Difference Between RCC and Prestressed Concrete

Articles > Difference Between RCC and Prestressed Concrete

General

In ordinary reinforced cement concrete, compressive stresses are taken up by concrete

and tensile stresses by steel alone. The concrete below the neutral axis is ignored since
it is weak in tension. Although steel takes up the tensile stresses, the concrete in the
tensile zone develops minute cracks. The load carrying capacity of such concrete
sections can be increased if steel and concrete both are stressed before the applications
of external loads. This is the concept of prestressed concrete. As per ACI committee
prestresssed concrete is that concrete in which internal stresses of suitable magnitude
are introduced so that the stresses resulting from the external loadings can be
counteracted to a desired degree.

In R.C.C. members, prestress induced is of compressive nature so that it balances the

tensile stresses produced due to external load. It makes the whole section effective (the
concrete area in the tension zone also) in resisting loads.

In reinforced concrete, prestress is commonly introduced by tensioning the reinforcement.

So, compression is induced in the zones where external loads would normally cause
tensile stresses. If the prestressed concrete beam of rectangular section subjected to a
prestressing force P, at the centroidal axis. Due to this force, a uniform compressive
stress of ‘P/A’ will be induced in concrete. Under the action of loads, the stress at any
points will be ‘My/I’.
 Figure showing load on the beam

Materials used in Prestressed concrete

Steel:

Ordinary mild steel and deformed bars are used in RCC are not used in PSC (prestressed
concrete) because their yield strength is not very high. In the prestressed concrete, loss
of prestress (about 20 %) occurs due to many factors. If mild steel bars or HYSD bars are
used then very little prestress will be left after the losses and will be of no use. Therefore,
high tensile strength steel is used for prestressing. In addition to the high strength, the
steel used in prestressing must have a higher ultimate elongation. Various forms of steel
used for prestressing as follows:

Tendons:

Tendons are high strength tensile wires available in various diameters from 1.5 mm to 8
mm. the following table gives the ultimate tensile strength of steel wires used for
prestressing.
Diameter of wire (mm) Ultimate tensile strength (MPa)
1.5 2350
2.0 2200
3.0 1900
4.0 1750
5.0 1600
7.0 1500
8.0 1500

Wires strands or cables:

A strand or cable is made of a bundle of wires spun together. The overall diameter of a
cable or strand is from 7 to 17 mm. They are used for post-tensioning systems.

Bars:

High tensile steel bars of diameter 10 mm or more are also used in prestressing.

Concrete:

Since high tensile steel is used in prestressed concrete, the concrete used should also
be of good quality and high strength. Therefore, the code recommends a minimum mix of
M 40 for pre-tensioned system and M 30 for post tensioned system. These mixes have
high strength and a high value of modulus of elasticity of concrete which results in less
deflection.

The concrete used in prestressed concrete should be well compacted. High strength
concrete is used in prestressed concrete for following reasons:

 Use of high strength concrete results in smaller sections.

 High strength concrete offers high resistance in tension, shear, bond and
bearing.
 Less loss of prestress occurs with high strength concrete.
When repeated loading tests are performed on the different prestressed concrete beams
with the varying proportions of steel contained in grouted post tensioned cables. Similar
tests when performed on the reinforced concrete beams which are reinforced with plain
steel bars or cold worked deformed mild steel bars. Under the repetitions of working load
it is observed that the deformations on prestressed concrete beams are slightly increased.
Under the similar loads deformations were recorded and it was found that the cracks
developed in the reinforced concrete beams.

Advantages of prestressed concrete:

 Prestressed concrete sections are thinner and lighter than RCC sections, since
high strength concrete and steel are used prestressed concrete.
 In prestressed concrete, whole concrete area is effective in resisting loads, unlike
RCC where concrete below the neutral axis is neglected.
 Thinner sections in prestressed concrete results in less self weight and hence
overall economy.
 Long span bridges and flyovers are made of prestressed concrete because of
lesser self weight and thinner section. So, prestressed concrete is used for
heavily loaded structures.
 Prestressed concrete members show less deflection.
 Since the concrete does not crack in prestressesd concrete, rusting of steel is
minimized.
 Prestressed concrete is used in the structures where tension develops or the
structure is subjected to vibrations, impact and shock like girders, bridges,
railway sleepers, electric poles, gravity dams, etc.
 Precast members like electric poles and railway sleepers are produced in
factories using simple pre-stressing methods.

Disadvantages of prestressed concrete:

 Prestressed concrete construction requires very good quality control and

supervisions
 Cost of materials used in prestressed is very high (high tensile steel is about
three times costlier than mild steel).
 Prestressed concrete requires specialized tensioning equipment and devices
which are very costly
 Prestressed concrete sections are more brittle because of use of high tension
steel.

