COLUMBAN COLLEGE-BARRETTO

ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT

CEA 511
ALARCON, GEANNE GERALD D.
CULA, ASHLEY R.
DALUSONG, ZJAY
SALAZAR, ADRIAN
 BEAMS TENSION DESIGN

REINFORCED TENSION AND COMPRESSION

Compression
Concrete has enormous compressive strength, the ability to withstand heavy weights or
forces on it. It also gains strength as it ages. Concrete will solidify in a few hours and
harden or set in a few days, but continues to gain strength for at least 28 days. Some very
thick concrete structures, like dams, will continue to gain strength for months or years.

Tension
Concrete has almost no tensile strength, the ability to withstand pressing or stretching.
Put a board between two supports and press down on the center. It will bend. The top of
the board is under compression, the bottom which bends is under tension. Concrete can
resist the compression, but will break under the tension. Concrete cracks in roads and
slabs are largely due to tension; different weights in different areas produce tensile forces.
Tension-Compression Ratio
The tension to compression ratio for concrete is about 10 to 15 percent. That is, it
can withstand about 10 times the pushing force or compression of the pulling
force or tension. Both strengths increase with age, but the ratio is steady. Portland
cement concrete less than a year old has compression strength of 1,000 pounds
per square inch (psi) and tension strength of 200 psi. Concrete more than a year
old has compression psi of 2,000 pounds and tension psi of 400.

Reinforcing
To give concrete tensile strength -- to support beams in a bridge or building, for
instance -- reinforcing steel is added. Steel has great tensile strength; it bends
without breaking. The combination produces the strength needed for bridge
girders, roadways, building walls and other construction. An even stronger
combination is prestressed concrete. The reinforcing steel is stretched or put under
tension before concrete is poured around it. When tension is released, the
tendency of the steel to return to its unstretched form adds reverse tension which
strengthens a concrete beam or girder.
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BEAMS (FLEXURAL MEMBERS)

A flexural member is a member that is subject to both tension and

compression within its depth. A beam is usually a flexural member as the
load applied will cause (usually) the bottom flange to go into tension and
the top flangle to be compressed.
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