The beginning of our activity dates back to 1951 when our Holding was established. The Company worked for the building trade, but also for the big Contractors.
Post-tensioning was at the beginning of its history and its application was experimental. In the middle of the fifties a Company called Tensacciai (literally stress steel) was established. Tensacciai started to operate in the field of post-tensioning in 1956 and in 1964 was acquired from the actual share holders.
In the sixties the beginning of the highway programme in Italy offered many chances in the works of art, favouring in this way a remarkable development of the Company.
The systems used by Tensacciai were systems of partial tensioning. These systems were immediately considered insufficient to the new owner to face competition of simultaneous tensioning systems.
A programme of technological renewal began. 0,6” diameter strands started to be used, and the system of multiple and simultaneous tensioning was developed.
The use of the strand, at that time scarcely present in post-tensioning, made it possible to carry out a system of multiple tensioning which, by assuring the isotensioning to cable components under stressing, complied with a design requirement, not yet achieved by the other systems with the same efficaciousness.
An important development was achieved in the seventies: the years of the completion of the big highway programme in Italy and of the final success of Tensacciai, as the system universally became used in big public works and in the most important bridges.
New technologies were developed, also in the field of rock and ground anchors, such as Tensacciai “APS” anchor, the first cable with valves and protected bond length; our system is universally employed, much more than the others, thanks to its versatility and easy use.
New anchorage series were designed, new tensioning systems were carried out together with new equipment, such as Tensacciai “TAC” system for cyclic tensions, the only system in the world which allows the decrease of the tensions under stressing, since the wedge is placed inside the jacks during tensioning operation, instead of staying in its seat on the strand.
In the eighties Tensacciai established new Companies in Brazil, Argentina and India and a new reorganization of the Company allowed us to go outside the national borders in an organic way. In Europe Tensacciai has sister Companies, branches or agencies in Portugal, Greece and The Netherlands.
In 1989 there has been a complete reorganization of the Group. Because of the very important developments in the various fields of activity, the Group needed a financial and managerial structure that the Ownership decided to organize as a Holding.
During these years Tensacciai has completed streamlined and innovated its technological and operating structure and has fully developed the Tensacciai “TSR” system of stay cable anchorages.
These technological and design efforts were supported by very important projects reaching their peak with the construction of the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam in 1996, which included the installation of stays consisting of up to 127 15.7 mm. strands.
More than 30 cable-stayed bridges have been built since 1992, using our stay cable system. One of the most recent is the cable stayed bridge over the Po river for the High Speed Railway Line Milano-Bologna, first example in Europe of this kind of structure.
The Company’s internationalisation process has continued to develop. Tensacciai is presently directly involved with projects, operating Companies or Subsidiaries in all five continents.
Post-tensioning was at the beginning of its history and its application was experimental. In the middle of the fifties a Company called Tensacciai (literally stress steel) was established. Tensacciai started to operate in the field of post-tensioning in 1956 and in 1964 was acquired from the actual share holders.
In the sixties the beginning of the highway programme in Italy offered many chances in the works of art, favouring in this way a remarkable development of the Company.
The systems used by Tensacciai were systems of partial tensioning. These systems were immediately considered insufficient to the new owner to face competition of simultaneous tensioning systems.
A programme of technological renewal began. 0,6” diameter strands started to be used, and the system of multiple and simultaneous tensioning was developed.
The use of the strand, at that time scarcely present in post-tensioning, made it possible to carry out a system of multiple tensioning which, by assuring the isotensioning to cable components under stressing, complied with a design requirement, not yet achieved by the other systems with the same efficaciousness.
An important development was achieved in the seventies: the years of the completion of the big highway programme in Italy and of the final success of Tensacciai, as the system universally became used in big public works and in the most important bridges.
New technologies were developed, also in the field of rock and ground anchors, such as Tensacciai “APS” anchor, the first cable with valves and protected bond length; our system is universally employed, much more than the others, thanks to its versatility and easy use.
New anchorage series were designed, new tensioning systems were carried out together with new equipment, such as Tensacciai “TAC” system for cyclic tensions, the only system in the world which allows the decrease of the tensions under stressing, since the wedge is placed inside the jacks during tensioning operation, instead of staying in its seat on the strand.
In the eighties Tensacciai established new Companies in Brazil, Argentina and India and a new reorganization of the Company allowed us to go outside the national borders in an organic way. In Europe Tensacciai has sister Companies, branches or agencies in Portugal, Greece and The Netherlands.
In 1989 there has been a complete reorganization of the Group. Because of the very important developments in the various fields of activity, the Group needed a financial and managerial structure that the Ownership decided to organize as a Holding.
During these years Tensacciai has completed streamlined and innovated its technological and operating structure and has fully developed the Tensacciai “TSR” system of stay cable anchorages.
These technological and design efforts were supported by very important projects reaching their peak with the construction of the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam in 1996, which included the installation of stays consisting of up to 127 15.7 mm. strands.
More than 30 cable-stayed bridges have been built since 1992, using our stay cable system. One of the most recent is the cable stayed bridge over the Po river for the High Speed Railway Line Milano-Bologna, first example in Europe of this kind of structure.
The Company’s internationalisation process has continued to develop. Tensacciai is presently directly involved with projects, operating Companies or Subsidiaries in all five continents.