Post-Tensioned vs. Reinforced Concrete Tennis Courts

The two most common types of concrete slabs for outdoor play courts are reinforced concrete and post-tensioned concrete. However, post-tensioned concrete provides the best overall performance, according to the American Sports Builders Association, a national organization for builders and designers of tennis courts and other sports surfaces.

Munson Inc.
Munson Inc. in Glendale, WI

Post-tensioned concrete is reinforced with a grid of high-strength sheathed steel tendons, or cables. While the concrete is curing, the cables are tensioned in both directions and held permanently under stress by anchoring them in a perimeter beam. This squeezing actionkeeps the concrete in compression, improving its tensile (or bending) strength. The more the concrete is squeezed together, the less likely it is that shrinkage cracks will develop or open. (See a more complete description of post-tensioning from the Post-Tensioning Institute.)

Other benefits of post-tensioning: Contractors can build larger slabs using thinner concrete sections, and they don't have to install control joints, which can interfere with play. "In order to build a reinforced concrete court that has the same structural capabilities as a post-tensioned court, we would have to install so much steel and concrete that the reinforced court would actually cost more," says Kolkmann. "Also, a reinforced court needs control joints, usually at a spacing of 10 to 15 feet, including in the playing area. Eventually these joints may widen, as well as any cracks that appear."

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