CHAPTER V

PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
This topic covers the basic
knowledge of pre-stressed
concrete including the definition,
principles, advantages,
manufacturing methods, types of
pre-stressed concrete and uses in
construction works
5.1 Understand the principle of pre-stressed
concrete
5.1.1 DEFINITION OF PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
 Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural
weakness in tension.
 It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span
than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete.
(by Wikipedia)
 Concrete with stresses induced in it before use so as to counteract
stresses that will be produced by load; often contains stretched steel
bars or wires called tendons.
(by Wiktionary.org)
 A modern type of concrete with stretched steel strands embedded in it
to impart additional tensile strength.
(by Bridge Dictionary)
5.1.1 DEFINITION OF PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE (CONTINUES)
 Prestressed concrete refers to concrete that has applied stresses
induced into the member.
 Typically, wires or “tendons” are stretched and then blocked at the ends
creating compressive stresses throughout the member’s entire cross
section.
(By Indian of Concrete Technology)
 The principle behind prestressed concrete is that compressive stresses induced by high-
strength steel tendons in a concrete member before loads are applied will balance the tensile
stresses imposed in the member during service.
 Prestressing removes a number of design limitations conventional concrete places on span
and load and permits the building of roofs, floors, bridges, and walls with longer
unsupported spans.
 This allows architects and engineers to design and build lighter and shallower concrete
structures without sacrificing strength.
 The design characteristic for pre-stressed concrete that need to be consider are; cracks,
bending, deflection, stress transfer and shear.

For easy example:

 When a row of books is moved from place to place,
 Instead of stacking the books vertically and carrying them, the books may be
moved in a horizontal position by applying pressure to the books at the end of
the row.
 When sufficient pressure is applied, compressive stresses are induced
throughout the entire row, and the whole row can be lifted and carried
horizontally at once.
5.1.2 PRINCIPLES OF PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
 The principle used is to provide compressive force on the concrete.
 Thus there will be a compressive stress in concrete.
 The aim is to balance the tensile stress that involved when the load is
applied.
 Cable/Reinforcement Steel is pulled and tensioned and permanently
moored (tambat) at the end of the concrete and this will cause tension.
 This tension is then released for make cable return into original length.
 This process will be addressed the compressive forces (different
directions) in the concrete.
 The compacted concrete is no longer regarded as just dead load, but acts
like a high tensile strength to avoid cracking.
 Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension.
5.1.3 ADVANTAGES OF PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
The following text broadly mentions the advantages of a prestressed concrete
member with an equivalent Reinforced Concrete (RC) member. There are:
a) More efficient members (i.e., smaller members to carry same loads).
b) Much less cracking since member is almost entirely in compression.
c) Prestressed members have better quality control.
d) Prestressed members offer rapid construction.
e) Multiple use of single formwork, so it reduce formwork.
f) Reduced maintenances.
g) Availability in standard shapes.
5.1.4 DISADVANTAGES OF PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
The following text broadly mentions the disadvantages of a prestressed concrete
member with an equivalent Reinforced Concrete (RC) member:
a) The use of high strength material is costly (more Expensive).
b) Pre-stressed concrete need a high skilled technology.
c) Heavy pre-stressed member requires a large cranes.
d) More complicated design.
e) Limited in design flexibility.
 Figure 5.1
Typical Precast Members
5.1.5 METHOD OF PROCESSING PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
The are 2 method of pre-stressed concrete, Pre-Tensioning & Post-Tensioning.
a) PRE-TENSIONING

 Pre-tensioning is accomplished by stressing wires or strands, called

tendons, to predetermined amount by stretching them between two
anchorages prior to placing concrete as shown in Figure 5.2.

 The concrete is then placed and tendons become bounded to concrete

throughout their length.

 After concrete has hardened, the tendons are released by cutting them at
the anchorages.

 The tendons tend to regain their original length by shortening and in this
process transfer through bond a compressive stress to the concrete.

 The tendons are usually stressed by the use of hydraulic jacks.

 The stress in tendons is maintained during the placing and curing of
concrete by anchoring the ends of the tendons to abutments that may be
as much as 200m apart.

 The abutments and other formwork used in this procedure are called
prestressing bench or bed.

 Most of the pre-tensioning construction techniques are patented

although the basic principle used in all of them is common and is well
known.

Figure 5.2
Pre-Tensioning
Lengths of steel wire or cables
are laid in the empty mold and
stretched.

The concrete is placed and

allowed to set.

The cables are released, placing

the concrete into compression
as the steel shrinks back to its
original length.
b) POST-TENSIONING
 The steel is stretched after the concrete is
placed & hardens.
 Concrete is cast around, but not in contact
with unstretched steel.
 In many cases, ducts are formed in the
concrete unit using thin walled steel forms.
 Once the concrete has hardened to the
required strength, the steel tendons are
inserted and stretched against the ends of the
unit and anchored off externally, placing the
concrete into compression.
 Post-tensioned concrete is used for cast-in-
place concrete and for bridges, large girders,
floor slabs, shells, roofs, and pavements.
Pre-tensioning
a) Pre-tensioning is the application, before casting, of a tensile force to high tensile steel
tendons around which the concrete is to be cast.
b) When the placed concrete has developed sufficient compressive strength a
compressive force is imparted to it by releasing the tendons, so that the concrete
member is in a permanent state of pre-stress.
Post-tensioning
a) Post-tensioning is a method of reinforcing (strengthening) concrete or other
materials with high-strength steel strands or bars, typically referred to as tendons.
b) Post-tensioning applications include office and apartment buildings, parking
structures, slabs-on-ground, bridges, sports stadiums, rock and soil anchors, and
water-tanks.
c) In many cases, post tensioning allows construction that would otherwise be
impossible due to either site constraints or architectural requirements.

