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INTRODUCTION

Basic Principle of Prestressing

The classic everyday example of prestressing is illustrated below: a row of books can be lifted by
squeezing the ends together:

The structural explanation is that the row of books has zero

tensile capacity. Therefore the ‘beam’ of books cannot even carry
its selfweight. To overcome this we provide an external initial
stress (the prestress) which compresses the books together. Now
they can only separate if the tensile stress induced by the
selfweight of the books is greater than the compressive prestress
introduced.

Concrete is very strong in compression but weak in tension. In an ordinary concrete beam the tensile
stress at the bottom are taken by standard steel reinforcement:

But we still get cracking, which is due to both bending and shear.

In prestressed concrete, because the prestressing keeps the concrete in compression, no cracking
occurs. This is often preferable where durability is a concern.

Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

The main advantages of prestressed concrete (PSC) are:

 Smaller Section Sizes

Since PSC uses the whole concrete section, the second moment of area is bigger and so the
section is stiffer:

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N A
N A

RC PSC

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 Smaller Deflections
The larger second moment of area greatly reduces deflections for a given section size.

 Increased Spans
The smaller section size reduces self weight. Hence a given section can span further with
prestressed concrete than it can with ordinary reinforced concrete.

 Durability
Since the entire section remains in compression, no cracking of the concrete can occur and
hence there is little penetration of the cover. This greatly improves the long-term durability of
structures, especially bridges and also means that concrete tanks can be made as watertight as
steel tanks, with far greater durability.

Comparison of RC with PC

Reinforced Concrete Prestressed Concrete

 Assumed that the tensile capacity of  Although very small, tensile strength of
concrete is negligible. concrete is considered.

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 Reinforcement does not exert any force
of its own on the member.
 Flexibility in behavior is considerably
more difficult to achieve.
 The steel required to produce the
prestressing force in the prestressed
member actively preloads the member,
permitting a relatively high controlled
recovery of cracking and deflection.
 Structural system can be made either
flexible or rigid.

Materials
Concrete

The main factors for concrete used in PSC are:

 Ordinary portland cement-based concrete is used but strength usually greater than 50 MPa;
 A high early strength is required to enable quicker application of prestress;
 A larger elastic modulus is needed to reduce the shortening of the member;
 A mix that reduces creep of the concrete to minimize losses of prestress;

The graph below illustrates the importance of creep in PSC:

Steel

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The steel used for prestressing has a nominal yield strength of between 1550 to 1800 MPa. The
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different forms the steel may take are:

 Wires: individually drawn wires of 7 mm diameter;
 Strands: a collection of wires (usually 7) wound together and thus having a diameter that is different
to its area;
 Tendon: A collection of strands encased in a duct – only used in post-tensioning;
 Bar: a specially formed bar of high strength steel of greater than 20 mm diameter.

Prestressed concrete bridge beams

typically use 15.7 mm diameter (but with
an area of 150 mm2)7-wire super strand
which has a breaking load of 265 kN.

Methods of Prestressing

There are two methods of prestressing:

 Pre-tensioning: Apply prestress to steel strands before hardening of concrete;
 Post-tensioning: Apply prestress to steel tendons after concrete hardens.

Pre-tensioning

This is the most common form for precast sections. In Stage 1 the wires or strands are stressed; in
Stage 2 the concrete is cast around the stressed wires/strands; and in Stage 3 the prestressed in
transferred from the external anchorages to the concrete, once it has sufficient strength:

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In pre-tensioned members, the strand is directly bonded to the concrete cast around it. Therefore, at
the ends of the member, there is a transmission length where the strand force is transferred to the
concrete through the bond:

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At the ends of pre-tensioned members it is sometimes necessary to debond the strand from the
concrete. This is to keep the stresses within allowable limits where there is little stress induced by self
with or other loads:

Post-tensioned

In this method, the concrete has already set but has ducts cast into it. The strands or tendons are fed
through the ducts (Stage 1) then tensioned (Stage 2) and then
anchored to the concrete (Stage 3):

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The anchorages to post-tensioned members must distribute a large load to the concrete, and must
resist bursting forces as a result. A lot of ordinary reinforcement is often necessary.

A typical tendon anchorage is:

And the end of a post-tensioned member has reinforcement such as:

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Unique Features and Benefits of Precast and Prestressed Concrete

 Speed of construction resulting from the ability to begin casting components for the superstructure
while foundation work is in progress, and being able to erect the superstructure year round without
delays caused by harsh weather or additional curing requirements.
 Design flexibility from the long-span capabilities result in larger open areas in buildings and fewer
piers in bridges.
 Fire resistance, which provides improved safety and reduced insurance premium.
 Durability, which allows the material to have a long service life and reduced life cycle costs.
 With prestressing, components have greater span-to-depth ratios, enhanced performance, and less
material usage.
 Aesthetic flexibility, achieved by the variety of textures, colors, finishes, and inset options that are
available and can mimic granite, limestone, brick, and other materials virtually any shape and
configuration.
 Acoustical control, which results in pleasant work and living conditions for inhabitants and users.
 Thermal and energy efficiency, due to the material’s high thermal mass, which can be enhanced
further with the use of insulated sandwich panels.
 Sustainability by efficiently using materials and energy resources to minimize their depletion.
 Improved quality control resulting from being manufactured under plant-controlled conditions.
 Modular construction and design capabilities lending well to future reuse of systems for a
variety of functions.
 Ability to design redundancy into the building systems to provide blast resistance and structural
integrity.

