CEB 706 DESIGN OF REINFORCED AND

PRE-CAST CONCRETE STRUCTURES

Topic
Module 7: Design of Continuous Beams
 Module 7: Design of Continuous Beams
Subtopics
1. Introduction
2. Statically Indeterminate Members
• Fundamental Concepts
• Restraint actions due to prestressing
• Equivalent loads resulting from prestressing
• Line of thrust and concordant profiles
• Linear transposition of tendons
• Methods of solving SI prestressed beams
3. Standard Loading Consideration
4. Design of a Continuous Member (Statically Indeterminate Member
with External Loads) 2
Introduction
• Up till now, we were discussing the theory of prestressed concrete and the design
and analysis procedure when dealing with statically determinate structures.
• We will now look at statically indeterminate prestressed structures and the
common loadings conditions that are applied to these structures.
• The fundamental difference between statically determinate and indeterminate is
: if the reaction forces is a member can be calculated using equilibrium equations
alone, it is statically determinate. However, if the reaction forces can not be
determined using equilibrium equations alone but needs other methods as well,
the member is said to be statically indeterminate.

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Fundamental Concepts
As mentioned in the previous slide,
for a statically determinate structure
all of the member actions
(moments, shear and axial forces)
can be determined from the
principles of static equilibrium. As
for statically indeterminate
structures the member actions can
not be defined purely by static
equilibrium. We have to also
consider element stiffness and
geometric.

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There are three general classification of stresses that might occur in

indeterminate prestressed structures :
1. Load Stresses – caused by external loads (live, dead etc.)
2. Restraint Stresses – caused by volume changes of the concrete or
deformations resulting from the prestress.
3. Eigen Stresses - at each section sum to zero , it creates no moment.

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1 :Restraint actions due prestressing
For statically determinate structures the prestressing moment at any section is the
axial force in the prestressing times the eccentricity between the center of gravity
of the section and the tendon (F.e) (this results in the primary moment).

Statically indeterminate structures restraint moments can occur due to the

prestress. These are termed as “Secondary Moments ”

Hence:
Resultant Prestressing Moment = Primary Moment + Secondary Moment

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Example 1

If we consider a prestressing force, F

with a constant eccentricity e. One
reaction can be removed and the
deflection equilibrated using moment
area theorem.

This results in the primary

prestressing moment diagram.

When the beam is “Post – Tensioned”

the beam lifts off the support.

However, you should notice that for a beam to act as a continuous beam it must rest on the
supports. Hence, reactions must be induced to hold the beams on the supports. 7
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Example 1 (Continued)

Note that since the secondary or restraint reactions are always induced at the supports,
the secondary moment diagram is always a straight line between supports.
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2 :Equivalent Loads Resulting from Prestressing
If a beam is held on the supports, the moments in the beam due to the equivalent loads give the
resulting prestressing moments. The resulting prestressing moments can be calculated once the
equivalent loads generated by the prestressing are determined from any method of structural
analysis.
For Parabolic Profiles

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For Parabolic Profiles (Continued)

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3 :Line of thrust and concordant profiles
The line of trust (or C-line) is defined as the effective eccentricity for statically indeterminate beams combining
the effects of the primary and secondary moments.

If we recall the example 1 from slide 7, if the prestressing secondary moments at the central support A is MA .
The resulting prestressing moment is (incorporating the correct sign)

Therefore, the statically determinate line of thrust has been displaced MA/F giving the beam actual line
of thrust.

Since the secondary prestressing moment is linear between the supports the actual line of thrust has
the same intrinsic shape (as if rotated about the internal support) as the tendon profile.

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Example 2

If the tendon profile is aligned such that the secondary moments are zero along the length of
the beam, the actual line of thrust coincides with the tendon profile and the tendon is then
said to be concordant. Moreover, if the tendon profile is concordant the beam has no tendency
to lift off the supports when prestressed, i.e. no reactions are induced by prestressing.

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The tendon profile follows that every resultant bending moment diagram for a continuous beam on
un-deflecting supports, considering a combination of external loads, plotted to any scale, is one
location for a concordant tendon profile for the beam (see example 2). This can be explained by
considering that the resultant bending moment is calculated assuming the beam does not lift off the
supports. A tendon profile following that diagram will produce a similar diagram for the primary
prestressing and will produce no deflection at the supports, hence reactions induced at the supports
will be zero: therefore the prestressing moments must be zero and by definition the profile is
concordant.
Example 3

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Example 3 (Continued)

Now considering the internal beam loads due to prestressing :

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Example 3 (Continued)

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4 :Linear Transposition of tendons
In a continuous prestressed concrete beam, if the tendon profile is displaced vertically at any of the
internal supports (or fixed external supports) by any amount, without altering the intrinsic shape of
the tendon between the supports, the line of thrust is unchanged as shown below

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4 :Linear Transposition of tendons (continued)
When the tendon is displaced in this fashion variation in the curvature of the tendon only occurs at the
supports. This results in variation of reaction forces at the supports but this does not change the
resulting prestressing moments (since it is a combination of the primary and secondary moments).
Hence, linear transposition causes both the primary and secondary bending moments to change but
not the resulting bending moments
Example 4

As stated previously, if the cable is moved vertically at the interior supports, maintaining the
same intrinsic shape between the supports, it results in variations in the reactions due to the
prestressing.

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Example 4 (Continued)

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Example 4 (Continued)

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Example 4 (Continued)

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Example 5
Consider the concordant cable profile obtained in Example 3; in reality it may not be possible to maintain a
concordant profile within the actual depth of the concrete section. For example, if the beam is a T-section the
distance from the cgc to the top of the section may be say 0.8e, then it is not possible to maintain an
eccentricity of e at the central support. Therefore, linearly transpose the previous profile by 0.3e downward
and find the reactions induced by the prestressing.

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Example 5(Continued)

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5 :Methods of Solving SI prestressed beams
Once the equivalent loads from the prestressing any method of structural analysis can be employed to
determine the demands on a prestressed beam. Full examples are given here for two possible
methodologies; flexibility method and stiffness method.
FLEXIBILITY METHOD
Example 6

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Example 6(Continued)

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Example 6(Continued)

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Example 6(Continued)

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STIFFNESS OR MOMENT REDISTRIBUTION METHOD
Example 7
Considering the same beam as in Example 6, solve for the external reactions using a stiffness approach.

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Example 7(Continued)

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Example 7(Continued)

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