precast types, and their categories are as follows:

High Thickness panel
Two leaves as a double precast concrete panel having a thickness of 2✕50 -100 mm featuring integrated structural reinforcement and specialized lattice girders.

In the event of a first system, wall panels are cast horizontally on a flatbed built of a steel mould. Once they have undergone sufficient steam curing, the mould is tilted to a 60° angle, and the panels are then moved using gantry girders to one end for loading onto a truck and transported to the precast yard or construction site. Alternatively, it is possible to cast the panels in a vertical position using several moulds. After sufficient curing, they are lifted out and stored in a precast yard for additional curing before being transported to the site.

Industrial Structures

Many industries are now shifting from traditional construction processes to advanced construction technologies like precast construction. For instance, the Pharma Industry and Electrical Sub Stations have relied on precast construction for the construction of their buildings. This practice aims to not affect the existing facilities and people with dust and construction-related pollution resulting in clean and safe construction.

Structural steel is used to build Pre Engineered Buildings (PEB) which is a popular practice in our country. PEB structures offer spacious, column-free areas, making them ideal for industrial setups to accommodate machinery and other equipment. In the case of external walls, a brick wall is typically built up to a height of 3 meters, with sheeting used from there up to the roof. Generally, the sheet’s lifespan is 10 to 15 years and needs to be replaced afterward.

Given this, the external walls are currently proposed with Precast RCC walls. The outer precast RCC walls offer greater fire resistance with it’s long-lasting durability. Precast RCC wall panels are fixed at the base to a beam connecting the column pedestals and are secured along their height to the structural steel components of the PEB using angled connectors.

Precast Staircases

You must be aware of the traditional ways to build staircases which are too cumbersome as they require shuttering and pouring concrete to form stairs. Given that precast stairs are one of the best ways to cast staircases in vertical moulds life and erect them in place. This can help save the time in construction process resulting in reduced labor costs. Therefore, many projects have been utilizing this precast technology to complete their projects on time while maintaining the strength of the building.

Car Parking Structures

To make car parking structures, precast is one of the easiest and best alternatives which is gaining high popularity nowadays. It is widely preferred due to the Precast Hollow core slab’s ability to span up to 12 to 15 m and the double tee slabs can span up to 22 m.

The long spans achievable with precast floor slabs make it possible to create spacious, column-free structures, ideal for efficiently planning car parking layouts. A precast RC frame structure, consisting of precast columns, beams, and floor slabs, is a type of construction method used for building car parking structures.

Infrastructure

It is possible to use the precast in the infrastructure in several ways. You may have heard of a few examples like drain channels, boundary walls, underground tunnels, culverts, and many others that can be built by using precast construction technology. Therefore, precast construction technology allows for the efficient making of components that are highly durable, cost-effective, and adaptable to a range of applications.

By now, you’re likely aware that precast technology is accelerating construction processes while minimizing construction-related pollution. However, many things have their limitations which apply to precast. Keep reading to know about the precast limitations.

Precast Limitations

While precast concrete offers various advantages, it also comes with certain limits that can impact its feasibility and application in concentration projects. There are a few limitations of precasts which are as follows:

Volume Requirements: One of the primary limitations of precasts is their dependency on large volumes for economic viability. Therefore, this method becomes more cost-efficient when making large quantities of components for extensive projects.
Precast Transportation Challenges: As precasts are often heavy and bulky, they necessitate specialized transportation arrangements to move them from the manufacturing facility to the construction site. This adds to the overall transportation expenses.
Equipment Intensive Installation: The installation of precast requires heavy machines and equipment like cranes and lifting devices. In the case of densely populated areas deploying such machines can be challenging as well as incur extra expenses.
Maintenance and Repair Complexity: Precasts are widely used due to their durability, but their repairs can be more complex compared to the traditional cast-in-place methods.
Design Limitations: The size and shape of precast elements are often restricted by transportation capabilities. Customized designs may require specially fabricated moulds, resulting in heightened costs and longer lead times. Additionally, once the precast is made, making modifications can be challenging and expensive.

Precast construction technology is evolving and getting its place in the construction industry with many developers and construction companies opening their precast units to meet the demands of their construction projects.

The most demanding component in precast manufacturing is the construction chemicals which make precast durable, corrosion & moisture-free, and help in the easy removal of formworks. Let’s check out those revolutionary construction chemicals which are gained the trust of construction companies, developers, builders, etc.,

Presenting Construction Chemicals for Precast Manufacturing:

In precast manufacturing construction chemicals play a vital role in increasing the workability of the concrete to get the early strength and elevate durability. Following are some must have construction chemicals.

Addage Plast PCE 850

It is an advanced plasticizer (PCE 850) designed to significantly reduce water content and promote early strength development by 20% to 30% in concrete. It optimizes curing cycles by reducing curing time and temperature. It is available in liquid form with 50 Kg and 200 Kg cans & barrels.

Mould Releasing Oil

Commonly known as shuttering oil, it acts as a barrier between the mould and the concrete. This results in preventing concrete from sticking to the moulds to get precasts with a great surface finish. Nevertheless, mould-release agents prolong the lifespan of the moulds by protecting them from moisture and corrosion.

Excellent quality mould-releasing oils are Addage Bondcote 200SN, Addage Bondcote 300W, Addage Bondcote 100C (MRA CP), Addage Bondcote SE (Silicon Emulsion) Thin & Addage Bondcote SE (Silicon Emulsion) Thick, and many more made by Sakshi Chem Sciences Pvt Ltd.

Sakshi Chem Sciences construction chemicals are formulated with complete research and industry standards. We are more than just construction chemicals manufacturers, by offering affordable construction chemicals solutions for all your construction requirements.

Our team of skilled experts is dedicated to offering exceptional support, from personalized quotations and quality-checked products to professional advice, ensuring your construction project meets expectations. With a diverse portfolio of over 200 high-quality construction chemical products, we’re here to help you achieve the best results. Contact us today to get support for your next construction project!

Precast Construction in India and Its Future Ahead?