Prestressed Concrete Structures

Courses Contents

Definition of Terms
Comparison between RC and PSC
Historical Background
Sources of Prestessing
Elastic Analysis and Design of Statically Determinate Structures
 Balanced Design
 Approximate Design
 General design
 Magnel diagram
 Steel profile
 Variable Prestressing force
 Variable section
 Beams subjected to reversal of bending moment
Losses of Prestress
Post-tensioned beams
friction
elastic shortening
shrinkage
creep
anchorage take-up
steel relaxation
Pretentional Beams

Shear stresses – elastic analysis

Bond stress
Anchorage zone stresses
Torsion in PSC beams
Deflections of PSC beams
Elastic Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Structures
PSC beams curved tendons
Design of Statically indeterminate beams
Summary of Elastic Design Procedure
Ultimate strength design in flexure

Definitions:
Concrete- is a non-homogeneous manufactured stone composed of graded granular inert
materials which are held together by the action of cement and water.

Reinforced concrete – is a composite material which utilizes the concrete in resisting

compressive stresses and some other materials, usually steel to resist the tensile stresses.

Prestressed Concrete- is one in which there have been introduced internal stresses of such
magnitude and distribution that the stresses resulting from the given external loading are
counteracted to a desired degree.
Comparison of RC and PSC Beams

RC :

1. There are always cracks even at working area.

2. Only part of the section is load carrying, portion below the neutral axis carries no
load.
3. The steel reinforcement carries the tensile stresses.
4. Highest stress occurs under load.

PSC :
1. There are no cracks at working load.
2. the whole of the section is load carrying.
3. the steel neutralizes the tensile stresses.
4. the highest stress occurs at prestressing.

RC:
χ
Єc fc
n.a.

d MD ML

T = fsAs
Єs
b χ

PSC:

C1 n.a C1
n.a.
h MD ML
e e
C2 C2 P

b
χ
Stress distribution:
C1
+Pe + MD
+P/A I C1/I + ML C1/I

C2 - ML C1/I
+ P/A  Pe - MD C1 /I
I
Due to Prestress Due to MD Due to ML

Sign Convention: Tensile stress = (-)

Compresseve Stress = (+)

Where P= prestressing force

A= Gross area of section
C1= distance from the n.a to top fiber
C2= distance from the n.a to bottom fiber
I= second moment of the area of the section
MD= bending moment at sec.x-x due to dead load
M= Bending moment at sec. x-x due to line load
Z= I/C1 = Section module of the beam
Z= I/C2 = Section module of the beam

Checking the Stresses

At transfer:
P pe + M D
ftop = + A - Z 1 Z1

P Pe − M D
fbot. = + A + Z 2 Z 2
At working Load

nP nPe M D + M L
ftop = + A - Z 1 + Z1 Z 1

nP nPe − M D − M L
fbot. = + A + Z 2 Z2 Z2

%losses
where = η = (1-100 ) and ηP = Effective Prestressing
forse after losses

Historical Development
The Romans were known to be the first to use the principle of prestressing:
Example is the wooden barrel used to store wine.

1886 – 1908 – Development of prestressing in concrete

1872 – P. A. Jackson (USA)
1888 – C.E.W. Doehring (Germany)
1907 – J.G.F. Lund (Norway)
J. Mandl (Austria)
M. Koenen (Germany)
1908 – G.R. Steiner (USA)
1928 – F. Von Emperger (Australia) suggested the use of height strength steel
1923 – R.E. Dill (USA) proposed the concept of full prestressing
1928 – E. Freyssinet (France) started the development work
1940 – G. Magnel
Y. guyon, P. Abeles, F. Leonhardt

After World War II

Full scale applications
T.Y. Lin

Sources of Prestressing:

1. Jacks reacting against the abutments –

The principal difficulty associated with such a system is that even a slight
movement of the abutment will reduce the prestressing force.
Jack Jack
Beam
 2. Pretensioning:
The wires afre stressed before the concrete is cast. When the concrete is hard
enough, the wires are cut, thus inducing compressive stresses on the concrete.
Bulkhead Prestressing Wire

formwork
Jack

pump

3. Postensioning (Bonded of unbonded)

Holes are provided for the cables and when the concrete is hard enough to carry
the prestress, the wires are inserted through these holes and stressed against the
ends of the concrete member. For bonded postentioning, neat concrete is pump
inside the duct.
concrete
Prestressing Wire
duct

Materials used in PSC.

1. Concrete- use high-early strength cement

2. Steel- use high strength steel

1,724 MPa High strength steel

Effective
stree

Mild steel
243MPa

Effective
stresss strain
Єs
Єs
 Tangent modulus

ACI
Ec
σm
fc1

0.45fc1 Secant
modulus

Uni-axial strain
Єm

Tension

Development of Building Materials

Materials Materials Materials

Resisting Resisting Resisting Tension
and
Compression Tension Compression

Timber

Stone Bamboos
Bricks Ropes

Structural Steel

Concrete Iron bars

Steel Wires

Passive combination Reinforced Concrete

High-Strength High-Strength
Concrete Steel

Prestressed Concrete
Examples:
A prestressed- concrete rectangular beam 500mm. by 750 mm. has simple span of
7:30 m and is loaded by a uniform load of 45 KN/m. including its own weight. The
prestressing tendon is located 145mm below the neutral axis and the initil prestressing
force is 1620 KN. Compute the stresses in the concrete at the midspan section. What
would be the stresses if the losses in prestress are 15%?

