Complete post-tension slab design from scheme to stressing data: analysis, calculation report, tendon layouts, profiles and stressing schedules, prepared for authority submission and for any PT specialist contractor to build. Analysis and design in RAM Concept.
One engineer runs the scheme, model, checks and drawings, so the thickness quoted at scheme stage is the one that reaches the authority.
Span-to-depth, PT against RC flat slab, banded/distributed or two-way banded layout, and a target precompression in the working range of roughly 1.0–2.0 MPa, all settled before a tendon is drawn.
RAM Concept models with load balancing, hyperstatic (secondary) actions, transfer and service stress checks, and long-term deflection allowing for creep and shrinkage.
Two-way shear at every column, stud-rail or stirrup schedules, minimum bonded reinforcement over columns, and the structural-integrity tendons that must pass through the column cores.
Tendon layout and profile drawings, chair schedule, stressing schedule with theoretical elongations, a clause-referenced calculation report and point-by-point replies to review comments.
The thickness, the programme and most of the cost are fixed by the tendon profile, so that is where the effort goes first.
A PT slab is checked twice: at transfer, when the concrete is young and almost nothing holds the slab down, and in service under full load. Both cover flexure, punching, deflection and crack control, and the hyperstatic effects of the prestress are carried into the ultimate design.
We usually balance 60–80% of the dead load. More, and the slab hogs. Less, and you pay for PT that behaves like RC. The usable drape is what remains after cover, sheathing and crossing bars, checked against chair heights the contractor can buy.
Unbonded monostrand dominates Middle East building slabs and is our default. Bonded multistrand suits heavily loaded transfer beams or wherever it is specified. The two differ in ultimate tendon stress, corrosion protection and how future openings are cut, so we agree the system before design starts.
Dubai accepts American, European or British design codes. We work in whichever one the project’s lead consultant has adopted, and we keep to it throughout.
More on regional work: post-tension design in Saudi Arabia and post-tension design in Qatar.
Dubai Municipality’s building regulations add PT-specific requirements on top of the design codes. These are the ones that most often change a scheme if they are found late.
Summarised from Dubai Municipality Administrative Resolution No. 37 of 2021 (Article 54, prestressed concrete). A summary, not the regulation. We check the current authority checklist (DM, DDA, Trakhees or other) on every job.
With these we can come back with a framing option, an indicative slab thickness and a fixed fee. You can also size the slab yourself first with the scheme-stage estimator.
Structural design already done? See PT shop drawings. Weighing PT against RC? See PT design optimisation. Scheme designed by someone else? A technical peer review is usually faster than a redesign.
Flat slabs, banded-beam floors, podium and car park slabs, transfer slabs and beams, and ground-bearing PT slabs, with unbonded or bonded systems.
RAM Concept for PT slab analysis and design, with in-house tools for drawing production. The RAM Concept model is handed over with the package.
Yes. The design is contractor-neutral and uses the friction and anchorage data of the PT system approved for the project.
Architectural plans and sections, loading and finishes, the authority, the fire rating and exposure, and the programme.
Most projects touch more than one of these. The Iron Axis home page has the full overview.
Tendon layouts, profiles and stressing schedules.
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Pre-pour inspections and site support.
Read more →The checks every slab receives.
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A thorough check of a post-tension design before it is approved or built.
Read more →WhatsApp or email the architectural or structural set, the location and what you need. The reply comes from the engineers who will do the work, with a proposed scope and programme.