1

Prestressed Concrete
Structures
Module 1
Introduction, Prestressing Systems
and Material Properties
Prepared by:
Amlan K Sengupta
Devdas Menon
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Hardened Concrete
Stress Strain Curves for Concrete
Module 1-f (6
th
Hour)
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Creep of Concrete
Shrinkage of Concrete
Properties of Grout
Codal Provisions Codal Provisions
2
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Material Properties
The stress versus strain behaviour of concrete under
uniaxial compression is initially linear (stress is
proportional to strain) and elastic (strain is recovered at
unloading). With the generation of micro-cracks, the
behaviour becomes nonlinear and inelastic. After the
specimen reaches the peak stress, the resisting stress
decreases with increase in strain.
3
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
IS 1343: 2012 recommends a parabolic characteristic
Material Properties
IS 1343: 2012 recommends a parabolic characteristic
stress-strain curve, proposed by Hognestad, for concrete
under uniaxial compression (Figure 3 in the Code).
f
c
f
ck
f
c

c
0

cu
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Material Properties
Equation
c
c c
ck c
f

f f
s
s
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
0
2
0 0
2 ,
(1f 1)
cu c ck
f s < =
0

(1f-1)
4
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
In the previous equation,
Material Properties
p q ,
f
c
= compressive stress
f
ck
= characteristic compressive strength of cubes

c
= compressive strain

0
= strain corresponding to f
ck
= 0.002

cu
= ultimate compressive strain = 0.0035
Under compression due to axial load, the ultimate
strain is restricted to 0.002.
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
From the characteristic curve, the design curve is defined
by multiplying the stress with a size factor of 0 67 and
Material Properties
by multiplying the stress with a size factor of 0.67 and
dividing the stress by a material safety factor of
m
= 1.5.
The design curve is used in the calculation of ultimate
strength.
f
c
f
ck
Characteristic curve

0

cu

c
ck
0.447 f
ck
Design curve
5
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Material Properties
In the calculation of deflection at service loads, a linear
stress-strain curve is assumed up to the allowable
stress. This curve is given by the following equation.
f
c
= E
c

c
(1f-2)
Note, that the size factor and the material safety factor
are not used in the elastic modulus E
c
.
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
For high strength concrete under uniaxial
Material Properties
For high strength concrete under uniaxial
compression, ascending and descending branches are
steep. The equation proposed by Thorenfeldt,
Tomaxzewicz and Jensen is appropriate.
c

n
|
|
|

|
(1f-3)
nk
c
c
ck c

n
f f
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.

\
=
0
0
1
6
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
The variables in the previous equation are as follows.
Material Properties
p q
f
c
= compressive stress
f
ck
= characteristic strength
of cubes in N/mm
2

c
= compressive strain

0
= strain corresponding
to f
f
c
f
ck
to f
ck

0

c
E
s
E
ci
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
E
i
Material Properties
0
0
1
77 5
0.67
1
,
f

, k
E E
E
n
c
ck
c
s ci
ci
> > + =
s =

=
f
c
f
ck
77.5
E
ci
= initial modulus
E
s
= secant modulus at f
ck

0

c
E
s
E
ci
7
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Material Properties
The previous equation is applicable for both the
ascending and descending branches of the curve.
Also, the parameter k models the slope of the
descending branch, which increases with the
characteristic strength f
ck
.
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Material Properties
The stress versus strain behaviour of concrete under
uniaxial tension is linear elastic initially. Close to cracking
nonlinear behaviour is observed.
f
c
f
c

c
8
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Material Properties
In calculation of deflections of flexural members at service
loads, the nonlinearity is neglected and a linear elastic
behaviour f
c
= E
c

c
is assumed.
In the analysis of ultimate strength, the tensile strength of
concrete is usually neglected. y g
Creep of Concrete
9
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
Creep of concrete is defined as the increase in
deformation with time under constant load. Due to the
creep of concrete, the prestress in the tendon is
reduced with time. Hence, the study of creep is
important in prestressed concrete to calculate the loss
in prestress in prestress.
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
The creep occurs due to two causes.
1. Rearrangement of hydrated cement paste
(especially the layered products)
2. Expulsion of water from voids under load
10
Material Properties
Creep of Concrete
If a concrete specimen is subjected to slow compressive
loading, the stress versus strain curve is elongated
along the strain axis as compared to the curve for fast
loading. This can be explained in terms of creep.
If the load is sustained at a level the increase in strain If the load is sustained at a level, the increase in strain
due to creep will lead to a shift from the fast loading
curve to the slow loading curve.
Material Properties
Creep of Concrete
f
c
Fast loading
Slow loading
Effect of creep

c
Effect of creep
11
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
Creep is quantified in terms of the strain that occurs in
addition to the elastic strain due to the applied loads.
If the applied loads are close to the service loads, the
creep strain increases at a decreasing rate with time.
The ultimate creep strain is found to be proportional to The ultimate creep strain is found to be proportional to
the elastic strain. The ratio of the ultimate creep strain
to the elastic strain is called the notional creep
coefficient |
0
.
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
For stress in concrete less than one-third of the
characteristic strength, the ultimate creep strain is
given as follows.
ci ult cc

