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prestressed

prestressed

6.5
Engineers make materials like concrete beams stronger by putting force inside before use
  • adjective
  • /ˈprɛsˌtrɛst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : preesforzado
  • Due to its prestressed structure, the bridge can support heavier loads than traditional designs.
  • prestressed concrete

Examples

  • The use of prestressed materials helps prevent cracking and enhances longevity in construction projects.

  • The engineer designed a building using prestressed concrete to improve its strength and durability.

  • He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI).

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

strengthened
vsprestressed
3.0

Has extra support to make it stronger

uses internal stress applied beforehand to achieve the result

How Prestressed

prestressed
  • Specialized
6.5
unstressed
1 2.5

Surface Forms

prestressed positive

Morphology

prestressed = prestress (semi-transparent) = pre + stress + ed

This is a regular participial adjective formed from the verb 'prestress'.

Etymology

The word prestressed comes from pre- meaning 'before' and stress meaning 'pressure' or 'force', so it means 'put under pressure before use'. Engineers give concrete or beams pressure inside them first so they are stronger when in use.