Post-Tensioning Documentation from Design to Construction: Best Practices for Engineers-Post-Tensioning Documentation from Design to Construction: Best Practices for Engineers

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar (attended by participants from 80+ countries) focuses on best practices for post-tensioning (PT) documentation from design through construction. The presenter, Karine Lays (VP at WSP), explains how clear specifications and structural drawings protect design intent, reduce RFIs, and improve quality.<br /><br />She outlines what strong PT specifications should cover: roles/responsibilities, quality assurance (manufacturer and installer qualifications), material handling, tolerances, submittal requirements, and pre-installation meetings. Structural drawings should clearly communicate loads, tendon layouts (banded/distributed), forces, high/low points using CGS, key details (openings near columns, restraint/crack mitigation), and supplemental rebar such as stud rails and top/bottom reinforcement.<br /><br />A major section addresses shop drawing review: confirm tendon layout, stressing ends, tendon IDs, profiles/support systems (CGS-to-chair-height conversion), construction joints/strip locations, beam tendon layering near anchors, hairpins, MEP opening coordination, and any assumptions flagged by suppliers. She stresses field observation at “hot spots” where congestion or slab thickenings can compromise tendon profiles.<br /><br />Construction administration includes reviewing stressing records and elongations (±7% tolerance), requiring clear deviation reporting, and stopping work when elongations are inconsistent until issues (e.g., jack calibration) are resolved.

Keywords

post-tensioning documentation

PT specifications

structural drawings

shop drawing review

tendon layout and profiles

CGS and chair height conversion

quality assurance and installer qualifications

stressing records and elongation tolerance

construction administration and field observation