To fully realize the above benefits and gain the most economical and effective use of the material, the
following general principles are offered:

 Precast concrete is basically a simple-span material. However, continuity can be, and often is,
effectively achieved with properly engineered connection details with and without the use of field-
cast concrete
 Sizes and shapes of components should consider production, hauling, and erection techniques.

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 Concrete is a massive material. This is an advantage for such matters as stability under wind and
seismic loads, thermal changes, vibration, and fire resistance.
 Maximum economy is achieved with maximum repetition. Standard or repetitive sections should be
used whenever possible.
 The most efficient and economical use is largely dependent on an effective structural layout and
carefully conceived connection details.
 The effects of volume changes caused by creep, shrinkage, and temperature change and the
potential restraint of these effects must be considered in every structure.
 Architectural precast concrete panels can be used as cladding as well as load-bearing
components. They can be used to support both gravity and lateral loads.

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 Prestressing improves the economy and performance of precast concrete components, but is
usually only economically feasible with standard shapes that are capable of being cast in long-
line beds.

Applications
Prestressed concrete is the main material for floors in high-rise buildings and the entire containment
vessels of nuclear reactors.
Unbonded post-tensioning tendons are commonly used in parking garages as barrier cable. 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 floor until permanent repairs can be made.
The advantages of prestressed concrete include crack control and lower construction costs; thinner
slabs - especially important in high rise buildings in which floor thickness savings can translate into
additional floors for the same (or lower) cost and fewer joints, since the distance that can be spanned
by post-tensioned slabs exceeds that of reinforced constructions with the same thickness. Increasing
span lengths increases the usable unencumbered floorspace in buildings; diminishing the number of
joints leads to lower maintenance costs over the design life of a building, since joints are the major
focus of weakness in concrete buildings.
Other examples of applications for different types of structures includes the following:
1. Building structures
 Total precast concrete system
 Precast concrete cladding

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 Residential buildings
 Justice facilities
 Office buildings
 Warehouses and industrial buildings
 Educational facilities
2. Parking structures
3. Stadiums and arenas
4. Bridges
5. Water tanks and reservoirs

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PRESTRESS SYSTEM

In concrete structures, prestress is introduced by stretching steel wire and anchoring them
against concrete. Therefore, the prestressing systems should comprise essentially a
method of stretching the steel and a method of anchoring it to the concrete. Different
systems are adopted for pre-tensioning and post tensioning.

PRE-TENSIONING SYSTEM
Hoyer system or long line method is often adopted in pre-tensioning. Two bulk heads or
abutments independently anchored to the ground are provided several meters apart, say,
100m. Wires are stretched between the bulkheads. Moulds are placed enclosing the wires.
Concrete is placed surrounding the wires. With this Hoyer system, several members can
be produced along one line. This method is economical and is used in almost all pre-
tensioning factories. For tensioning, a hydraulic jack is used. Wires are gripped at the
bulkheads, using split-cone wedges. These wedges are made from tapered conical pins.
Flat surface of the pin carries serrations to grip the wire (fig. 1 and 2).

There is another pre-tensioning method known as Shorer system. In this system a central
tube of high strength steel carries the prestress from surrounding wires and the entire
assembly is placed in position and concreted. After the concrete has attained sufficient
strength, the tube is removed and the prestress is transferred to concrete through bond.
The hole left by the tube is grouted.

The advantage in pre-tensioning system is that there is no expenditure on end anchorages

and on rubber core or metal sheath required for post-tensioning system. There is greater
certainty about the prestressing force. In post-tensioned members certainty of the force
depends on the two end anchorages.

Disadvantages in this system are that the end abutments should be very strong and are
provided only in pre-cast factories. This naturally limits the size of the member as large
sizes are difficult to transport from factory to the site of construction. Loss is more in pre-
tensioned members.

