Stressing Accessories
Stressing Accessories Give Your Post Tensioning Crews Additional Capabilities
Post tensioning is a repetitive process that’s frequently done in challenging conditions. Efficiency and adaptability are essential, and that means equipping your crew with the accessories they need to work without interruption.
With the right stressing accessories, post-tensioning jacks can be quickly and easily augmented for different work settings. That way, your teams don’t have to stop and reconfigure their jacks, wasting precious minutes.
What Stressing Accessories are Available for Post Tensioning Jacks?
Nose pieces
The nose piece is the frontmost component on a post tensioning jack, responsible for accessing the anchor pocket. Its long shape is ideal for tapered cavities and allows the post tensioning crew to quickly align the jack for stressing.
Nose pieces are available in several lengths, though 3-inch and 6-inch models are the most common for single-acting jacks. For double-acting jacks, nose piece lengths include 3-inch, 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch models. With a variety of nose piece lengths available to your crew, they will be able to switch them out when low clearance issues are present.
Wedge seaters
Wedge seaters sit behind the nose piece and are responsible for holding the wedges in place and aligning them during seating. Wedge seaters are designed to accommodate different nose piece sizes, so they’re also available in a range of sizes, with 3-inch and 6-inch models being the most common.
Grippers are special wedges that sit inside the gripper block. Prior to stressing, the grippers grab onto the strand and provide the initial tension forces that stressing relies on. Like standard wedges, grippers are designed with serrated teeth that penetrate into the strand and maintain a tight hold. Gripper sets are available in a few varieties, each designed for a particular strand diameter. This includes 3/8″, 7/16”, 1/2″ and 19/32” strand grippers.
Gripper blocks
Gripper blocks house the grippers during stressing. This ensures the grippers keep the strand properly aligned when grabbing onto the strand. Gripper blocks don’t normally need to be switched out and are only replaced if they’re damaged or become loose.
Gripper handles
The gripper handle sits at the back of the gripper assembly and provides a handhold for jack operators during stressing. Gripper handles, like gripper blocks, don’t need to be replaced unless they sustain damage. Given the rough conditions that post tensioning jacks are put through, replacement handles are occasionally needed.
Gripper retainer plates
The gripper retainer plates secure the gripper assembly to the rest of the jack. Further, they keep the gripper block in place to ensure proper strand alignment. As the retainer plates are exposed, they are more likely to sustain damage or wear due to field conditions. Corrosion is of particular note and can cause retainer plates to fail early in extreme situations. Maintaining backups is recommended.
Hand wedge seaters
Hand wedge seaters look like bent, grooved metal rods. As simple as they look, though, they can significantly speed up wedge seating and stressing. Before wedges are fully seated by the jack, they must be hand-placed in each pocket. Some crews use hammers or other tools to tap the wedges in, but this is imprecise and takes time. Hand wedge seaters allow for consistent wedge seating using a single, quick motion. Workers save several seconds at each pocket, which adds up in a big way when hundreds of anchors need to be seated.
A Few Advantages of Keeping Stressing Accessories on Hand for Your Team
There are benefits to maintaining a healthy inventory of stressing accessories. Some of them include:
- Expanded capabilities – With a full set of post tensioning components on hand, your work crews will be ready for any challenge they face in the field. Whether it’s an unexpected anchor design, inadequate strand lengths or low clearance settings, stressing accessories give your post tensioning crews additional solutions to work with.
- Enhanced efficiency – A single post tensioning project may involve stressing hundreds or thousands of anchorages. Given the volume of work involved, saving a minute or two at each anchor is well worth it. A full set of stressing accessories allows your team to work with fewer interruptions, and work with greater productivity as a result.
- Added safety – If challenges do present themselves in the field, you don’t want workers attempting unsafe solutions to get around them. And you don’t want to risk inadequate stressing and put other people at risk. With the right stressing accessories available, your post tensioning teams will have an answer for every challenge and can therefore operate their equipment with greater safety.
Flickinger Machine Can Source and Replace Your Stressing Accessories
Post tensioning projects usually present obstacles that field personnel are required to adapt to. The better your post tensioning crews can adapt to those obstacles, the more productive they will be. Stressing accessories provide this adaptability, ensuring your workers can adjust their equipment when needed.