PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

STRUCTURES

PRESTENSIONING & POST- TENSIONING

PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
Prestressed concrete, invented by Eugene Fressinet in 1928 is a method for
overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension . It can be used to
produce beams , floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with
ordinary reinforced concrete.
PRINCIPLE Using high tensile strength steel alloys producing permanent pre-

compression in areas subjected to Tension.

A portion of tensile stress is counteracted thereby reducing the cross-sectional

area of the steel reinforcement .

METHODS :-

a) Pretensioning
b) Post-tensioning
PRETENSIONING :- Placing of concrete around reinforcing tendons that have

been stressed to the desired degree.

POST-TENSIONING :- Reinforcing tendons are stretched by jacks whilst keeping

them inserted in voids left pre-hand during curing of concrete.

These spaces are then pumped full of grout to bond steel tightly to the concrete.

Pre-tensioned Concrete

Pre-tensioned concrete is
tensioned tendons.

cast

around

already

This method produces a good bond between the

tendon and concrete, which both protects the tendon
from corrosion and allows for direct transfer of
tension.

The cured concrete adheres and bonds to the bars

and when the tension is released it is transferred to
the concrete as compression by static friction.

However, it requires stout anchoring points between

which the tendon is to be stretched and the tendons
are usually in a straight line.

Thus, most pretensioned concrete elements are

prefabricated in a factory and must be transported to
the construction site, which limits their size.

Pre-tensioned elements may be balcony elements,

lintels , floor slabs, beams or foundation piles.

STEEL BARS BEING

STRETCHED BY JACKS

POST - TENSIONING

WHAT IS POST-TENSIONING?

Post-tensioning- is a method of reinforcing

(strengthening) concrete or other materials
with high-strength steel strands called
tendons.

Post-tensioning allows construction that would

otherwise be impossible due to either site
constraints or architectural requirements.

Requires specialized knowledge and expertise

to fabricate, assemble and install.

After adequate curing of concrete, reinforcing

tendons (placed in side the voids of the
structure) are tensioned/stretched by jacks on
the sides & grouts filled with appropriate mix.

Applications a) Structural members beams,

bridge-deck panels, Roof Slabs, Concrete
Silos Etc.

BENEFITS

Concrete is very strong in compression but

weak in tension.

This deflection will cause the bottom of the

beam to elongate slightly & cause cracking.

Steel reinforcing bars (rebar) are typically

embedded in the
concrete as tensile
reinforcement to limit the crack widths.

Rebar is what is called passive reinforcement

however; it does not carry any force until the
concrete has already deflected enough to
crack.

Post-tensioning tendons, on the other hand,

are considered active reinforcing.

Because it is prestressed, the steel is effective

as reinforcement even though the concrete
may not be cracked .

Post-tensioned structures can be designed to

have minimal deflection and cracking, even
under full load.
Post Tensioned Structure

ADVANTAGES/APPLICATIONS

Post-tensioning allows longer clear spans, thinner

slabs, fewer beams and more slender, dramatic
elements.

Thinner slabs mean less concrete is required. It

means a lower overall building height for the same
floor-to-floor height.

Post-tensioning
can thus allow a significant
reduction in building weight versus a conventional
concrete building with the same number of floors
reducing the foundation load and can be a major
advantage in seismic areas.

A lower building height can also translate to

considerable savings in mechanical systems and
faade costs.

Another advantage of post-tensioning is that beams

and slabs can be continuous, i.e. a single beam can
run continuously from one end of the
building to
the other.

Reduces occurrence of cracks .

Freezing & thawing durability is higher than non

prestressed concrete.

This innovative form is result

of post tensioning.

 Post-tensioning is the system of choice for parking structures since it allows a high

degree of flexibility in the column layout, span lengths and ramp configurations.
In areas where there are expansive clays or soils with low bearing capacity, post-

tensioned slabs-on-ground and mat foundations reduce problems with cracking and
differential settlement.
Post-tensioning allows bridges to be built to very demanding geometry requirements,

including complex curves, and significant grade changes.

Post-tensioning also allows extremely long span bridges to be constructed without the

use of temporary intermediate supports. This minimizes the impact on the environment
and avoids disruption to water or road traffic below.

In stadiums, post-tensioning allows long clear spans and very creative architecture.

Post-tensioning can also be used to produce virtually crack-free concrete for water-

tanks.
The high tensile strength & precision of placement gives maximum efficiency in size &

weight of structural members.

Applications of various prestressed techniques enable quick assembly of standard

units such as bridge members, building frames, bridge decks providing cost-time
savings.

CONSTRUCTION

In slab-on-ground construction, tendons are typically

prefabricated at a plant and delivered to the
construction site, ready to install.

The tendons are laid out in the forms in accordance

with installation drawings that .

After the concrete is placed and has reached its

required strength, the tendons are stressed and
anchored.

The tendons, like rubber bands, want to return to their

original length but are prevented from doing so by the
anchorages.

The fact the tendons are kept in a permanently

stressed (elongated) state causes a compressive
force to act on the concrete.

The compression that results from the post-tensioning

counteracts the tensile forces created by subsequent
applied loading (cars, people, the weight of the beam
itself when the shoring is removed).

This significantly increases the load-carrying capacity

of the concrete.

Since post-tensioned concrete is cast in place at the

job site, there is almost no limit to the shapes that can
be formed.

Limitations of Prestressing

The limitations of prestressed concrete are

few and really depend only upon the
imagination of the designer and the terms of
his brief. The only real limitation where
prestressing is a possible solution may be
the cost of providing moulds for runs of
limited quantity of small numbers of nonstandard units.

Method of post-tensioningWedges tensioned by

Tendons

jacks
TENDONS

My Experience on Post-tensioning.

EQUIPMENTS :

T6Z-08 Air Powered Grout Pump

Pumps cement grout only, no sand. 32 Gallon Mixing

Tank. Mixes up to 2 sacks of material at once and allows
for grout to be pumped during mixing or mixed without
pumping.

Approximate size

50" long
30.5" high
52" wide

Weight

560 lbs.

Production Rate

8 gallons per minute

at 150 psi

Colloidal Grout Plant

The heavy duty, high volume Colloidal Grout Plant is favored for precision
post-tension grouting. The unit features a high speed shear mixer that
thoroughly wets each particle and discharges the mixed material into a 13
cubic foot capacity agitating holding tank. A direct coupled progressing
cavity pump delivers slurries at a rate of up to 20 gpm and pressures of up
to 261 psi. The unit easily mixes and pumps slurries of Portland cement,
fly ash, bentonite, and lime flour. All controls are conveniently located on
the operator platform for easy one-man control.
Pump

Pump Type

31.6 progressing
cavity

Output/Pressure

variable up to 20
gpm, 261 psi

Mix Tank

13.0 CF with
bottom clean out

Mixing Pump

2 x 3 x 6 diffusertype centrifugal

Holding Tank

13.0 paddle
agitating

Drive Power

Air

300 CFM, 100 psi

Physical
Specifications

Dimensions

96" L x 60" W x 63"

H

Colloidal Mixer

eight

1800-2800 lbs.

T7Z Hydraulic Jacks

Used for testing and pre-stressing anchor bolts. Available

with up to 5-1/8" center hole. Unit comes with ram, pump,
gauge, hoses, jack stand, high strength coupling, high
strength test rod, plate, hex nut and knocker wrench.
Calibrations are available upon request.

Note: Jack pull rods should have a higher capacity than the
anchor rod.