Prestressed - strengthened by the application of stress during manufacture, especially (of concrete) by means of

rods or wires inserted under tension before the material is set.

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. Prestressing
tendons (generally of high tensile steel cable or rods) are used to provide a clamping load which produces
acompressive stress that balances the tensile stress that the concrete compression member would otherwise
experience due to a bending load. Traditional reinforced concrete is based on the use of steel reinforcement
bars,rebars, inside poured [[]]. Prestressing can be accomplished in three ways: pre-tensioned concrete, and bonded
or unbonded post-tensioned concrete.
Pre-tensioned concrete is cast around steel tendonscables or barswhile they are under tension. The concrete
bonds to the tendons as it cures, and when the tension is released it is transferred to the concrete as compression
bystatic friction. Tension subsequently imposed on the concrete is transferred directly to the tendons.
Pre-tensioning requires strong, stable anchoring points between which the tendons are to be stretched. Thus, most
pre-tensioned concrete elements are prefabricated and transported to the construction site, which may limit their
size. Pre-tensioned elements may be incorporated into beams, balconies, lintels, floor slabs or piles. An
innovative bridge design pre-stressing is the stressed ribbon bridge.
Applications[edit]
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.[4] 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.
The first prestressed concrete bridge in North America was the Walnut Lane Memorial Bridge in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. It was completed and opened to traffic in 1951.[5] Prestressing can also be accomplished on circular
concrete pipes used for water transmission. High tensile strength steel wire is helically-wrapped around the outside
of the pipe under controlled tension and spacing which induces a circumferential compressive stress in the core
concrete. This enables the pipe to handle high internal pressures and the effects of external earth and traffic loads.
What are the differences between prestressed, pretensioned and post-tensioned concrete?
Prestressed concrete is concrete that has had internal stresses introduced to counteract, to the degree
desired, the tensile stresses that will be imposed in service. The stress is usually imposed by tendons of
individual hard-drawn wires, cables of hard-drawn wires, or bars of high strength alloy steel. Prestressing
may be achieved either by pretensioning or by post-tensioning. To pretension concrete the steel is first
tensioned in a frame or between anchorages external to the member. The concrete is then cast around it.
After the concrete has developed sufficient strength the tension is slowly released from the frame or
anchorage to transfer the stress to the concrete to which the tendons have by that time become bonded. The
force is transmitted to the concrete over a certain distance from each end of a member known as the transfer
length. Post-tensioned concrete is made by casting concrete that contains ducts through which tendons can
be threaded. An alternative is to cast the concrete around tendons that are greased or encased in a plastic
sleeve. When the concrete has sufficient strength the tendons are tensioned by means of portable jacks. The
load is transmitted to the concrete through permanent anchorages embedded in the concrete at the ends of
the tendons. Ducts are usually grouted later or filled with grease to protect the tendons against corrosion. In
some applications the post-tensioning tendons are run alongside the concrete member. One advantage of
post-tensioning is that it permits using tendons that are curved or draped. (This can be achieved in
pretensioning but not so easily.) Post-tensioning can be done on the jobsite without any need of heavy
temporary anchorages. Anchorages are needed for each tendon, however, which is a significant cost item.
The concept of prestressed concrete appeared in 1888 when P.H. Jackson was granted the first patent in the
United States for prestressed concrete design. Jacksons idea was perfect, but the technology of high
strength steel that exhibited low relaxation characteristics was not yet available. It was not until Eugene
Freyssinet defined the need for these materials that prestressed concrete could be used as a structural
building material. Unfortunately, although Freyssinet, a brilliant structural designer and bridge builder, lacked
the teaching qualities necessary to communicate his ideas to other engineers. It would take Gustave Magnel
to write the first book of design in prestressed concrete, communicating this idea to designers worldwide.
Magnel designed and built the legendary Walnut Lane Bridge in Philadelphia, which revolutionized