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Fig.1: Typical Pre-tensioning Bed

Fig.2: Some Typical Wire Gripping System

POST-TENSIONING
A metal tube or a flexible hose following intended profile is placed inside the mould and
concrete is laid. Flexible hose is then removed leaving a duct inside the member. Steel
cable is inserted in the duct. The cable is anchored at one end of the member and
stretched using a hydraulic jack at the other end. After stretching the cable is anchored at
the other end also. Therefore post tensioning system consists of end anchorages and
jacks. The popular post-tensioning systems are the following:

1. Freyssinet system
2. Magnel Blaton system
3. Gifford-Udall system
4. Lee-McCall system
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Freyssinet System

Freyssinet system was introduced by the French Engineer Freyssinet and it was the first
method to be introduced. High strength steel wires of 5mm or 7mm diameter, numbering
8 or 12 or 16 or 24 are grouped into a cable with a helical spring inside. Spring keeps
proper spacing for the wire. Cable is inserted in the duct.

Fig.3: Freyssinet system of Post-tensioning

Anchorage device consists of a concrete cylinder with a concentric conical hole and
corrugations on its surface, and a conical plug carrying grooves on its surface (Fig. 3).
Steel wires are carried along these grooves at the ends. Concrete cylinder is heavily
reinforced. Members are fabricated with the cylinder placed in position. Wires are pulled
by Freyssinet double acting jacks which can pull through suitable grooves all the wires in
the cable at a time. One end of the wires is anchored and the other end is pulled till the
wires are stretched to the required length. An inner piston in the jack then pushes the
plug into the cylinder to grip the wires.

Magnel Blaton system

In Freyssinet system several wires are stretched at a time. In Magnel Blaton system, two
wires are stretched at a time. This method was introduced by a famous engineer, Prof.
Magnel of Belgium. In this system, the anchorage device consists of sandwich plate having
grooves to hold the wires and wedges which are also grooved. Each plate carries eight
wires. Between the two ends the spacing of the wires is maintained by spacers. Wires of
5mm or 7mm are adopted. Cables consists of wires in multiples of 8 wires. Cables with as
much as 64 wires are also used under special conditions. A specially deviced jack pulls two
wires at a time and anchors them. The wires with the sandwich plate using tapered wedge
is shown in fig.4.

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Fig.4: Anchorage of Magnel System

Gifford Udall System

This system originated in Great Britain, is widely used in India. This is a single wire
system. Each wire is stressed independently using a double acting jack. Any number of
wires can be grouped together to form a cable in this system. There are two types of
anchorage device in this system.

a) Tube anchorages
b) Plate anchorages

Tube anchorage consists of a bearing plate, anchor wedges and anchor grips. Anchor plate
may be square or circular and have 8 or 12 tapered holes to accommodate the individual
prestressing wires. These wires are locked into the tapered holes by means of anchor
wedges. In addition, grout entry hole is also provided in the bearing plate for grouting.
Anchor wedges are split cone wedges carrying serrations on its flat surface. There is a
tube unit which is a fabricated steel component incorporating a thrust plate, a steel tube
with a surrounding helix. This unit is attached to the end shutters and form an efficient
cast-in component of the anchorage (fig.5).

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Fig.5: Plate Anchorage

Lee McCall System

This method is used to prestress steel bars. The diameter of the bar is between 12 and
28mm. bars provided with threads at the ends are inserted in the performed ducts. After
stretching the bars to the required length, they are tightened using nuts against bearing
plates provided at the end sections of the member (fig.6).

Fig.6: End Anchorage for Lee McCall System

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Other Methods of Prestressing

a) Electrical Prestressing

In this method, reinforcing bars is coated with thermoplastic material such as

sulphur or low melting alloy and buried in the concrete. After the concrete is set,
electric current of low voltage but high amperage is passed through the bar.
Electric current heats the bar and the bar elongates. Bars provided with threads at
the other end are tightened against heavy washers, after required elongation is
obtained. When the bar cools, prestress develops and the bond is restored by
resolidification of the coating.

b) Chemical Prestressing

Chemical prestressing is done using expanding cement. Prestressing can be applied

b embedding steel in concrete made of expanding cement. Steel is elongated by
the expansion of the concrete and thus gets prestressed. Steel in turn produces
compressive stress in concrete.

CIRCULAR PRESTRESSING

Circular prestressing involves the development of hoop or hugging compressive stresses on

circular or cylindrical containment vessels, including prestressed water tanks and pipes. It is
usually accomplished by a wire-wound technique, in which the concrete pipe or tank is wrapped
with continuous high-tensile wire tensioned to prescribed design levels. Such tension results in
uniform radial compression that prestresses the concrete cylinder or core and prevents tensile
stresses from developing in the concrete wall section under internal fluid pressure. Figure below
shows a preload circular tank being prestressed by the wire-wrapping process along its height.

Prestressing of preload circular tank

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Prestressed liquid retaining structures (courtesy of VSL International)

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Basic Concept of Prestressing

Figure 1 Concrete fiber stress distribution in a rectangular beam with straight tendon. (a) Concentric
tendon, prestress only. (b) Concentric tendon, self-weight added. (c) Eccentric tendon, prestress only.
(d) Eccentric tendon, self-weight added.

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