Purpose and scope

This manual has been developed to provide guidance for owners, licensed design professionals (LDPs), builders, contractors, and field personnel involved in the installation, stressing, and finishing of unbonded single strand systems used in the construction of residential and light commercial slab-on-ground foundations. This manual also provides information for the inspection of this type of construction method and for jobsite troubleshooting.

In addition, this manual provides information regarding the proper maintenance procedures required during and after construction that are essential to the long-term performance of any slab-on-ground foundation. For the successful performance of a foundation, it is important that these procedures be understood and that a proper maintenance program be developed by the builder, who will in turn pass it on to the property owner. On expansive soil sites, proper drainage around the perimeter of a foundation is critical if the foundation is to perform its intended function over its expected service life.

It should be understood that while the details and recommendations presented in this manual are intended to represent generally accepted industry practice, the practices of individual companies on specific items (in particular, procedures for the operation of stressing equipment) may vary from the details and recommendations presented herein. In the event of any conflict between this manual and the contract documents or written instructions from the post-tensioning (PT) supplier, the contract documents or written instructions should always govern.

This manual does not cover the geotechnical or structural aspects for the design of PT slab-on-ground foundations. Readers are directed to the following documents issued by the PTI Slab-on-Ground Committee that relate to these aspects of the design of slab-on-ground foundations:

• PTI DC10.5, Standard Requirements for Design and Analysis of Shallow Post-Tensioned Concrete Foundations on Expansive Soils

• PTI DC10.1, Design of Post-Tensioned Slab-on-Ground1

• PTI M10.6, Specification for Unbonded Single Strand Tendons Used for Slab-on-Ground Construction