CCL Systems makes equipment to prestress the steel strands that reinforce concrete structures. One end of the strand is anchored; the other is grasped by a three-part tapered collet and collar held in the jaws of an extremely heavy-duty jack. Loads up to 300 KN (67,000 lbf) are applied until the concrete is set, forcing the tapered parts together.

 

Freeing the collet once the tension was removed — without permanently damaging the collet — was difficult. CCL Systems discovered that coating the wedges with Xylan 1052 eliminated the jamming completely and ensured reusability.

 

Xylan reduces fretting of
collet connectors.