The dapped-end beam is a useful concept. It enables the construction depth of a precast concrete floor or roof structure to be reduced, by recessing the supporting corbels into the depth of the beams supported. In a "cantilever and suspended span" type of structure, the suspended span is a dapped-end beam, and the ends of the supporting cantilevers are similar to the ends of the dapped-end beams, but inverted. The use of dapped-end beams facilitates the erection of a precast concrete structure, due to the greater lateral stability of an isolated dapped-end beam than that of an isolated beam supported at its bottom face.
