Title: Early Applications of Prestressed Concrete in the United Kingdom

Author(s): C. Burgoyne

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 231

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 15-32

Keywords: history; prestressed concrete; United Kingdom

DOI: 10.14359/14918

Date: 10/1/2005

Abstract:
The initial impetus to the application of prestressed concrete in the UnitedKingdom was heavily driven by the conditions imposed by the Second World War.Refugees from Germany, particularly Mautner and Abeles, brought skills andknowledge of tests carried out in France and Germany. The need to provide emergencystructures, both for military purposes and to meet civilian needs, together withshortages of many materials, especially steel, led to the construction of beams on ascale, and at a speed, which would not have taken place in more normal times. Thepaper covers developments in the UK from the outbreak of the war in 1939 up to theearly 1950s, when more normal times returned. This period of development is still notproperly documented because security conditions prevented the publication of fulldetails of the applications.