ABSTRACT
Tunnel vision in construction practices has been a failing in many instances and no less so in the precast concrete industry. Concrete falls into the permeable porous class which can result in a risk of carbonation, sulfate, chloride, freeze/thaw and organic acid attack as would be encountered in many agricultural applications as well as used in moorland water situations. Concrete has the general advantage of having a high thermal inertia in that a typical density concrete of about 2300 kg/m3 takes a lot of time to heat up and a lot of time to cool down. Precast concrete has an air-borne sound resistance characteristic that relates, approximately, to the weight per unit area. Suffice it to say that concrete in general and precast concrete in particular enjoy a good performance record and are predicted to carry on doing so with current practice being continued and supported by the parties associated with the industry.
