For high bearing capacity

Dear Readers, one ever-recurring emphasis in the issues of BFT International is reinforcement engineering. But why, exactly, do we attach so much importance to this topic? Concrete, our construction material, is distinguished by extraordinary durability, universal application and flexible moldability. Concrete is, moreover, outstandingly well-suited for sustaining compressive forces. But a  major weakness of concrete is its low tensile strength. The rule of thumb is that the tensile strength of normal concrete amounts to only around 10% of the compressive strength. Reinforcement, on the other hand, can do what concrete cannot do well: withstand tensile forces. This makes an important contribution to the strengthening and production of construction elements to bear high loads.

Manufacturers and suppliers of reinforcement and fastening technology continuously develop new products and solutions so that that there is always news to report from this area. In this place, I would especially recommend reading the contribution “Cast-in Peikko HPM-L anchor bolts exposed to seismic actions” (pp. 30 ff.) and the project report “Precast construction using concrete trusses for waste sorting building” ( pp. 37 ff.).

And – as you are accustomed to from many of my editorials – a little link from precast elements to the people in our industry: it is not only the technical bearing capacity that can be increased.  Bearing connections and reliable anchors are also of the essence to ensure psychic bearing capability.