0
| =
, (1f-4)
12
Creep of Concrete
The variation of strain with time, under constant axial
Material Properties
compressive stress, is represented in the following
figure. Here, t
0
is the time of loading.
n

lt
= ultimate creep strain
s
t
r
a
i
n
Time (linear scale)

cc, ult
ultimate creep strain

ci
= initial elastic strain
t
0
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
If the load is removed, the elastic strain is immediately
recovered. However the recovered elastic strain is less
than the initial elastic strain, as the elastic modulus
increases with age.
There is reduction of strain due to creep recovery which is
less than the creep strain. There is some residual strain
which cannot be recovered.
13
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
s
t
r
a
i
n
Residual strain
Creep recovery
Elastic recovery
Unloading
Time (linear scale)
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
Creep of Concrete
The creep strain depends on several factors. It
increases with the increase in the following variables.
1) Cement content (cement paste to aggregate ratio)
2) Water-to-cement ratio
3) Air entrainment
4) Ambient temperature.
14
Creep of Concrete
The creep strain decreases with the increase in the
Material Properties
The creep strain decreases with the increase in the
following.
1) Age (maturity) of concrete at the time of loading
2) Relative humidity
3) Volume-to-surface area (V-S) ratio ) ( )
4) Grade of concrete
The creep strain also depends on the type of
aggregate. IS 1343: 2012 gives guidelines to estimate
the creep coefficient in Section 6.2.5.
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
( ) ( )
0 R 0
t f
cm
= | | | |
(1f-5)
2 1
3
0
3
0
R
MPa 45
0.1
100 RH 1
1
MPa 45
0.1
100 RH 1
1
f
h
/
f
h
/
ck
ck
>
(
(

+ =
s

+ = |
,
,
( )
( )
( )
0.2
0
0
0.1
1
8
16.8
t
t
f
f
ck
cm
+
=
+
=
|
|
15
Creep of Concrete
The variables in the previous equations are as follows
Material Properties
The variables in the previous equations are as follows.
|
RH
= factor for relative humidity
RH = relative humidity in percentage
h
0
= notional size of member (mm), measure of V-S ratio
= 2A
c
/u
A
c
= sectional area of member
u = perimeter of member in contact with the atmosphere
| (f
cm
) = factor for concrete strength
| (t
0
) = factor for concrete age at loading
Creep of Concrete
The variations of the quantities are as follows.
Material Properties
RH
|
RH |
RH
h
0 f
ck
|(f
cm
)
30 60
3
2
|(t
0
)
7 365
0.7
0.3
t
0
16
Creep of Concrete
Alternately, the creep coefficient can be estimated from
Material Properties
y, p
the tabulated values under Cl. 6.2.5.1. Some values for
RH = 50% and h
0
= 50 mm are shown below.
Age of Loading Creep Coefficient
7 days 4.1
28 days 3.1
1 year 1.9
Creep of Concrete
Material Properties
It can be observed that under dry conditions if the
structure is loaded at 7 days, the creep strain can be
more than four times the elastic strain. Even if the
structure is loaded at 28 days, the creep strain is
substantial. This implies higher loss of prestress and
higher deflection.
Curing the concrete adequately and delaying the
application of load provide long term benefits with
regards to durability, loss of prestress and deflection.
17
Creep of Concrete
For calculating creep strain with time the time varying
Material Properties
For calculating creep strain with time, the time-varying
creep coefficient |(t, t
0
) is defined as follows.
( )
( )
( )
( )
0 0
0
0
=
=
t t,
t
t
t t,
ci
cc
| |
|
( )
( )
0.3
0
0
0 (

=
t t
t t
t t,
|
| (1f-6)
Creep of Concrete
| = factor for relative humidity
Material Properties
|
H
= factor for relative humidity
o
1
, o
2
, o
3
= factors for concrete strength
( ) | |
| |
0
18

1500
45MPa 250 1.2RH/100 1 1.5
s
s + + =
ck
f h |
( ) | |
0.5
3
0.2
2
0.7
1
3
3 0
18
8
45
8
45
8
45
1500
45MPa 250 1.2RH/100 1 1.5
(

