18-03-19

Prestressed concrete
 Concrete

Richard P, and cheyrey (1995) achieved the 
maximum compressive strength 810 MPa in 
reactive powder concrete,

Highest compressive strength of concrete actually 
used in construction has…
design compressive strength of 300 N/m2 ,which 
has been developed and used by
Taisei Corporation in Japan
Steel

ASTM A416 / A416M - 18  Standard

Specification for Low-Relaxation, Seven-Wire
Steel Strand for Prestressed Concrete.
minimum tensile strengths of 250 ksi [1725
MPa] and 270 ksi [1860 MPa], respectively
High strength materials
Advantages
Less cross-sectional area
Reduction in weight resulting economical designs
Reduction in depth of members allow reduced building heights and
savings in utilities pipes and wires etc
Limitation
Cracking and deflections at service loads
Width and number of cracks are proportional to strain and stress in steel
Slender members may permit deflection
Prestressed concrete
A prestressed concrete member is one in which there have been introduced internal stresses of
such magnitude and distribution that the stresses resulting from given external loading are
counteracted to a described degree
Prestressing applies a precompression to the member that reduces or eliminates tensile stresses.

This technique
Allows cracking to be avoided or eliminated
Even deflection can be reduced to zero
Effect of prestressing
a. Method of achieving concrete stress control
b. As a mean of introducing equivalent loads
c. As a special variation of reinforced concrete by using High strength materials
Concrete stress control by prestressing
a. Concrete stress control by prestressing
Conclusions
1. Prestressing can control or eliminate concrete tensile stresses
2. Eccentric pressure is much more efficient than concentric pressure
3. Variable eccentricity is preferable to constant eccentricity from the
view points of bott stress control and deflection control.
b. Equivalent Loads
The change in vertical alignment of a prestressing tendon will produce
a vertical force on the concrete beam.
This force together with prestressing force acting at the ends of the
beam through the tendon anchorages can be looked upon as a system
of external loads

How?????
c. Prestress concrete as variation of
Reinforced concrete
• In the previous discussion concrete response was elastic and
there is no cracking. These conditions can prevail up to service
load level.
• As load is increased depending on prestressing effort section
may be uncracked, minor or fully cracked like ordinary beams.
Level of prestress can control level of cracking.
• At inelastic stage under factored loading concrete wil be in
cracked stage as shown in figure
• At factored loads cracks develop and external moments are
resisted by the internal forces couples Cz=Tz, just like ordinary
RC beams at overloads
• What is difference than????????? As steel is high strength will
elongate??
• High strength steel must be pre-strained before application of
loads to prevent excessive cracking and large beam deflections
• Use High strength concrete to ensure high Cz.
Analysis and design of prestress
Not all three approached are not comprehensive

Concrete Stress Control analysis Equivalent loads analysis Reinforced concrete using Pre-
strained Steel
Strength Safety margins are not Strength Safety margins are not Strength analysis helps calculating
sure sure safety against collapse

Extent of cracking can be predicted Helpful in calculating deflection Cracking and deflection under
service loads can not be predicted
 Sources of
Sources of Prestress force
Per stressing
1-post tensioning by Jackets reacting
against abutments
If abutments fail???
2-Jacks reacting against beams
tied to cables or wires
3-Pre tensioning by use of massive fixed
abutments in casting yards
4- Thermal prestressing of steel
5- Expanding cement

Which method will you prefer: Pre-stressing or post-tensioning??

Low strength versus High strength steel
•low
  strength steel prestress is lost due to
shrinkage and creep effects.

• Long term strain in concrete???

