PRESTRESSED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

(CE 407)
1

LECTURE # 1

Course Description , Principle and Methods of

Prestressing
By

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Contents
2

Objectives of the present lecture

Course Description
Text Book
Outcome Assessment
description of prestressing
prestressing with concrete structures

prestressing compared to ordinary reinforced concrete

Advantages and Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete
Methods of Prestressing: Pretensioning and Posttensioning
Material Requirements

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

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Objectives of the Present lecture

3

To provide an overview of the course contents

To discuss the methods of Prestressing

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

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2016

Course Description
4

Principle and Methods of Prestressing

Prestressing Material
The Philosophy of Design
Flexure: Working Stress Analysis and Design
Flexure: Ultimate Strength Analysis and Design

Design for Shear and Torsion

Computation of Prestress Losses
Relevant code provisions

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Text Book
5

Prestressed concrete analysis and

design: Fundamentals
by
Antoine E. Naaman
Publisher: Techno Press 3000
Edition: 2nd Edition
Publication Date: 2010
Int. Standard Book No

(ISBN): 0-9674939-1-9
Pages: 1108
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Outcome Assessment
6

First Midterm Exams

Second Midterm Exams
Home Work and Quizes
Presentation (10 minutes)
Final Exam

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

15%
15
10%
10%
50%

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Midterm Exams
7

First Midterm
After lec Flexure: Working Stress Analysis and Design
Second Midterm
After lec Computation of Prestress Losses

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2016

What is Prestressed concrete

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Prestress is a method in which compression force is applied

to the reinforced concrete section prior dead and live load is
acting.
The prestressing usually improves the behaviour of the
structure by combining two materials which are
complementary to each other such as concrete and steel
Concrete is relatively strong in compression, but weak in
tension. This weakness can be compensated by prestressed
steel partly or totally.
Weaknesses of pure steel structure are price of material,
resistance in fire and stability of compressed slender steel
structures
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Examples of prestressing
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CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

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Examples of prestressing
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Bicycle wheel
Spokes are strong in tension but weak in
compression. Spokes must be put in
tension between outer and inner rims
A load to the axle compresses the lower
spokes and increase the tension in the
upper spokes.
The prestressing of the spokes shall
exceed the compression forces created in
normal or short term situations such as
braking

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Examples of prestressing
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Plug or screw anchor in concrete or

masonry structure
The screw driven into plug
squeezes the plug against the
sides of the hole, generating
compressive stresses in the plug
and in the wall around it
Compressive prestressing
generates frictional resistance to
pulling out the screw

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Examples of prestressing
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Air-supported or air-inflated structure

The prestressing is produced by internal pressure exceeding any
external pressure being applied to the structure
The membrane shall be in tension all the time

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Examples of prestressing
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Concrete beam
Plain concrete beam brittle
local failure
Reinforced concrete beam
cracking occurs when tensile
strength of concrete will be
exceeded ductility depends on
reinforcement
Prestressed concrete beam
Cracking can be avoided
Ductile behaviour is usually
achievable
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Prestressed Concrete
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In reinforced concrete, concrete and steel are combined such that concrete resists
compression and steel resists tension. This is a passive combination of the two
materials. In prestressed concrete high strength concrete and high strength steel are
combined such that the full section is effective in resisting tension and compression.
This is an active combination of the two materials.
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WHAT IS DIFFERENT FROM REINFORCED CONCRETE

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In Materials

High strength concrete, High strength steel

In Behavior and Performance

Less cracking, less deflection, better durability

Longer spans, thinner depth, higher loads

In Design

Consider new concepts: Losses, Load Balancing, Prestressing

Important: Shrinkage, Creep, Support settlement, Loading
sequence,

In Construction

Special techniques and equipment needed

Special construction procedures and sequence

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PRESTRESSED VERSUS REINFORCED CONCRETE

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In ordinary reinforced members, cracking is essential to

transfer loads from concrete to steel. (Steel can only contribute
to strength if cracking occurs)
In prestressed members, cracking is considered as an onset of
failure. i.e there is not a big difference between cracking stress
and yield stress.
Pre-stressing is a successful
attempt of overcoming concrete's
natural weakness in tension

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PRESTRESSED VERSUS REINFORCED

CONCRETE
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In the plain concrete beam, the moments

about point O due to applied loads are
resisted by an internal tension-compression
couple involving tension in the concrete.

