PC Wire and Strand

PC-wire is used in major construction projects as a means of increasing the strength of cast concrete components, ranging from railway track sleepers, ground stabilising piles, floor beams and pipe systems. The process involves the continuous heating and stretching of a cold drawn high-carbon steel wire to produce a finished product with a much improved yield stress and greatly reduced load relaxation. The wire can be supplied in many different finished forms: plain, indented, crimped or galvanised.
PC-strand is used in the construction of large section bridge beams, floor slabs, foundations, large concrete vessels and dam walls.

The strand can also be supplied in various forms for pre- or post-tensioning applications, with plain or galvanised material ranging from 3 wire, 7 wire, 19 wire and compacted construction.
A key element in the process is the source of environmentally friendly heating, utilising the Radyne induction furnace. This is a self-contained medium frequency induction power unit complete with heating coils, requiring only water and electrical connections. The on-board optical pyrometer closely monitors the process temperature and the interface PLC controls the furnace power to achieve the desired product temperature under all production conditions.