(By: Fundamental of Pre-Stressing)

5.2 Learn on bar/tendon for pre-stressed
concrete
5.2.1 TYPES OF TENDON
i. Bars:
 High strength alloy steel.
 These bar type tendons are used in certain types of post-tensioning
systems.
 Bars up to 40mm diameter are used and the alloy steel from which
they are made has a yield stress of 620 MPa.
 This gives bar tendons a lower strength to weight ratio than either
wires or strands, but when employed with threaded anchorages has
the advantages of eliminating the possibility of pull-in at the
anchorages and of reducing anchorage costs.
ii. Wire:
 Mainly used in post-tensioning systems for prestressing concrete, is
Hard drawn wire.
 The Yield stress is about 1300 MPa.
 Wire diameters most commonly used are 5mm, 7mm, and 8mm.

iii. Strand/Helix (lembar heliks):

 Used in both pre and post-tensioning is made by winding seven cold

drawn wires together on a stranding machine.
 Six wires are wound in a helix around a centre wire which remains
straight.
 Strands of 19 or 37 wires are formed by adding subsequent layers of
wire.
Type of Tendon
5.3 characteristics of concrete for pre-
tension and post-tension structures
5.3.1 CHARACTERISTIC OF CONCRETE FOR PRE-TENSION & POST-TENSION STRUCTURES:
 Shall consist of a high quality concrete.
 All manufacturing processes or mixes are properly researched, well supervised and
follow the prescribed specification.
 The cement used is consist from rapid hardening cement, cause the mixing will quickly
harden and dried in the early stages.
 By this reason, the structural member can be used earlier. Normally, each structural
member is vaporized to made it hardens quickly.
 The material mix ratio used is 1 :1½ : 3.
 Water-cement ratio used was 0.45.
 The compaction process is created by using machinery vibrator.
 Compressive strength that must be achieved as a result of the test cube is more than 43
N/mm² at 28 days. The minimum compressive strength must be achieved is 28.5
N/mm².
5.3.2 PRE-TENSION STRUCTURES VERSUS POST-TENSION STRUCTURES:

 Both pre-tensioning and post-tensioning systems are used to create

prestressed concrete.
 Pre-tensioned systems, however, must be fabricated in a precast plant and are
limited to straight, harped or circular tendons.
 This method is also limited to straight or circular members.
 Because pre-tensioning is used only in precast elements, it is more difficult to
construct continuous structures because of the necessary connections.
 Additionally, though the tendons in pre-tensioned concrete are protected from
corrosion because they are in direct contact with concrete, the steel itself is
not able to be encapsulated in any other manner.
 As such, any moisture migrating to the steel through cracks in the concrete
could cause the tendons to corrode.
 Post-tensioning, on the other hand, can be performed on the project site or in
a precast yard.
 Post-tensioning tendons can be configured into almost any shape.
 This flexibility allows the post-tensioning to match exact design requirements
with few limitations.
 And, depending on project needs, the tendons in a post-tensioned system can
be unbonded or bonded.
 For corrosion protection, whether unbonded or bonded - post-tensioning has
superior features.
5.4 USAGE OF PRE & POST-TENSION STRUCTURE
5.4.1 BENEFITS BY USING POST-TENSION STRUCTURE
 Can be designed to have a minimal deflection & cracking, even under full load.
 In building construction, Post-Structure allows clear spans, thinner slabs,
fewer beams & more slender, dramatic elements.
 Thinner slabs means less concrete required.
 Allow significant reduction in building weight versus a conventional concrete
building with same number of floors.
 A lower building, weight can also translate to considerable saving in
mechanical system and façade costs.
 Beams & slabs can be continues, exp: single beam can run continuously from
one end of the building to the other.
 Can combine with other structural elements, and has been used to strengthen
steel, reinforced concrete & timber structures, as well as enhances
capabilities of Pre-Cast.
5.4.2 STRUCTURE USING POST-TENSION SYSTEM
 Bridge construction (1st used).
 Tanks, parking structures, office building, condo, hotels, pavement, masonry,
seismic walls, single family homes and etc…

IBM Building, Industrial Building Blue Laguna –

Petach Tikva in Kibbutz Yakum Marina Herzeliya

Slab for a commercial center Junior High

underneath a landscaped School, Orani
public area
5.4.3 STRUCTURE USING POST-TENSION SYSTEM
 Pre-tensioned elements may be balcony elements, lintels, floor slabs, beams
or foundation piles.
 An innovative bridge construction method using pre-stressing is described in
stressed ribbon bridge.

Stressed Ribbon Pedestrian Bridge,

Grants Pass, Oregon, USA
THE USED OF PRE-POST STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGY TODAY, WILL ENHANCE
CONSTRUCTION BUILDING PHILOSOPHY

PLEASE UNDERSTOOD AND RECONFIRM UR KNOWLEDGE ON THIS

TECHNOLOGY..THANKS YOU!!!!