The comparisons between the RCC and prestressed concrete

 In RCC beam the concrete in the compression side of the neutral side of the axis
alone is effective. The concrete in the tension side of the neutral axis is
ineffective. But in the prestressed concrete beam, the entire section is effective.
 Reinforced concrete beams are generally heavy. They always need shear
reinforcements besides the longitudinal reinforcement for flexure. Prestressed
concrete beams are lighter. By providing the curved tendons and the pre-
compression, a considerable part of the shear is resisted.
 In reinforced concrete beams, high strength concrete is not needed. But in
prestressed concrete beams, high strength concrete and high strength steel are
necessary. High strength concrete is needed to resist high stresses at the
anchorages. High strength steel is needed to transfer large prestressing force.
 Reinforced concrete beams being massive and heavy are more suitable in
situations where the weight is more desired than strength. Prestressed concrete
beams are very suitable for heavy loads and longer spans. They are slender and
artistic treatments can be easily provided. Cracks do not occur under working
loads. Even if a minute crack occurs when overloaded, such crack gets closed
when the overload is removed. The deflections of the prestressed concrete
beams are small.
 In reinforced concrete beams, there is no way testing the steel and the concrete.
In prestressed concrete beams, testing of steel and concrete can be made while
prestressing.
 Figure showing difference between RCC and prestress concrete

Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

Followings are the advantages of prestressed concrete:

 Longer span length increases untroubled floor space and parking facilities.
 Thinner slabs, that are important for high rise building as with the same amount of
cost, it can construct more slabs than traditional thicker slabs.
 As the span length is larger, fewer joints are needed than traditional RC structures.
 Because of fewer joints, maintenance cost also becomes reduced during the design
life as joints are the major locus of weakness in a concrete building.
 Long-term Durability.
 Better finishing of placed concrete.
 It requires a smaller amount of construction materials.
 It resists stresses are higher than normal RCC structures and is free from cracks.
 Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete
Followings are the disadvantages of prestressed concrete:

 It requires high strength concrete and high tensile strength steel wires.
 The main disadvantage is construction requires additional special equipment like
jacks, anchorage, etc.
 It requires highly skilled workers under skilled supervision.
 Construction cost is little higher than RCC structures.

Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

There are 4 types of prestressed concrete available as discussed in our previous post.
The advantages of prestressed concrete are as follows:

1. Prestressed member is free from crack,so the resisting impact, shock and reversal of
stresses is much more than reinforced concrete.
2. It is more durable than reinforced concrete.
3. The section of prestressed concrete member is less compared to RCC member as it
utilizes the maximum tension and compression of concrete, so it reduces the cost.
4. Prestressed concrete can be used in long spans as the section of member can be
reduced.
5. As the sections are lighter, they can be transported easily.
6. The concrete diagonal tension can also be reduced.
7. Shear resistance can be increased using curved tendons.
Prestressed concrete girder
 Prestressing of concrete
Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete

The major prestressed concrete disadvantages include the followings.

1. The major problem with prestressed concrete is that it needs specialized construction
machineries like jacks anchorage etc.
2. Advanced technical knowledge and strict supervision is very important.
3. For concrete prestressing, high tensile reinforcement bars are needed which costs
greater than generally used mild steel reinforcement bars.
4. Highly skilled labor is needed for prestressed concrete constructions.

Advantages and Types PCD – nptel

CONCRETE
Materials Used in Prestressed Concrete
May 14, 2018 - by Kathir - Leave a Comment

Steel and concrete are the basic materials of construction of prestressed concrete.

Steel

Ordinary mild steel and deformed bars used in R.C.C. are not used in PSC (Prestressed
concrete) because their yield strength is not very high. In the PSC, loss of prestress
(about 20%) occurs due to many factors. If mild steel or HYSD bars are used then very
little prestress will be left after the losses and will be of no use for us. Therefore, high
tensile strength steel is used for prestressing. In addition to the high strength, the steel
used in prestresing must have a higher ultimate elongation. Various forms of steel used
for prestressing are as follows:

(a) Tendons

Tendons are high strength tensile wires available in various diameter from 1.5mm to
8mm. Table gives the ultimate tensile strength of steel wires used for prestressing.

Diameter of wire (mm) Ultimate tensile strength (N/mm2)

 1.5 2350

2.0 2200

3.0 1900

4.0 1750

5.0 1600

7.0 1500

8.0 1500

(b) Wire Strands or Cables

A strand or cable is made of a bundle of wires spun together. The overall diameter of a
cable or stand is from 7 to 17mm. They are used for post-tensioning systems.

(c) Bars

High tensile steel bars of diameter 10mm or more are also used in prestressed
concrete.

Concrete

Since high tensile steel is used in PSC, the concrete used should also be of good
quality and high strength. Therefore, IS code recommends a minimum mix of M40 for
pretensioned system and M30 for post tensioned system. These mixes have high
strength and a high value of modulus of elasticity of concrete which results in less
deflection.

The concrete used in PSC should be well compacted. High strength concrete is used in
PSC for following reasons:

1. Use of high strength concrete results in smaller sections.

2. High strength concrete offers high resistance in tension, shear, bond and bearing.
3. Less loss of prestress occurs with high strength concrete.
Manufacturers

Freyssinet International manila

Golden Concrete & Systems

Frey Fil Corporation

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