Concrete beams education and training describes aspects such as designing concrete beams, installing concrete beams, concrete beams safety precautions, and using concrete beams in projects. Construction workers as well as architects benefit from learning more about concrete beams. Care in design and placement ensures the beams' safety and efficiency when placed under pressure.

Concrete beams find use in many different industries and for many different applications, such as in building bridges, buildings, and more. Construction firms frequently use concrete beams as the standing foundation for walls, therefore concrete beam construction education is necessary. When considering concrete beams education and training, seek the following options:

1. Courses teach about design of precast concrete beams as well as how to build a concrete beam.

2. Videos from concrete beam suppliers offer visual tips and techniques.

3. Articles offer review and information from concrete beam manufacturers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider taking a course for concrete beams education and training

Courses offer different aspects of concrete beams. Learn about styles of concrete beams, concrete beam design, and concrete beam safety. Companies or employees may choose shorter one- or two-day workshop courses or lengthier courses from an institute. Courses offer more intensive hands-on information than other educational resources.

I recommend: Tech Transfer offers a design workshop discussing prestressed concrete beams. Load and resistance factor are examined when considering concrete beam design. Concrete Countertop Institute offers several different courses including a demonstration of concrete beams and concrete courses.

Watch videos for tips on concrete beam construction

How-to videos are a way to learn more about using concrete beams in your business. Videos offer visual tips and technique ideas. Some videos serve the place of workshops, seminars, and short courses. Check at stores catering to construction companies for videos such as these.

I recommend: Meta Cafe offers an online video on concrete posts and concrete beams. EERI offers a video of a concrete building seminar; video discusses new and existing concrete constructions.

Study professional articles to gain concrete beams education and training

Articles often offer concrete beams advice, using concrete beams tips, concrete beam supplier reviews, and information about concrete beam prices. Learn about new methods and products from concrete beam suppliers. Articles and magazines also typically list information about courses, events, and seminars dealing with concrete beams.

I recommend: Quake Wrap discusses a concrete beam strengthened with FRP. BNet also offers an article dealing with training and education about concrete beam education and the integration of non-destructive testing.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Learn about decorative concrete beams during education and training. A decorative concrete beam is eye-appealing and attractive to use in homes and businesses. Discover how to use concrete beams in open areas as well as behind walls and ceilings.

Precast concrete beams and forms provide an excellent resource for construction, offering ease of installation as well as durability and insulation. Concrete beam manufacturers typically specialize in innovative construction technologies for improved insulation or in decorative form manufacturing for unique architectural projects.

You can pour concrete on-site or assemble prefabricated concrete beams and forms to complete concrete beam construction. If you pour concrete beams on-site, you can use a mold and either leave it in place or remove it after you create the concrete forms.

When planning to use concrete beams and forms, consider the following options:

1. Use concrete beam suppliers to get precast concrete beams;

2. Look for concrete beam manufacturers creating specialty insulated products;

3. Get support for concrete beam construction such as forms and construction software.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shop with concrete beam suppliers for precast concrete products

Precast concrete products such as beams and forms are available from several concrete beam suppliers and manufacturers. You can use nationwide or local concrete companies to either create poured concrete beams on-site or to produce precast and prestressed concrete beams to be assembled in construction.

I recommend: Boral Material Technologies manufactures prefabricated and prestressed concrete products, and provides product information on types of concrete for sale. Search for a service representative by state to buy. Fitzgerald Formliners also produces concrete beams and forms to be used in construction, and provides product and contact information for interested builders.

Create innovative projects using concrete beam construction

Concrete beam construction enables the use of innovative concrete products, providing increased durability and energy efficiency. In the construction wave of going green, precast concrete beam technology provides an excellent resource for inexpensive insulated construction materials.

I recommend: Verti-Crete provides information for pre-casters on how to use wall cast molds to make precast concrete forms, sound walls, decorative concrete beams and columns. Logix also produces insulated concrete forms and provides concrete beam construction services. Find a distributor by state to buy.

Get support for construction of precast concrete beams

Concrete beam manufacturers use a variety of molds and other technology to produce concrete beams. If you are planning to create your own precast concrete beams for your own use or for sale in construction, look into concrete casting forms and structural software.

I recommend: Amico StayForm is a metal leave-in-place form for poured concrete, which allows you to create your own mold for a variety of concrete form shapes. Structural Software produces software that calculates beam strength for reinforced concrete beams.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Advertise the use of precast concrete beams in construction to capitalize on their advantages and strengths. Concrete is an increasingly popular building technology with both structural and decorative appeal, and many green buyers will be interested in the advantages of building with concrete.

Whether it’s a residential building, commercial complex or industrial plant, concrete beams are an essential part of any construction project. Concrete beams provide better strength and durability than wooden or metal beams. Concrete beams offer other benefits, such as thermal and acoustical insulation and fire resistance.

While searching for information about concrete beams, you will hear various technical terms from concrete industry professionals. This guide intends to familiarize you with some of those terms.

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Curing

Curing is the process of maintaining satisfactory moisture content and temperature in a concrete form. It is a very important step in the construction process to ensures strength and durability of the concrete form. The time required for this process is known as curing time.

I recommend: The Concrete Network, an education resource for the concrete industry, offers a glossary of concrete terms, including curing. For detailed description about the curing process, read through the concrete glossary at dee Concrete Accessories, a supplier of metal forms and nail stakes to the construction industry.

Cast-in-place concrete

As the name indicates, cast-in-place concrete forms are cast at the site of construction. If you want to use cast-in-place concrete forms, you will need to wait until the concrete is cured

I recommend: HBG Constructors, a reputable bridge building company, offers a glossary of terms, including cast-in-place concrete.

Pre-cast concrete

Sometimes, construction companies do not have enough time to cure the concrete forms or are unable to pour the concrete forms at the construction site. In such cases, concrete forms are cast in a factory and assembled at the site. Concrete forms that are manufactured in a specialized factory and used on-site such as this are known as pre-cast concrete forms.

I recommend: You can read through the glossary of concrete terms at Gould

Reinforced concrete

To provide additional strength to a concrete beam, steel bars are incorporated or contained in the concrete beam. These beams have better tensile strength than other concrete beams.

I recommend: Moxie International, a reputable chemical manufacturer, offers explanation on various concrete terms, such as reinforced concrete. You can also browse through Contractor School Online

Pre-stressed concrete beams

A reinforced concrete beam may buckle or crack at a tension zone. To avoid this problem, compressive stresses are induced in this tension zone before assembling the concrete beam.

I recommend: For detailed description on pre-stressed concrete beams, read through information by David Childs, a civil engineering consultancy firm.

Insulated concrete form (ICF)

For some applications, a concrete structure needs to provide thermal or acoustical insulation. In such cases, construction companies prefer to use ICFs, which are rigid plastic foam forms that hold concrete in place during curing and serve as thermal insulation for concrete walls.

I recommend: The Insulating Concrete Form Association (ICFA) provides basic information about ICFs. You can also refer to ICF facts at ICF Homes, an informative resource for the ICF industry professionals.