Post-Tension Jacks
Power-seating, short-cable and dead-ender jacks for stressing post-tension cable.
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Post-tension Jacks Help Fortify A Foundation
Developed in the late 60s and popularized in the 90s, post-tensioning remains a primary means of reinforcing concrete construction, including foundation construction. During the post-tensioning process, reinforcing steel bars or rods are pulled until optimal tensioning force is achieved.
Post-tension jacks are what provide this pulling power, and their role in post tensioning concrete makes them valuable in foundation repair applications. Today, residential foundations account for about half of the market for concrete foundations, and hundreds of thousands of homes every year are built on post-tensioned foundations.
What Features Are Important In Post-tension Jacks Used For Foundation Repair?
Post-tensioning jacks are frequently used in challenging work environments, including elevated work environments where mobility is low and risk is high. With these factors in play, it’s important to choose a post-tension jack that’s designed for foundation work. Here’s what to look for:
Lightweight, easily handled design
Post-tension jacks have to be carried, moved and supported constantly during foundation repair or installation. In many work environments, this means transporting the jack through hazardous or elevated areas.
A lightweight design is valuable for these situations, but weight isn’t all. Many post-tension jacks only function if they can access the end of the steel strand. This requirement can compromise safety and efficiency.
You’d rather have a post-tension jack that can apply tensile force where it is needed, not from the end of the cable. Some jacks can do this, attaching to the top of the cable instead of the end. This allows crews to apply tension right where the strand is anchored. This is a major advantage for high-rise work, as the jack can be operated without crews having to move around on elevated platforms.
Durability and thermal resistance
Post-tension jacks are operated outside, where heat and dust are prevalent. Thermal resistance is particularly important for post-tension jacks, because the majority of post-tension foundations are installed along the Gulf Coast, where expansive soils and clays are everywhere. The heat and humidity are strong here.
As such, you’ll want a proven jack built by a brand with a proven track record. You don’t want a jack you can’t trust when the heat is on and the dust is swirling.
Simple design and build
Simplicity is key with most jacks, including post-tension jacks. A simple jack design and build means a more reliable jack. It also means that if the jack does take on damage or wear, it will be easier to repair. Some of the most popular post-tension jacks are some of the simplest in design, as their parts are easy and inexpensive to switch out.
Ideally, the post-tension jack you select will also be compatible with dead-end seating. Occasionally crews to have to seat dead-ends during the post-tensioning process. With dead-end seaters, this can be done safely and efficiently.
How Are Post-tension Jacks Used To Repair Foundations?
One of the benefits of post-tension foundations is that they tend to be easier to repair. If parts of the foundation need to be replaced, though, it’s likely that a post-tension jack will be required.
Post-tension jacks are what deliver the pulling force needed to prestress the bars or rods responsible for reinforcement. Once the concrete is poured and the steel laid in place, the foundation is given several days to cure. Following this curing process, tensile force is applied to the steel strands. To do so, a post-tension jack is installed adjacent to one of the anchors holding the steel strand in place. The jack presses against the anchor while pulling at the steel strand at the same time.
This simultaneous pushing and pulling motion places both the concrete and the steel in ideal prestressed modes. The concrete, which handles compression well, is squeezed, while the steel is stretched.
What Is The Difference Between Monostrand And Multistrand Jacks?
Monostrand jacks are the standard choice in home foundation repair, while you’ll typically find multistrand jacks in large-scale commercial applications. A monostand jack is one that applies tensile forces to one steel strand at a time. Multistrand jacks apply that force to many strands at once.
In residential applications, monostrand tendons are enough to reinforce the foundation. For major construction projects, multistrand reinforcement is common, as this provides more resistance against tension. For multistrand post-tension applications, though, special multistrand jacks are needed. Some of these are so large they need a hoist to keep them in place during operation.
Flickinger Machine Can Help Your Crew Choose The Right Post-tension Jacks For The Job
Post-tension jacks are a critical part of post-tension foundation repair, so you’ll want reliable jack technology that you can trust in any situation. Our team has many years of experience in inspecting, servicing, repairing, and selling post-tension jacks, so we can help your crew get the best jacks for the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
It applies the pulling force that puts the steel strand in tension after the concrete has cured. The concrete ends up in compression, the steel in tension, and the slab is stronger than either would be alone. The jack is what makes that transfer happen, and it is the piece the whole process depends on.
A monostrand jack tensions one strand at a time and is the standard choice in home foundation repair. Multistrand jacks tension several at once and are what you find on large commercial work. Residential crews rarely need multistrand. Commercial crews rarely get by without it.
Three things. Weight, because the jack gets carried and supported all day, sometimes through elevated or awkward ground. Thermal resistance, because post-tension foundations get installed in heat and dust and the jack has to hold up in it. And a simple build, because a simple jack is a more reliable jack and an easier one to repair when it does need work.
Usually repaired. Most problems on a post-tension jack are in the hydraulic cylinder, and cylinders can be inspected, resealed and rebuilt. Replacing the whole jack for a cylinder fault is expensive and often unnecessary. Bring it in and we will tell you which one you are looking at.
At our shop, 405 Nebraska in South Houston, open Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm CT. We inspect, service and repair post-tension jacks and the pumps that drive them, and we carry the parts. Call 832-671-0978.
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