Concrete is a common construction material used for bridges, buildings, and more! While it’s a durable material that can handle heavy loads, it does have weak points. This video explains the best way to strengthen concrete before it is installed.
Prestressed concrete is concrete that uses rebar in a specific way to prevent damage from tensile force. Concrete is excellent at handling compressive force. An example of compressive force is when you step on a soda can to crush it flat. Tension or tensile force is when you pull something apart.
In concrete structures, you will have both types of force acting on the concrete. Take a bridge for instance. When a heavy load moves across the bridge, the top of the bridge bends under compressive force and holds up. The bottom part of the bridge is pulled apart, though. The bottom will form cracks and end up failing without rebar.
Prestressed concrete services insert rebar in concrete as it is setting. The rebar is stretched out using specialized machines. When the concrete is put into place, this rebar places the perfect amount of stress on the concrete to hold it together against tensile force.
For more information, check out the video above.