prestressed concrete in America. Simultaneously, Urlich Finsterwalder, the German bridge builder and
designer, was revolutionizing the construction means and methods for prestressed concrete bridges. For
example, Finsterwalder invented the free-cantilever construction method of prestressed concrete bridges,
which allowed long span bridges to be constructed without stabilized shoring. He then designed stress-ribbon
bridges, which would eventually allow prestressed concrete to span distances only steel suspension bridges
could achieve. However, it wasnt until Paul Abeles and his peer, H. von Emperger studied and tested
prestressed concrete that the idea of partial prestressing emerged. Initially, Freyssinet and Magnel were
adamant that prestressed concrete should not be allowed to exhibit any tensile forces at sustained loading.
Later, the Roebling family developed the first stress--relieved wire followed by the first stress-- relieved
strand. T.Y. Lin once again brought prestressed concrete back into the spotlight when he organized the First
Prestressed Concrete World Conference in 1957. Shortly after this conference, Lin published a technical
paper in the Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Journal that introduced a new Load Balancing technique
which allowed most structural engineers to design prestressed concrete very easily.
Although prestressed concrete was patented by a San Francisco engineer in 1886, it did not emerge as an accepted
building material until a half-century later. The shortage of steel in Europe after World War II coupled with
technological advancements in high-strength concrete and steel made prestressed concrete the building material of
choice during European post-war reconstruction. North America's first prestressed concrete structure, the Walnut
Lane Memorial Bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, however, was not completed until 1951.

In conventional reinforced concrete, the high tensile strength of steel is

combined with concrete's great compressive strength to form a structural material that is strong in both compression
and tension. 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 principle behind prestressing is applied 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.
Compressive Strength Added
Compressive stresses are induced in prestressed concrete either by pretensioning or post-tensioning the steel
reinforcement.
In pretensioning, the steel is stretched before the concrete is placed. High-strength steel tendons are placed
between two abutments and stretched to 70 to 80 percent of their ultimate strength. Concrete is poured into molds
around the tendons and allowed to cure. Once the concrete reaches the required strength, the stretching forces are
released. As the steel reacts to regain its original length, the tensile stresses are translated into a compressive stress
in the concrete. Typical products for pretensioned concrete are roof slabs, piles, poles, bridge girders, wall panels,
and railroad ties.
In post-tensioning, the steel is stretched after the concrete 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-inplace concrete and for bridges, large girders, floor slabs, shells, roofs, and pavements.

Prestressed concrete has experienced greatest growth in the field of

commercial buildings. For buildings such as shopping centers, prestressed concrete is an ideal choice because it
provides the span length necessary for flexibility and alteration of the internal structure. Prestressed concrete is also
used in school auditoriums, gymnasiums, and cafeterias because of its acoustical properties and its ability to provide
long, open spaces. One of the most widespread uses of prestressed concrete is parking garages.

PRE-TENSIONING
Pre-tensioning can be further classified into two categories:
1. Linear pre-tensioning
2. Circular 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 fig.1. 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.

Fig.1: Section for Pre-tensioning

Most of the pre-tensioning construction techniques are patented although the basic principle used in all of them is
common and is well known.
Pre-tensioned concrete
- is cast around already tensioned tendons. This method produces a good bond between the tendon and
concrete, which both protects the tendon from corrosion and allows for direct transfer of tension. The cured concrete
adheres and bonds to the bars and when the tension is released it is transferred to the concrete as compression by
static friction
P. H. Jackson patented the concept of prestressing in 1886 and used it for tightening concrete blocks and
concrete arches to serve as floor slabs.
C. E. W. Doehring obtained a patent for prestressing concrete slabs with metal wires.However, these early
attempts were unsuccessful, because the prestressing was lost through shrinkage and creep of concrete.
E. Fressynet a French engineer who successfully develop the modern concept of prestressed concrete. In 1927,
he demonstrated the usefulness of prestressing using high-strength steel to control prestress losses.
R. E. Dill introduced the practice of prestressing in United States for producing concrete planks and fence posts.