High strength steel stressed to 150000psi
would strain
• Net strain would be =
• Stress after losses=127000psi, only 15% stress
loss.
• Amount of stress lost is independent of
original steel stress.
Prestressing steel
ASTM A 416/A416M-18 (Standard Specification for Low-Relaxation, Seven-Wire Steel Strand for Prestressed Concrete)
ASTM A722/A722M-18 (Standard Specification for High-Strength Steel Bars for Prestressed Concrete)

How stress strain relation of Prestressing steel is different from

ordinary Steel???
yield point, E, Spread of curve b/w tensile strength and yield strength
Round wires
0.192-0.276inΦ, Cold drawing high carbon steel
Stress relieved by heat treatment
Up to 50 Wires are bundled to produce prestressing tendons
E=290000

Standard Cables
0.25-0.6Φ
Six wires are wound around a main wire at a pitch of 12-16 times dia of
strand.
Unbonded strand, E=260000psi, Bonded strand , E=270000psi

Alloy steel bars

Plain bars 0.75-1.375Φ deformed 0.625-2.5inΦ
E=270000psi
Permitted Tensile stress

Why allowable stress limits are higher during stretching procedure

1 Steel stresses an steel strains are known precisely?
2 Acts as performance test ?
Advantages of using high strength Concrete

1. Higher “E” to ensure reduced loss of prestress , reduced initial

elastic strain, reduction in creep,
2. High strength concrete compensates Higher bearing stresses that
redevelop at the ends of beam.
3. Use of high strength concrete permit the development of higher
bond stress in pretensioned construction
4. Higher strength can be easily obtained in controlled environment
Classification of prestressed flexure members

ft=Extreme fiber stress in tension in the pre compressed tension zone

at service load considering section as uncracked.
How much concrete can be stressed??
 Design philosophy
Elastic Flexural Analysis • Permissible stresses
• Strength is sufficient
• Deflection at service loads
• Cracking at service loads
Class C Class U and T
• Design is based on strength • Proportioned to limit stresses in
• These have no service level stress concrete and steel within permissible
requirements limits
• These must satisfy strength and • This is to improve the performance of
serviceability requirements members at service loads
• Service load stress calculations are • Elastic behavior of both steel and
computed on the bases of cracked concrete is considered
section • Service load stress calculations are
• Prestressing is required primarily for computed on the bases of uncracked
deflection control section
Prestressing force

Pe Concrete creep under sustained prestress force,

Effective Prestress force Concrete shrinkage, Relaxation of stress in the steel
Till we reach the stage of service load

Pi Elastic shortening of concrete, slip of tendons,

Loss due to friction between tendon and concrete
in post-tensioning, friction between cable and
Initial Prestress force tendon alignment devices in pre-tensioning

Pj
Jacking force
 Prestressing forces on Post-tensioned beam
Stress development
• Prestressing force
• Self weight moment
• Dead load moment
• Live load moments
Concrete Stress Distribution,
a. Effect of prestress
b. Effect of prestress +Self weight
C. Effect of prestress +Self weight+ Dead +live service loads

Effect of Holes on AC and Ic,

Effect on Ac and Ic in Pretensioner
beams

Concrete Stress Distribution,

a. Pi+SelfWeight
b. Pe+Service Loads

fci, fti=permissible stresses immediately after transfer

Fcs,fts= permissible stresses at service load
 Kern of a section
Limiting points on cross section inside which the prestress force
resultant may be applied without causing tension anywhere in the
cross-section
Prestressed I Beam with constant Eccentricity
Prestressed I Beam with constant Eccentricity
Prestressed I Beam with constant Eccentricity
Prestressed I Beam with constant Eccentricity
Flexural strength

normal Prestess
Stresses in steel and concrete increases in Increased moments is resisted by the
proportion to applied force up to or beyond proportionate increased distance between
service load the compressive and tensile force resultants.
Distance between the stress resultants remains Compressive moments resultant shifts
constant. upward with the increase in load
Strength prediction
Magnitude of internal forces remain constant
Account for….. up to/somewhat beyond service load
1.different shape of stress strain curve for prestressing steel
2.Tensile strain is already present before actual loading
After flexural tensile cracking steel stress
Strain compatibility analysis accounts for these in rational and explicit way increases. Now beam behave like ordinary
ACI318-Chapter 18 beam.
Stresses in the Prestress
steel. ACI 318-08 chapter 18
Nominal flexural strength and design strength
Stress block depth greater than flange

