University of the East

College of Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

Plate No. 5

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Name: Rosete, Judith P.

Student Number: 20151141036

Subject & Section: NCE 524-3CE Rating

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PRESTRESSED
CONCRETE
Pre-stressing tendons (generally of high tensile steel cable or rods) are used to provide
a clamping load which produces a compressive stress that balances the tensile stress that the
concrete compression member would otherwise experience due to a bending load.

 First Concept: Stress Superposition Method

o Prestressed concrete an elastic composite material

 Concrete subjected to 2 systems of forces: Internal prestress (pre-compression

by tendons counteract tension in concrete
 External loads
 Prestressed Rectangular Beam

Beam is prestressed with a tendon through the centroid and is loaded with
external load
𝑃
Uniform Compressive Stress 𝜎 = −𝐴
𝑐

Where: P = Prestress force Ac = Cross-sectional area

 Since the tensile strength of concrete is low, a homogeneous concrete beam has
very little flexural strength. To offset this deficiency, steel reinforcement is provided near
the bottom of simple beams to carry the tensile stresses. However, a substantial area of
concrete below the neutral axis merely retains the reinforcement in position, but its
tensile strength is neglected in the computation for the flexural strength in case of
reinforced concrete beams.
If the tensile reinforcement of beam is subjected to tensile stresses before
applying the external loads, then compressive stresses are induced in the concrete of
the beam (and this is done by prestressing). Usually the tensile stresses in the concrete
caused by the external loads are completely absorbed or counteracted by the
compressive stresses in concrete, resulting from prestressing the reinforcement. The
concrete, therefore, is being used effectively in resisting tensile stresses produced by
external loads rather than being neglected as in case of reinforced concrete.

o Large prestressing force are applied to the member by the tendons, high bearing
stresses are developed at the ends by the anchoring devices. The anchorages are
generally designed to be meant for use only for high strength concrete work.
o Busting stresses liable to at the ends of the beam cannot be satisfactorily resisted by
low strength concrete work.
o When stress transfer to concrete has to take place by bond action, the concrete should
have a high strength concrete.
o Shrinkage cracks will be very little when high strength concrete is used.
o Due to the high modulus of elasticity of high strength concrete, the elastic and creep
strain are very small resulting in smaller loss of prestress in all steel reinforcement.