Such a beam fails

very suddenly and
completely when the
first crack forms.
In a reinforced concrete bam, reinforcing bars are
embedded in the concrete in such a way that the
tension forces needed for moment equilibrium after
the concrete cracks can be developed in the bars

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Role of tension steel in RC beam

18

The external loads cause tension in the bottom fibers which may
lead to cracking.

Practical reinforced concrete beams are thus usually cracked

under the day-to-day service loads.

On a cracked cross-section, the applied moment is resisted

by compression in the concrete and tension in the bonded
reinforcing steel.
Although the steel reinforcement provides the cracked concrete
beam with flexural strength, it does not prevent cracking and
does not prevent the loss of stiffness caused by cracking.

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Prestressed Concrete Beam

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When the loads

cause a positive
moment in a beam,
it is possible by
prestressing to
introduce a negative
moment that can
counteract part or
all of the positive
moment.

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Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

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The entire cross sections of

members resist the loads. Thus
smaller members can be used to
support the same loads, or the
same-size members can be used
for longer spans.

Prestressed members are crackfree under working loads and ,

as a result, are more watertight,
providing better corrosion
protection for the steel.

Advantages

The negative moments caused

by prestressing produce camber
in the members, with the result
the total deflections are
reduced.

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

Other advantages: greater

stiffnesses under working loads,
better fatigue and impact
resistance as compared to
ordinary reinforced concrete.

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Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete

21

Better quality control is

required

Losses in the initial

prestressing forces

Disadvantages
Additional stress conditions must
be checked in design, such as the
stresses occurring when prestress
forces are first applied and then
after prestress losses have taken
place, as well as the stresses
occurring for different loading
conditions

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

Additional costs of end

anchorage devices and endbeam plates

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Methods of Prestressing
22

Two different procedures for prestressing concrete

were developed:
a) Pretensioning

In pretensioning the prestress tendons are placed before the

concrete was placed.
After the concrete has hardened sufficiently, the tendons are
cut and the prestress force is transmitted to the concrete by
bond.

Posttensioning
In posttensioned construction, the tendons are stressed after
the concrete is placed and has gained the desired strength.

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Pretensioned concrete (procedure)

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One end of the reinforcement (i.e. tendon) is secured to an abutment while

the other end of the reinforcement is pulled by using a jack and this end is
then fixed to another abutment.

The concrete is now poured. After the concrete has cured and hardened, the
ends of the reinforcement are released from the abutments.

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How prestressing force is transmitted to concrete ?

24

The reinforcement which tends to resume its original

length compress the concrete surrounding it by bond
action. The prestress is thus transmitted to concrete
entirely by the action of bond between the reinforcement
and the surrounding concrete.

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Terms
Tendon
A high strength steel
strand or bar for prestressing concrete

Anchor
A mechanical device for
locking of a stressed tendon
in position.

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

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Abutment
A structure for
anchoring the
reinforcing tendons in
the pre- tensioning of a
concrete member

Jacking force
The tensile force
exerted by a jack
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Pretensioning
26

See this video on you tube.

http://youtu.be/jSWN9GHCnY
M

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2016

Advantage of Pretensioning
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This method is particularly well suited for mass

production because the casting beds can be

constructed several hundred meters long.
The tendons can be run for the entire bed lengths
and used for casting several beams in a line at the
same time.

Prestress bed
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Posttensioning Procedure
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When the concrete has hardened and developed its strength, the tendon is

passed through the duct.

