Manufacturing of Concrete Products and Precast Elements

The flexible use of prefabricated concrete products requires a continuously increasing diversity with regard to fresh concrete mix designs and properties, moulding processes, surface finishes and product characteristics. This trend imposes ever-higher requirements on manufacturers of the associated production equipment and on precast plants. The main goal is to implement a flexible production system in all processing stages. The relevant correlations and interactions need to be thoroughly considered and evaluated in order to ensure that concrete products and precast elements are manufactured to the required quality standard. To date, no comprehensive description of these correlations has been published in the relevant literature. This richly illustrated book closes the gap by describing the basic principles of the production processes, the fundamentals of materials, the composition of the concrete mix, and the equipment used for concrete production. Clearly arranged chapters detail the production processes and equipment used to manufacture small concrete products, concrete pipes and manholes, and precast elements. The authors have used their many years of experience in the field of precast technology and their close ties to the industry. Their aim was to integrate modern testing and calculation methods from neighbouring disciplines into precast technology. This includes, for instance, modelling and simulation of the workability behaviour of mixes, implementation of the latest advancements in machine dynamics to the design and engineering of production equipment, and the use of stateof-the-art measuring and automation technology for quality control purposes.

Dr.-Ing. habil. Helmut Kuch was head of the Department of Equipment and Machinery at the University for Architecture and Construction in Weimar from 1984 to 1992. From 1992 to 2007, he was director of the Institut für Fertigteiltechnik und Fertigbau Weimar e. V. (Weimar Institute for Precast Technology and Construction). His work concentrated on the design and dimensioning of equipment for the manufacture of concrete products, with particular emphasis on moulding and compaction and mitigation of noise and vibration. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg-Henry Schwabe completed his studies of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics at the Technical University of Chemnitz with an engineering degree in 1993. Since then, he has been working as a research associate at the Weimar Institute for Precast Technology and Construction. In 2002, he received his doctorate at the Technical University of Chemnitz. His thesis dealt with 'vibrational design of concrete pipe machines'. Since 2006, he has been head of research in the precast technology division of the institute, concentrating on the dynamics of building materials machinery, numerical simulation of machines and processes, and mitigation of noise and vibration. Since 2010 professor for transmission technology and dynamics of machinery at the University of Applied Sciences in Jena. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Palzer studied process engineering of building materials at the University of Architecture and Construction in Weimar (today Bauhaus University) from 1979 to 1984. From 1984 to 1989, he worked as a research associate at the university and received his doctorate in 1990. In 1990, he became Managing Director of Ritter Verwaltung GmbH and moved on as Managing Director at PBM Projektbau- und Baumanagement GmbH, Weimar, in 1995. Since July 2007, he has been director of the Weimar Institute for Precast Technology and Construction. His work concentrates on building materials research, simulation of processes, and mitigation of noise and vibration in the raw materials industry.