Prestressed concrete

Prestressed concrete diagram

Prestressed concrete is a method Ior overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can
be used to produce beams, Iloors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary
reinIorced concrete. Prestressing tendons (generally oI high tensile steel cable or rods) are used
to provide a clamping load which produces a compressive stress that balances the tensile stress
that the concrete compression member would otherwise experience due to a bending load.
Traditional reinIorced concrete is based on the use oI steel reinIorcement bars, rebars, inside
poured concrete.
Prestressing can be accomplished in three ways: pre-tensioned concrete, and bonded or
unbonded post-tensioned concrete.

retens|oned concrete

reLensloned concreLe ls casL around already Lensloned Lendons 1hls meLhod produces a good bond
beLween Lhe Lendon and concreLe whlch boLh proLecLs Lhe Lendon from corroslon and allows for dlrecL
Lransfer of Lenslon 1he cured concreLe adheres and bonds Lo Lhe bars and when Lhe Lenslon ls released
lL ls Lransferred Lo Lhe concreLe as compresslon by sLaLlc frlcLlon Powever lL requlres sLouL anchorlng
polnLs beLween whlch Lhe Lendon ls Lo be sLreLched and Lhe Lendons are usually ln a sLralghL llne 1hus
mosL preLensloned concreLe elemenLs are prefabrlcaLed ln a facLory and musL be LransporLed Lo Lhe
consLrucLlon slLe whlch llmlLs Lhelr slze reLensloned elemenLs may be balcony elemenLs llnLels floor
slabs beams or foundaLlon plles An lnnovaLlve brldge consLrucLlon meLhod uslng presLresslng ls Lhe
sLressed rlbbon brldge deslgn

8onded posttens|oned concrete

onded post-tensioned concrete is the descriptive term Ior a method oI applying compression
aIter pouring concrete and the curing process. The concrete is cast around a plastic, steel or
aluminium curved duct, to Iollow the area where otherwise tension would occur in the concrete
element. A set oI tendons are Iished through the duct and the concrete is poured. Once the
concrete has hardened, the tendons are tensioned by hydraulic jacks that react (push) against the
concrete member itselI. When the tendons have stretched suIIiciently, according to the design
speciIications (see Hooke's law), they are wedged in position and maintain tension aIter the jacks
are removed, transIerring pressure to the concrete. The duct is then grouted to protect the tendons
Irom corrosion. This method is commonly used to create monolithic slabs Ior house construction
in locations where expansive soils (such as adobe clay) create problems Ior the typical perimeter
Ioundation. All stresses Irom seasonal expansion and contraction oI the underlying soil are taken
into the entire tensioned slab, which supports the building without signiIicant Ilexure. Post-
tensioning is also used in the construction oI various bridges, both aIter concrete is cured aIter
support by Ialsework and by the assembly oI preIabricated sections, as in the segmental
bridge.The advantages oI this system over unbonded post-tensioning are:
1. Large reduction in traditional reinIorcement requirements as tendons cannot destress in
accidents
2. Tendons can be easily "woven" allowing a more eIIicient design approach
3. Higher ultimate strength due to bond generated between the strand and concrete
o long term issues with maintaining the integrity oI the anchor/dead end.


Dnbonded posttens|oned concrete

&nbonded post-tensioned concrete diIIers Irom bonded post-tensioning by providing each
individual cable permanent Ireedom oI movement relative to the concrete. To achieve this, each
individual tendon is coated with a grease (generally lithium based) and covered by a plastic
sheathing Iormed in an extrusion process. The transIer oI tension to the concrete is achieved by
the steel cable acting against steel anchors embedded in the perimeter oI the slab. The main
disadvantage over bonded post-tensioning is the Iact that a cable can destress itselI and burst out
oI the slab iI damaged (such as during repair on the slab). The advantages oI this system over
bonded post-tensioning are:
1. The ability to individually adjust cables based on poor Iield conditions (For example:
shiIting a group oI 4 cables around an opening by placing 2 to either side).
2. The procedure oI post-stress grouting is eliminated.
3. The ability to de-stress the tendons beIore attempting repair work.
Picture number one (below) shows rolls oI post-tensioning (PT) cables with the holding end
anchors displayed. The holding end anchors are Iastened to rebar placed above and below the
cable and buried in the concrete locking that end. Pictures numbered two, three and four shows a
series oI black pulling end anchors Irom the rear along the Iloor edge Iorm. Rebar is placed
above and below the cable both in Iront and behind the Iace oI the pulling end anchor. The above
and below placement oI the rebar can be seen in picture number three and the placement oI the
rebar in Iront and behind can be seen in picture number Iour. The blue cable seen in picture
number Iour is electrical conduit. Picture number five shows the plastic sheathing stripped Irom
the ends oI the post-tensioning cables beIore placement through the pulling end anchors. Picture
number six shows the post-tensioning cables in place Ior concrete pouring. The plastic sheathing
has been removed Irom the end oI the cable and the cable has been pushed through the black
pulling end anchor attached to the inside oI the concrete Iloor side Iorm. The greased cable can
be seen protruding Irom the concrete Iloor side Iorm. Pictures seven and eight show the post-
tensioning cables protruding Irom the poured concrete Iloor. AIter the concrete Iloor has been
poured and has set Ior about a week, the cable ends will be pulled with a hydraulic jack.

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1 Rolls of post-tensioning cables
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2 Pulling anchors for post-tensioning cables
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3 Pulling anchors for post-tensioning cables
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Pulling anchors for post-tensioning cables
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5 Post-tensioning cables stripped for placement in pulling anchors
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6 Positioned post-tensioning cables
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7 Post-tensioning cable ends extending from freshly poured concrete
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8 Post-tensioning cable ends extending from concrete slab
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9 Hydraulic jack for tensioning cables
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10 Cable conduits in formwork





pp||cat|ons
Prestressed concrete is the main material Ior Iloors in high-rise buildings and the entire
containment vessels oI nuclear reactors.
&nbonded post-tensioning tendons are commonly used in parking garages as barrier cable.
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Also, due to its ability to be stressed and then de-stressed, it can be used to temporarily repair a
damaged building by holding up a damaged wall or Iloor until permanent repairs can be made.
The advantages oI prestressed concrete include crack control and lower construction costs;
thinner slabs - especially important in high rise buildings in which Iloor thickness savings can
translate into additional Iloors Ior the same (or lower) cost and Iewer joints, since the distance
that can be spanned by post-tensioned slabs exceeds that oI reinIorced constructions with the
same thickness. Increasing span lengths increases the usable unencumbered Iloorspace in
buildings; diminishing the number oI joints leads to lower maintenance costs over the design liIe
oI a building, since joints are the major Iocus oI weakness in concrete buildings.
The Iirst prestressed concrete bridge in orth America was the Walnut Lane Memorial ridge in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was completed and opened to traIIic in 1951.
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Prestressing can
also be accomplished on circular concrete pipes used Ior water transmission. High tensile
strength steel wire is helically-wrapped around the outside oI the pipe under controlled tension
and spacing which induces a circumIerential compressive stress in the core concrete. This
enables the pipe to handle high internal pressures and the eIIects oI external earth and traIIic
loads.