45 kN/m

750

e = 145 mm

500

1 45
M= 8 WL2 = 8 x 7.32= 299.76 KN-m.
P= 1620 KN; A= 500x750= 375,000 mm2
1 500 x 7503
E= 145mm. I= 12 bd3 = 12 = 1.758x1010 mm4.
750
C1 = C2 = 2 = 375 mm.

At transfer:
1620 x 100 1620 x 1000 x 145 x 375
− −
Ftop= 375 , 000 1. 758 x 1010

Ftop= + 4.32- 5.01 = -0.69 MPa (tensile)

Ftop= +4.32+ 5.01 = +9.33MPa

At working load: (no losses of prestress)

1620 x 1000 1620 x 1000 x 145 x 375 229 .76 x 106 x 375
+ − +
Ftop= 375 . 000 1. 758 x 1010 1 . 758 x 1010

Ftop= + 4.32 - 5.01 + 6.39 = 5.70 Mpa

Ftop= + 4.32 + 5.01 – 6.39 = 2.94 MPa

At. Working load (with losses of 15%)

Ftop= + 0.85(4.32)- 0.85(5.01)+ 6.39 = 5.81 MPa

Ftop = +3.67 + 4.25 – 6.39 = 1.53 MPa

Elastic Design in Flexure

 (A) Balanced Design

Notations:
Ftt= Allowable concrete stress in tension at transfer
Ftw= Allowable concrete stress in tension at working load
Fct= Allowable concrete stress in compression at transfer
Fcw= Allowable concrete stress in compression at working load
Md= Dead load bending moment at agiven section
Ml= live load bending moment at a given section
P= Initial prestressing force
A= Gross area of the section
η= Efficiency of prestress
E= Eccentricity of prestress at a given section
I= Second moment of area of the section
C1= Distance of top fiber from n.a
C2= Distnace of bottom fiber from N.A
I
Z = C1 Section Module
1
I
Z2= C2 Section module
Consider the stresses at transfer due to dead load and prestress only:
P Pe MD
+ − +
A Z1 Z1 F tt

C1
n.a
UD + + =

e
C2 e
p

P Pe M F ct
+ + − D
Consider the stresses at working load: A Z2 Z2
ηP η Pe MD ML
+ − + +
A Z1 Z1 Z1 F cw

C1
MD
+ + + =
ML

e
C2
ηp

+
ηP η Pe M D ML F tw
+ − −
A Z2 Z2 Z2
 P Pe M D
− + =F tt
+ A Z1 Z1 (1)
P Pe M D
+ + − =F ct
A Z2 Z2 (2)
p NPE M d M l
− + + =F cw
+η A Z1 Z1 Z1 (3)
NP NPE M d M L
+ − − =Ftw
+ A Z 2 Z 2 Z 2 (4)

From Eqs. (1) And (3) [Eq. (3) - η x Eq. (1)]

( 1−η ) M D+ M L
Z1 =
( F cw−ηFtt ) (5)

From Eqs. (2) and (4) [Eq. (4) – η x Eq. (2)]

( 1−η ) M D + M L
Z 2=
( ηF ct −F tw ) (6)

From Eqs. (5) and (6)

Z 2 C 1 ( F cw−ηFtt )
= =
Z 1 C 2 ( ηF ct −Ftw )
(7)

η ( F ct −ηF tt )

Also
( 1 1
+
Z1 Z2
=
)
( ηF ct −F tw ) (8)

From Eqs. (1) and (2)

( Pe−M D ) ( 1 1
+
Z1 Z2 )
=( F ct −F tt )
(9)

From Eqs. (3) and (4)

( M D + M L −η Pe ) ( 1 1
+
Z1 Z2 )
=( F cw−F tw )
(10)

Eliminating
( 1 1
+
Z1 Z2 ) from Eqs. (9) and (10)
Observation:
1. The section module are directly determining by Eqs. (5) and (6). The predominant
factor is the liveload bending moment ML.
2. Balanced design is not possible for slabs or symmetrical sections although the
difference between the balanced and symmetrical section is often very small.
3. With the section modkule known, Eqs. (11) and (17) remain for the determination
of the prestressing force P which also determines the area of steel AS and the
concrete area A which determines the depth of the section and the eccentricity e.
4. As in reinforced concrete, there are a number of sections which will satisfy the
condition of balanced design ranging from heavily reinforce deep sections. In
practiced the coice is limited by the following consideration:
a. The ratio of depth to width is limited by the possible danger of torsion buckling.
b. The ratio of web thickness to the overall width is limited by the shear stresses
and the ratio of the flange thickness to overall depth by secondary stresses in the
flange. The thickness of the web must be sufficient to allow correct placing of the
concrete.
c. Since the cables must normally be inside the section, the eccentricity is limited by
the depth of the section.