Introduction
Precast concrete planks are a common method of floor slab construction. They are installed quickly and create a safe and solid floor surface to work from as soon as they are put into place. At domestic scale they may be chosen as the flooring solution with masonry construction because of their fire and acoustic separation attributes as well as contributing to thermal mass. At commercial scales they off er longer spanning capabilities than concrete on permanent metal decking and, with appropriate cranage, enable faster floor construction than cast in-place solutions.
This Technical Guidance Note describes how prestressed precast concrete planks are constructed, specified and installed. Note that the procedure for their design is a complex one and as such, will be covered in a future technical guide.