Wiktionary
n. concrete with stresses induced in it before use so as to counteract stresses that will be produced by load; often contains stretched steel bars or wires called tendons
Wikipedia
Prestressed concrete is defined as a concrete construction material which is placed under compression prior to it supporting any applied loads (ie it is "pre" stressed). This compression is produced by the tensioning of high-strength "tendons" located within or adjacent to the concrete volume, and is done to improve the performance of the concrete in service. Tendons may consist of single wires, multi-wire strands or threaded bars, and are most commonly made from high-tensile steels, carbon fibre or aramid fibre. The essence of prestressed concrete is that once the initial compression has been applied, the resulting material has the characteristics of high-strength concrete when subject to any subsequent compression forces, and of ductile high-strength steel when subject to tension forces. This can result in improved structural capacity and/or serviceability compared to conventionally reinforced concrete in many situations.
First used in the late-nineteenth century, prestressed concrete has developed to encompass a wide range of technologies. Tensioning (or "stressing") of the tendons may be undertaken either before ( pre-tensioning) or after ( post-tensioning) the concrete itself is cast. Tendons may be located either within the concrete volume (internal prestressing), or wholy outside of it (external prestressing). Whereas pre-tensioned concrete by definition uses tendons directly bonded to the concrete, post-tensioned concrete can use either bonded or unbonded tendons. Finally, tensioning systems can be classed as either monostrand systems, where each tendon's strand or wire is stressed individually, or multi-strand systems where all strands or wires in a tendon are stressed similtaneously.
Prestressed concrete is used in a wide range of building and civil structures where its improved concrete performance can allow longer spans, reduced structural thicknesses, and material savings to be realised compared to reinforced concrete. Typical applications range through high-rise buildings, foundation systems, bridge and dam structures, silos and tanks, industrial pavements and nuclear containment structures.
Usage examples of "prestressed concrete".
Unfortunately the old King cashed in before he saw ground broken and his hydrocephalic son, Nabisco the Incompetent, typically misread the late codger's vague blueprints and ordered somewhat more prestressed concrete than necessary for the original design.
She sent a burst from the M-16 into the ceiling, blowing away the tiles to expose a sheet of prestressed concrete.
The ceilings over the OR and the recovery room were fixed and made of prestressed concrete.
The three-story circular building-plus basements-had a facade consisting mainly of glass hung in a prestressed concrete frame.
All walls were a uniform smooth gray of their own mucilaginous prestressed concrete.
This end is a maze of fallen spaghetti, great curving loops of prestressed concrete that have lost their strength over the years and sagged to the ground.
Before him, the CIA building was a seven-story structure of white stone, or maybe prestressed concrete.
They were constructed of prestressed concrete and cinder block that was stuccoed and painted white.
Those geodesic forms could not have been built without prestressed concrete or something more sophisticated, not to mention the engineering mathematics.
There was an overhang of prestressed concrete about eight feet up over a doorway.