Tension pearl-chain. Illustration from pearl-chain patent application.
If pearl-chain reinforcement is prestressed with a large compression force, the chain can take tensile forces as unloaded compression.
This application makes it possible to make prestressed light-weight concrete, which so far has been almost impossible, because creep of the light-weight concrete would unload the prestressing, and because the prestressing wires may rust if they are not protected by a more dense structure like a pearl-chain.