PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Principles -
The well known properties of concrete are that it has high compressive strength and low
tensile strength. The basic concept of reinforced concrete is to include a designed
amount of steel bars in a predetermined pattern to give the concrete a reasonable
amount of tensile strength. In Prestressed concrete a pre compression is induced into the
member to make full use of its own inherent compressive strength when loaded. The
design aim is to achieve a balance of tensile and compressive forces so that the end
result is a concrete member which is resisting only stresses which are compressive. In
practice a small amount of tension may be present but providing this does not exceed
the tensile strength of the concrete being used tensile failure will not occur.
PRE-STRESSED CEMENT CONCRETE (PCC)
BASIC TERMINOLOGY:
Tendon: A stretched element used in a concrete member of structure
to impart prestress to the concrete.
Anchorage: A device generally used to enable the tendon to impart
and maintain prestress in concrete.
Pretensioning: A method of prestressing concrete in which the
tendons are tensioned before the concrete is placed. In this method,
the concrete is introduced by bond between steel & concrete.
Post-tensioning: A method of prestressing concrete by tensioning
the tendons against hardened concrete. In this method, the prestress
is imparted to concrete by bearing.
Pre-tensioning - this method is used mainly in the factory production of precast concrete
components such as lintels, floor units and small beams. Many of these units are formed by the long line
method where precision steel moulds up to 120000 long are used with spacer or dividing plates to form
the various lengths required.
In pre-tensioning the wires are stressed within the mould before the concrete is placed around them.
Steam curing is often used to accelerate this process to achieve a 24 hour characteristic strength of 28
N/mm2 with a typical 28 day cube strength of 40 N/mm2. Stressing of the wires is carried out by using
hydraulic jacks operating from one or both ends of the mould to achieve an initial 10% overstress to
counteract expected looses. After curing the wires are released or cut and the bond between the stressed
wires and the concrete prevents the tendons from regaining their original length thus maintaining the
precompression or prestress.
At the extreme ends of the members the bond between the stressed wires and concrete is not fully
developed due to low frictional resistance. This results in a small contraction and swelling at the ends of
the wire forming in effect a cone shape anchorage. The distance over which this contraction occurs is
called the transfer length and is equal to 80 to 120 times the wire diameter. To achieve a greater total
surface contact area it is common practice to use a larger number of small diameter wires rather than a
smaller number of large diameter wires giving the same total cross sectional area.
 Stages of Pre-tensioning

The various stages of the pre-tensioning operation

are summarized as follows.
1) Anchoring of tendons against the end abutments
2) Placing of jacks
3) Applying tension to the tendons
4) Casting of concrete
5) Cutting of the tendons.
Stages of pre-tensioning
Travelling pre-tensioning stress bench Anchoring of strands
Stretching of strands
Pouring of concrete Steam curing chamber
Post-tensioning ~ this method is usually employed where stressing is to be carried out on site
after casting an in-situ component or where a series of precast concrete units are to be joined
together to form the required member. It can also be used where curved tendons are to be used to
overcome negative bending moments. In post-tensioning the concrete is cast around ducts or
sheathing in which the tendons are to be housed. Stressing is carried out after the concrete has
cured by means of hydraulic jacks operating from one or both ends of the member. The
anchorages (see next page) which form part of the complete component prevent the stressed
tendon from regaining its original length thus maintaining the precompression or prestress. After
stressing the annular space in the tendon ducts should be filled with grout to prevent corrosion of
the tendons due to any entrapped moisture and to assist in stress distribution. Due to the high
local stresses at the anchorage positions it is usual for a reinforcing spiral to be included in the
design.
 Stages of Post-tensioning
The various stages of the post-tensioning operation
are summarized as follows.
1) Casting of concrete.
2) Placement of the tendons.
3) Placement of the anchorage block and jack.
4) Applying tension to the tendons.
5) Seating of the wedges.
6) Cutting of the tendons.
 Devices
The essential devices for post-tensioning are as
follows.
1) Casting bed
2) Mould/Shuttering
3) Ducts
4) Anchoring devices
5) Jacks
6) Couplers (optional)
7) Grouting equipment (optional).
Materials - concrete will shrink whilst curing and it can also suffer sectional losses due to creep when
subjected to pressure. The amount of shrinkage and creep likely to occur can be controlled by
designing the strength and workability of the concrete, high strength and low workability giving the
greatest reduction in both shrinkage and creep. Mild steel will suffer from relaxation losses which is
where the stresses in steel under load decrease to a minimum value after a period of time and this can
be overcome by increasing the initial stress in the steel. If mild steel is used for prestressing the
summation of shrinkage, creep and relaxation losses will cancel out any induced compression,
therefore special alloy steels must be used to form tendons for prestressed work.
Tendons these can be of small diameter wires (2 to 7 mm) in a plain round, crimped or indented
format, these wires may be individual or grouped to form cables. Another form of tendon is strand
which consists of a straight core wire around which is helically wound further wires to give formats
such as 7 wire (6 over 1) and 19 wire (9 over 9 over 1) and like wire tendons strand can be used
individually or in groups to form cables. The two main advantages of strand are:-
1. A large prestressing force can be provided over a restricted area.
2. Strand can be supplied in long flexible lengths capable of being stored on drums thus saving site
storage and site fabrication space.
Materials
 Concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of
gravels or crushed stones (coarse aggregate), sand
(fine aggregate) and hydrated cement (binder). It
is expected that the student of this course is
familiar with the basics of concrete technology.
Concrete
 Aggregate
The coarse aggregate are granular materials
obtained from rocks and crushed stones. They
may be also obtained from synthetic material
like slag, shale, fly ash and clay for use in light-
weight concrete.
The sand obtained from river beds or quarries is
used as fine aggregate. The fine aggregate
along with the hydrated cement paste fill the
space between the coarse aggregate.
The nominal maximum coarse aggregate size is
limited by the lowest of the following
quantities.
1) 1/4 times the minimum thickness of the
member
2) Spacing between the tendons/strands minus 5
mm
3) 40 mm.
 Cement