One end is provided with an anchor and the other end of the tendon is pulled
by a jack to desired stress and then properly anchored to the concrete.
After stressing and anchoring, the void between each tendon and its duct is
filled with a mortar grout which subsequently hardens "bonded tendons. or
filled with grease "unbonded tendons.".
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Partial Prestressing
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Full Prestressed concrete

Structure is uncracked under dead load with
possible deflection upwards
Structure is uncracked (or almost uncracked) under
full service load

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Partial Prestressing
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Partial prestressing
Uncracked during dead load
Cracked during full service load

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Terminology
31

Forms of Prestressing Steel

Wires : Prestressing wire is a single unit made of steel.
Strands : Two, three or seven wires are wound to form a prestressing strand.
Tendon : A group of strands or wires are wound to form a prestressing tendon.
Cable : A group of tendons form a prestressing cable.
Bars : A tendon can be made up of a single steel bar. The diameter of a bar is much
larger than that of a wire.
Nature of Concrete-Steel Interface
Bonded tendon
When there is adequate bond between the prestressing tendon and concrete, it is
called a bonded tendon. Pre-tensioned and grouted post-tensioned tendons are
bonded tendons.
Unbonded tendon
When there is no bond between the prestressing tendon and concrete, it is called
unbonded tendon. When grout is not applied after post-tensioning, the tendon is an
unbonded tendon.
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Terminology
32

Full Prestressing
When the level of prestressing is such that no tensile stress is allowed in concrete
under service loads, it is called Full Prestressing
Partial Prestressing
When the level of prestressing is such that under tensile stresses due to service loads,
the crack width is within the allowable limit, it is called Partial Prestressing

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

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2016

Material Requirements
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In order to get the maximum advantage of a pre-stressed

concrete member, it is necessary to use not only high strength
concrete but also high tensile steel wires.
Concrete used for prestressed work should have minimum
cube strength of 35 MPa for post-tensioned system and 45 MPa
for pre-tensioned system.

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Steel used for Prestressing

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There are three basic types of high-strength steel commonly used

as tendons in modern prestressed concrete construction
1. round wires
2. (strand
3. steel bars
Round wires
Available sizes of wires vary from country to country, with diameters of
5-7 mm being the most often used.
For design purposes, the yield strength of stress-relieved wires may be
taken as 0.85 times the minimum tensile strength (i.e. 0.85 fp) and the
modulus of elasticity of the wires may be taken as Ep= 200 Gpa.
Note: In recent years, the use of wires in prestressed concrete
construction has declined, with 7-wire strand being preferred in most
applications.
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Strands
35

Stress-relieved strand is the most commonly

used prestressing steel. Strand is fabricated
from a number of prestressing wires, usually
seven. Seven wire strand consists of six wires
tightly wound around a seventh, slightly large
diameter, central wire.
Diameters ranging from 7.9 to 15.2 mm are
typical.
For design purposes, the yield strength of
stress-relieved strand may be taken as 0.85
times the minimum tensile strength (i.e.
0.85 fp) and the modulus of elasticity of the
strand may be taken as Ep= 195 Gpa.
CE 407-Prestressed Concret Structures

Note: The mechanical

properties of the strand
are slightly different
from those of the wire
from which it is made.
This is because the
stranded wires tend to
straighten slightly when
subjected to tension.
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Bars
36

The high strength of alloy steel bars is also used as prestressing steel. In the
USA, both plain and deformed bars are available in two grades (ultimate
stress fp= 1000 and 1100 MPa) with diameters range from 12.7 (1/2 in) mm
to 33 mm (1 3/8 in).

The elastic modulus for bars is generally lower than those for strand and
wire. For design purposes Ep may be taken to be 170 Gpa and the yield
stress (0.2% offset) may be taken to be 0.85 fp.
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Building Codes
37

SBC 304. Concrete Structures Requirements, 2007.

ACI 318 (American Concrete Institute 318, 2011),

Building Code Requirements for Structural

Concrete , Farmington Hills, Michigan.

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Thank You
38

CE 407-Prestressed Concrete Structures

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2016