Ordinary concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. Even reinforced concrete, where steel bars are used to take up the tension that the concrete cannot resist, is prone to cracking and corrosion under low loads. Prestressed concrete is highly resistant to stress, and is used as a building material for bridges, tanks, shell roofs, floors, buildings, containment vessels for nuclear power plants and offshore oil platforms. With a wide range of benefits such as crack control, low rates of corrosion, thinner slabs, fewer joints and increased span length; prestressed concrete is a...