In present day concrete, cement is a mixture of

lime stone and clay heated in a kiln to 1400
1600 C.
 Water

Water used for mixing and curing shall be clean

and free from injurious amounts of oils, acids,
alkalis, salts, sugar, organic materials or other
substances that may be deleterious to concrete and
steel.
 Admixtures
The admixtures can be broadly divided into two
types: chemical admixtures and mineral admixtures.
The common chemical admixtures are as follows.
1) Air-entraining admixtures
2) Water reducing admixtures
3) Set retarding admixtures
4) Set accelerating admixtures
5) Water reducing and set retarding admixtures
6) Water reducing and set accelerating admixtures.
The common mineral admixtures are as
follows.

1) Fly ash
2) Ground granulated blast-furnace slag
3) Silica fumes
4) Rice husk ash
5) Metakoline
 Grout
Grout is a mixture of water, cement and optional
materials like sand, water-reducing admixtures,
expansion agent and pozzolans. The water-to-
cement ratio is around 0.5. Fine sand is used to
avoid segregation.
The desirable properties of grout are as
follows.
1) Fluidity
2) Minimum bleeding and segregation
3) Low shrinkage
4) Adequate strength after hardening
5) No detrimental compounds
6) Durable.
 Prestressing Steel
The development of prestressed concrete was
influenced by the invention of high strength
steel. It is an alloy of iron, carbon, manganese
and optional materials. In addition to
prestressing steel, conventional non-prestressed
reinforcement is used for flexural capacity
(optional), shear capacity, temperature and
shrinkage requirements.
 Wires
A prestressing wire is a single unit made of
steel. The nominal diameters of the wires are
2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.0 and 8.0 mm. The different
types of wires are as follows.
1) Plain wire: No indentations on the surface.
2) Indented wire: There are circular or elliptical
indentations on the surface.
 Strands
A few wires are spun together in a helical form to
form a prestressing strand. The different types of
strands are as follows.
1) Two-wire strand: Two wires are spun together
to form the strand.
2) Three-wire strand: Three wires are spun
together to form the strand.
3) Seven-wire strand: In this type of strand, six
wires are spun around a central wire. The central
wire is larger than the other wires.
 Tendons
A group of strands or wires are placed together
to form a prestressing tendon. The tendons are
used in post-tensioned members.

Cables
A group of tendons form a prestressing cable.
The cables are used in bridges
 Bars
A tendon can be made up of a single steel bar.
The diameter of a bar is much larger than that of
a wire. Bars are available in the following sizes:
10, 12, 16, 20, 22, 25, 28 and 32 mm.
Anchorages ~ the formats for anchorages used in conjunction with post-tensioned
prestressed concrete works depends mainly on whether the tendons are to be stressed
individually or as a group, but most systems use a form of split cone wedges or jaws
acting against a form of bearing or pressure plate.
The popular post-tensioning systems are the
following:
Freyssinet system
Magnel Blaton system
Gifford-Udall system
Lee-McCall system
1. THE FREYSSlNET SYSTEM

High tension steel wires 5 mm to 8 mm diameter

about 12 in number are arranged to form a group
into a cable with a spiral spring inside.
2. THE MAGNEL BLATON SYSTEM
3. GIFFORD UDALL SYSTEM
4. P.S.C. MONOWIRE SYSTEM

MONOWIRE SYSTEM
Comparison with Reinforced Concrete ~ when comparing prestressed concrete with
conventional reinforced concrete the main advantages and disadvantages can be
enumerated but in the final analysis each structure and/or component must be decided
on its own merit.
Main advantages :-
1. Makes full use of the inherent compressive strength of concrete.
2. Makes full use of the special alloy steels used to form the prestressing tendons.
3. Eliminates tension cracks thus reducing the risk of corrosion of steel components.
4. Reduces shear stresses.
5. For any given span and loading condition a component with a smaller cross section
can be used thus giving a reduction in weight.
6. Individual precast concrete units can be joined together to form a composite member.
Main Disadvantages :-
1. High degree of control over materials, design and quality of workmanship is required.
2. Special alloy steels are dearer than most traditional steels used in reinforced concrete.
3. Extra cost of special equipment required to carry out the prestressing activities.
4. Cost of extra safety requirements needed whilst stressing tendons.
As a general comparison between the two structural options under consideration
it is usually found that :-
1. Up to 6000 span traditional reinforced concrete is the most economic method.
2. Spans between 6000 and 9000 the two cost options are comparable.
3. Over 9000 span prestressed concrete is more economical than reinforced concrete.
It should be noted that generally columns and walls do not need prestressing but in
tall columns and high retaining walls where the bending stresses are high,
prestressing techniques can sometimes be economically applied.Z