Manufacturing of Concrete Products and Precast Elements - Processes and Equipment

Foreword
Concrete is one of the most important building materials of our times. Concrete products and precast elements that are prefabricated on an industrial scale fully utilise the performance potential of concrete whilst offering major benefits with regard to the construction process. The flexible use of prefabricated concrete products results in a continuously increasing diversity with respect to
- fresh concrete mix designs and properties,
- external geometry and design,
- surface finishes in terms of colour and design and
- characteristics of the finished product (quality).
These factors impose corresponding requirements on both the manufacturers of the associated production equipment and its operators, i.e. precast plants.
The main objective is to implement a flexible production system with respect to all four components of the production process, i.e.
- material-related aspects,
- technological processes,
- technical equipment and
- characteristics of the finished product (quality).
These components need to be carefully considered and evaluated to ensure that the concrete products and precast elements are manufactured to the required quality standards.
The relevant literature does not include any comprehensive discussions of these relationships to date.
This book is based not only on the authors' many years of experience gained in the field of precast technology at the Bauhaus University of Weimar and at the Institut für Fertigteiltechnik und Fertigbau Weimar e. V. (Weimar Institute for Precast Technology and Construction), but also on their close ties to the industry.
The authors' aim was to select state-of-the-art testing and calculation methods from neighbouring disciplines and apply them to precast technology. This includes, for instance, modelling and simulation of the workability behaviour of mixes, application of the latest advancements in machine dynamics to the design and engineering of production equipment, and the use of state-of-the-art measuring and automation technology for quality control purposes. In the English translation, the system of mathematical symbols and designations used in the German version was intentionally retained. The same applies to the metric units of measurement used for physical parameters.