+
=
(

+
=
(

+
=
s
> + + =
ck ck ck
ck
f f f
f h
o o o
o
o
, ,
18
Creep of Concrete
The variations of the quantities are as follows
Material Properties
The variations of the quantities are as follows.
RH
|
H
f
k
o
1
45 60
1
o
2
o
3
t t
0
|(t, t
0
)
f
ck
0
Shrinkage of Concrete
19
Shrinkage of Concrete
Material Properties
Shrinkage of Concrete
Shrinkage of concrete is defined as the contraction due
to loss of moisture. The study of shrinkage is also
important in prestressed concrete to calculate the loss
in prestress.
Material Properties
Shrinkage of Concrete
The shrinkage occurs due to two causes.
1. Loss of water from voids (drying shrinkage)
2. Reduction of volume during carbonation
(autogenous shrinkage)
The total shrinkage strain ( ) is given as follows The total shrinkage strain (
cs
) is given as follows.

cs
=
cd
+
ca

cd
= drying shrinkage strain

ca
= autogenous shrinkage strain
The values of
cd
are substantially higher.
(1f-7)
20
Shrinkage of Concrete
The following sketch shows the variations of shrinkage
Material Properties
The following sketch shows the variations of shrinkage
strains with time. Here, t
s
is the time at commencement
of drying.
t
r
a
i
n
s

cd
S
h
r
i
n
k
a
g
e

s
t
t
s
Time (linear scale)

ca
Shrinkage of Concrete
Material Properties
Like creep, shrinkage also depends on several factors.
The shrinkage strain increases with the increase in the
following variables.
1) Ambient temperature
2) Temperature gradient in the members
3) Water-to-cement ratio
4) Cement content.
21
Shrinkage of Concrete
Material Properties
The shrinkage strain decreases with the increase in the
following variables
1) Age of concrete at commencement of drying
2) Relative humidity
3) Volume-to-surface area (V-S) ratio.
The shrinkage strain also depends on the type of
aggregate, grade of concrete and type of curing (steam
curing or moist curing).
Shrinkage of Concrete
IS 1343: 2012 gives guidelines to estimate the shrinkage
Material Properties
IS 1343: 2012 gives guidelines to estimate the shrinkage
strain in Section 6.2.4. Values of
cd
and
ca
are tabulated.
Schematic variations are shown below.
f
ck
30 60
c
ca
f
ck
30 60
c
cd
RH
22
Shrinkage of Concrete
To monitor shrinkage strain with time the time-varying
Material Properties
To monitor shrinkage strain with time, the time-varying
coefficients are defined as follows.
( ) ( )
( )
0.2
t
t t
t
as
ca as ca
=
=

|
|
e 1
(1f-8)
( ) ( )
( )
3
0
0.04 h t t
t t
t t,
k t t, t
s
s
s ds
cd h s ds cd
+

=
=
|
|
(1f-9)
Shrinkage of Concrete
The variables in the previous equations are as follows
Material Properties
The variables in the previous equations are as follows.
|
as
(t) = factor for autogenous shrinkage strain
|
ds
(t, t
s
) = factor for drying shrinkage strain
k
h
= factor for notional member size.
The variations of the quantities are as follows.
t
|
as
(t)
t t
s
|
ds
(t, t
s
)
h
0
k
h
23
Properties of Grout
Introduction
Material Properties
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 0.45. Fine sand is used to avoid
segregation. segregation.
24
Properties of Grout
Material Properties
The desirable properties of grout are as follows.
1) Fluidity
2) Minimum bleeding and segregation
3) Low shrinkage ) g
4) Adequate strength after hardening
5) No detrimental compounds
6) Durable
Properties of Grout
Material Properties
IS 1343: 2012 specifies the properties of grout in
Sections 13.3. The following specifications are
important.
1) The sand should pass 150 m Indian Standard sieve.
2) The compressive strength of 100 mm cubes of the
grout shall not be less than 27 N/mm
2
at 28 days.
Section 13.4 provides specifications for grouting
operations.
25
Codal Provisions
Material Properties
The following topics are covered in IS 1343: 2012 under
the respective sections. These provisions are not
duplicated here.
Workability of concrete: Section 7 y
Concrete mix proportioning: Section 9
Production of concrete: Section 10
Formwork: Section 11
Codal Provisions
Material Properties
Transporting, placing, compacting, curing: Section 14
Concrete under special conditions: Section 15
Sampling and strength test of concrete: Section 16
Acceptance criteria: Section 17
Inspection and testing of structures: Section 18
26
Hardened Concrete
Stress Strain Curves for Concrete
Summary
Stress-Strain Curves for Concrete
Creep of Concrete
Shrinkage of Concrete
Properties of Grout
Codal Provisions Codal Provisions