what is solution
If non prestressed
steel is used along with
prestressed steel
Why non prestressed
reinforcement is
provided
What stress level
should be considered
in NP steel
 Limits for reinforcement
• Tensioned controlled member: net tensile
strain>0.005
• Compression controlled member: net tensile
strain<0.002
• For compression controlled prestressed beam
c/dt<=.375 use upper figure.
• If c/dt>-.60 beam is over reinforced us
alternative equations for determining flexural
strength.
• Minimum tensile reinforcement is required to
support 1.2 times cracking load of the beam.
Use modulus of rupture=7.5(fc’)^.5
How to control cracking in beam and slabs with unbonded
tendons??
Minimum bonded reinforcement
As=.004 A
(A=area between flexural tension face and centroid of gross
concrete cross section)
Calculation of flexural strength of a beam
Calculation of flexural strength of a beam
Calculation of flexural strength of a beam
Calculation of flexural strength of a beam
Partial prestressing
Flexural tensile stresses and cracking is permitted at service load
Flexural reinforcement includes both prestresses and non prestressed reinforcement.

Disadvantages of Full prestressing Advantages of Partial Prestressing

Full prestressing=>ft=0 1. Below service load no cracking and
1. Large upward deflections/camber ft=0
2. Concrete creep enhances camber 2. At service load cracks form and close
3. Beams suffer longitudinal shortening causing when load is removed
further creep and elastic deformations
3. Axial shortening and camber may be
4. Heavy beam if overload fail in brittle mode. avoided
4. guidelines
ACI code no specific Ample warning at overload.
1. Class T, service5.
levelPrestress
stresses tosteel
be area is decreased and
some Non prestressed steel is
below allowable stresses
2. Class C require crackprovided why??
control checks
Partial prestress economy versus requirement

Is partial prestressing is economical How much to prestress

Labor cost for placing rebars or 1. Nature of loading, bridges or
prestressed bars warehouses
Cost comparison Cost of 2. Ratio of live load to dead load
Tendons= 2xrebar cost 3. Frequency of occurrence of full
Strength of Tendons= 3xrebar service load
4. Corrosive environment
Shape selection
1. I T and Box section are economical
2. TT 4 -12’ wide up to 60ft long suitable for roof
3. T suitable for 120ft and heavier loads
4. I and bulb T suitable for bridges and roof girders up to
140ft
5. Channel slab is suitable for floors up to 20ft
6. Box girder is suitable for bridges
7. Inverted T to provide bearing edges to other beams and
slabs

PCI handbook contains standard shapes and their properties

Why Unsymmetrical sections??

• Different stresses
• Flat surface is required
• Composite construction
• Support for other members
Tendon Profile

• First Unloaded stage Tensile stresses at

the top of the fibers must not exceed
fti.
• At the bottom of the unload beam
stresses must not exceed the limiting
initial compression, fci

• Fully loaded stage fcs.

• Fully loaded stage fts
Loss of prestress
Why does we loss prestress force Why we determine losses
1. Elastic shortening of the concrete Losses have no effect on nominal
2. Slip at the anchorage strength of members with bonded
3. Frictional losses along the tendon tendons
4. Long term factors BUT
5. Shrinakge Under/over estimation of losses
6. Creep effect service conditions camber,
7. Relaxation of steel deflection, cracking
Effective ratio=R=Pe/Pi
1. Lumpsum bases
2. Separate losses
Lump-Sum Estimate of losses
Estimate of Separate losses

• Slip at the Anchorage Loss estimation by time step

• Elastic Shortening of Concrete method
• Frictional losses Step by step method developed by
• Creep of the concrete the committee on prestress losses
of the prestressed concrete
• Shrinkage of the concrete institute
• Relaxation of the steel
Creep+shrinkage +relaxation losses
are 10 %of Pi
Further reading

Shear: Flexural shear cracks and web-

shear cracks
Diagonal tension
Bond stress transfer length and
development length
Anchorage zone design
Deflection
Crack control for Class C Flexural
Members