Post Tension Cables (PT Cables) are drawn tight with thousands of pounds of pressure. If these cables are cut, nicked or in any way compromised, they can rip through the concrete and render the slab useless, or seriously injure someone.  There is no doubt that whenever you, as a contractor, look to saw cut or core drill on a post tension reinforced concrete deck you should have the cables located.  However, we consistently see the aftermath of people who try to cut corners and drill or cut based on construction plans or good luck.  The results can be dangerous and structurally hazardous to the structure.

Many of today’s high performance slabs contain Post Tension Cables. While there are many different types of PT cables, above can be seen the stressing zone for a 40 – cable Post Tension bundle. These are often used as components of concrete slabs where extra forces are needed to achieve structural integrity without having to thicken the entire slab.

There is no reason, with the current technological testing methods in place, to hit rebar let alone post tension cables. Digital Concrete locates all types of reinforcing steel, while post tension cables are probably the most common.

Digital Concrete can use ground penetrating radar to determine the location of all reinforcing steel in a 2’x2’ area in about 10 minutes. 10 minutes of our time can save you not only money but costly project down time to repair broken cables and sprawled concrete.