Precast concrete beam, prestressed (Specified by section size)
High-strength prestressed concrete beams manufactured off-site with pre-tensioned or post-tensioned steel strands, offering superior span capabilities (up to 40m), durability (50-100 year design life), and fire resistance for Australian conditions.
High-strength prestressed concrete beams manufactured off-site with pre-tensioned or post-tensioned steel strands, offering superior span capabilities (up to 40m), durability (50-100 year design life), and fire resistance for Australian conditions.
Prestressed precast concrete beams are structural elements manufactured in controlled factory conditions using high-strength concrete (50-100 MPa) and high-tensile steel strands (1860 MPa). The prestressing force induces compression in the concrete, allowing longer spans, reduced deflections, and crack control. Available in standard profiles (T-beams, I-beams, rectangular) or custom designs, these beams comply with AS 3600:2018 and AS 5100 for infrastructure applications.
- Extended span capabilities (up to 40m)
- High load-bearing capacity
- Excellent durability (50-100 year design life)
- Superior fire resistance (up to 4-hour FRL)
- Crack control through prestressing
- Quality factory production
- Rapid on-site installation
- Lower lifecycle costs
- Inherent bushfire resistance (BAL-FZ compliant)
- 01 Extended span capabilities (up to 40m)
- 02 High load-bearing capacity
- 03 Excellent durability (50-100 year design life)
- 04 Superior fire resistance (up to 4-hour FRL)
- 05 Crack control through prestressing
- 01 Higher initial cost than cast-in-place
- 02 Transport limitations for large sections
- 03 Crane requirements for installation
- 04 Limited design flexibility once cast
- 05 Specialist design expertise required
- Density
- 2400 kg/m³ range: 2400-2500
- Specific gravity
- 2.4
- Porosity
- 10 % range: 8-14
- Water absorption
- 4 %
- Hardness
- 6
- UV resistance
- Excellent
- Chemical resistance
- Good to moderate depending on exposure
- pH tolerance
- 6.5 – 11 With appropriate mix design
- Surface roughness
- 5 μm Smooth mould finish
- Tensile strength
- 4 MPa Direct tension
- Compressive strength
- 65 MPa 28-day strength; 30-40 MPa at transfer
- Flexural strength
- 5 MPa Modulus of rupture
- Shear strength
- 3.5 MPa Localised bearing stress
- Poisson's ratio
- 0.2 0.15-0.25 range; Prestressing steel strands
- Impact resistance
- High
- Creep resistance
- 2 Ultimate creep coefficient
- Embodied carbon
- 0.32 kgCO2e/kg
- Carbon footprint
- 320 kgCO2e/m³ Varies with cement content and SCMs
- Embodied energy
- 2 MJ/kg Manufacturing water use
- Recycled content
- 25 % Potential for recycled aggregates and SCMs
- Renewable content
- 0 %
- Circular score
- 7 /10 High reuse potential
- Combustibility class
- Non-combustible
- Fire resistance level
- 240 minutes
- Ignition temp
- N/A Non-combustible
- Flame spread index
- 0 AS 1530.3
- Smoke dev. index
- 0 AS 1530.3
- Heat release rate
- 0 kW/m²
- Material cost (range)
- [object Object] – [object Object]
- Material cost (per unit)
- 600 $/m³ Average 2024 price
- Lead time
- 56 days 8-12 weeks for custom sections
- Lifecycle cost
- 45 $/m²/year Lower than cast-in-place over 50 years
- Annual maintenance
- 0.5 % Percentage of initial cost
- Market availability
- Readily available Major cities and regional centres; Standard sections; 8-12 weeks custom
- Expected lifespan
- 100 years With appropriate design and maintenance
- Maintenance interval
- 10 years Inspection only, minimal maintenance
- Warranty period
- 10 years Structural warranty typical