BRE BR429 PDF

High alumina cement (HAC) concrete was used extensively in the UK from the 1950s to the early 1970s in the manufacture of pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete beams. However, following a few cases of structural failure associated with loss of strength, HAC has not been recommended for use in structural concrete in the UK since the mid-1970s.

At that time, extensive research into the structural performance of HAC concrete construction led to the publication of detailed guidance and recommendations on design-check procedures by the Building Regulations Division of the Department of the Environment (DoE) in 1975. This guidance (commonly known as the BRAC rules) is the best advice available and is still used today to assess the structural performance of the many tens of thousands of buildings in the UK containing such pre-cast HAC concrete beams.

These documents have been out of print for a number of years. This electronic document makes the documents (the BRAC guidance and their two addenda), available to users in full in their original published form. A brief overview sets the documents in context with current thinking and guidance on HAC concrete published since 1975 and also gives some general guidance on their application.