Chapter 4: INTRODUCTION TO PRESTRESSED
CONCRETE
Definition:
Pre-stressed concrete is a concrete in which internal stresses are introduced so that the
stresses resulting from external loads are counteracted to a desired degree. Pre-stressing is
preloading of a structure before application of the required design (service) loads in such a
way as to improve its overall performance.
The figure below demonstrates the various stages involved during pre-stressing.
Advantages of a PC member
- No cracking since tension is avoided.
- Deflection controlled
- Smaller cross-section
- Efficient use of high strength materials (concrete & steel)
- Improved resistance to shear and repeated loads.
Methods of Pre-stressing
There are two methods of pre-stressing.
1) Pre-tensioning: - Involves stretching of the tendons between external anchorages
before the concrete is placed, and the jacking force is released after the fresh concrete
hardened and reached the desired strength. In this method,
- tensioning is applied using hydraulic jack or mechanical device.
- high strength concrete is used. (> C-40)
- steam curing to accelerate hardening of concrete is used.
- massive end anchorages are required.
- stress is transferred by bonds/friction from the pre-stressed tendons to the concrete
when we cut from the casting bed.
2) Post-tensioning: - Hollow conduits containing the unstressed tendons are placed in the
forms to the desired profile before pouring of the concrete. When the concrete hardens and
gains sufficient strength, the tendons are tensioned where they are anchored by special
fitting at the far end of the member and then anchored at the jacking end by similar fitting
after which the jack is removed. The jacking force is usually applied against the ends of the
hardened concrete eliminating the need for massive abutments.
The advantage of this method is the ease with which tendons eccentricity (profile) can be
varied along the span. (e.g. for continuous beams)
Basic concepts
Different concepts are used to explain the behavior of PC member.
The stress concept: -
- Tensile stresses due to external loading are counteracted by compressive stresses due to
pre-stress resulting the final stress in the extreme fiber to be either compressive or zero.
- As no tension cracks develop, the member (concrete) is transformed from brittle to elastic
material.
The following two cases shall be considered.
Concentric tendon or centroidal pre-stressing.
Let,F = Pre-stressing force
M = Moment due to external load
I = Moment of Inertia
A = Area (cross-sectional area).
The final stress in the section at y distance from the NA (centroid) is
F My for top fiber
f
A I for bottom fiber
Eccentric tendon (eccentric pre-stressing)
The stress at any point y along the section may be computed from
F Fey My for top fiber
f
A I I for bottom fiber
The strength concept: - (The Internal couple method)
In this method pre-stressing is considered as a combination of high strength steel and
concrete with the steel taking tension and concrete taking compression so that the two
materials form a resisting couple against the external moment.
Note: - C & T in PC beams are constant and the lever arm Z varies with the magnitude of the
external moment (unlike the case of RC beams where the forces C & T increase with
increasing moment and Z is constant).
The stress at any point on a cross section may be obtained using
C Cec y P Pec y
f , where
A I A I
ec= eccentricity of C w. r. to the centroidal axis
A, I = cross-sectional area & moment of inertia of the gross section
C = total compressive force acting on the cross-section.
The Balanced Load Concept
It is a technique of balancing the external load by selecting a pre-stressing force and tendon
profile that creates transverse load acting opposite to the external load. This method is the
most widely used method for post-tensioned structures.
wb L2 8Pe
M int M ext , Pe , wb
8 L2
Where: wb- is the balanced load which may be equal to w or only a portion of it.
P M net y ( w wb ) L2
f , where M net
A I 8
F y 0 Pb 2 P sin
P cos M net y
f
A I
P M net y
Where: Mnet is the moment developed by (P-Pb). For small values of; f
A I
Materials
Concrete- high strength > C-40 for pre-tensioning and for> C-30 for post-tensioning & class I
works used.
Steel – high strength steel with fpk> 1000 MPa
Permissible Stresses
f pk
Steel: - In design, the stress pre-stressing steel at ULS is limited to 0.9 and the strain εu<
s
0.01.
- Maximum Stress during tensioning
0.8 f pk
f P ,max
0.9 f p 0.1 ( proof stress)
- Stress after transfer (initial stress)
0.75 f pk
f Pi
0.85 f p 0.1 ( proof stress)
- Stress in tendons after all losses (effective stress)
fpe< 0.6 fpk
Concrete: -
At transfer, fct< 0.5 fci– compression
ftt<ftki– tension,
Where: fci - cube strength of concrete at the moment of transfer.
ftki - tensile strength of concrete at the moment of transfer.
When loaded by service loads
fcw< 0.4fcu=0.5fck --- compression
ftw<ftk --- tension
Losses in PC member
The initial pre-stressing force (Pi) is less than the jacking force (Pj) because of losses due to:
- elastic shortening of concrete
- slip at the anchorage
- frictional losses
- shrinkage and creep of concrete
- relaxation of highly stressed steel
Lump sum estimate of pre-stress losses
Loss due to Pre-tensioning Post-tensioning
- Elastic shortening of concrete 4% 1%
- Creep of concrete 6% 5%
- Shrinkage of concrete 7% 6%
- Creep in steel 5% 6%
22% 18%
Stress in a PC- beam
Two cases must be checked.
Stresses immediately after pre-stressing
Pi Pi e M DL f ct
f1
A S1 S1 f tt
Pi Pi e M DL
f2 f ct
A S2 S2
Where: S1&S2 - Section modulus of top & bottom section
MDL– BM due to self-weight
Stresses after all losses
P Pe ( M DL M LL )
f1 f cw
A S1 S1
P Pe ( M DL M LL )
f2 f tw
A S2 S2
Where: MLL– BM due to live load.
