11/9/2016

1.Pretensioningvs.PosttensioningUtTensio,SicVis

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Bycontrollingtheamountofprestress,astructuralsystemcanbemadeeitherflexible[portal
frame],orrigid[floorslab]withoutinfluencingitsstrength.
Prestressed,pretensioned,tendonsaretensionedbyajackwithoutanyconcrete.Then,
concreteispoured,allowedtosetandbond,atwhichtimetheendsarecutandthebeam
becomesinstantlystressedbythetendons.Serviceloadscanthenbeapplied.
Prestressed,posttensioned,tendonsaretensionedbyajackaftertheconcretehasalready
cured(butaductisinstalledsuchthattheconcreteisunbondedtotheprestressing),atwhich
timethetendonsaretensionedbymeansofahydraulicjack,andthebeambecomesstressed.
Groutmayormaynottheninfilltheducts.Groutingshouldtypicallybeperformed,to
minimizethechanceofasingletendonrupturecausingcatastrophicfailureofthemember.
Serviceloadscanthenbeapplied.
Posttensioningminimizeslossesinprestressthatarearesultofconcreteshrinkage.Theonly
prestresslossduetoshrinkagewouldcomeasaresultofductgroutshrinkage.Inaddition,
forpretensionedbeams,
becauseofconcretecompressivestrainattheinstantthat
thetendonstransferthecompressiveforcetotheconcretebeam(seefigurebelow).

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1.Pretensioningvs.PosttensioningUtTensio,SicVis

Moreexplicitly,
Forposttensionedbeams,withallofthetendonsjackedsimultaneously,theconcretewill
strain,butourvaluefor willbeequaltoour ,sincethetendonforce isessentially
(neglectinganchorset)measuredaftertheloadisappliedtothebeam(afterthehydraulic
jackingiscomplete).Thisisincontrasttopretensioning,where ismeasuredbeforethe
loadisappliedtothebeam(beforethetendonsarecut).
However,posttensioningismorepronetoanchoragezonefailure,asthebeamisstressedby
thetendons,sincelargecompressiveforces(especiallywhenthetendonsareunbonded)
occuronlyattheendsofthebeam.Pretensionedbeamstransferthetendonforcetothe
concretethroughfriction,withinagiventransferlengthneartheendsofthebeam,rather
thanatasinglepoint.Thisdistinctfeatureofpretensionedbeamsisanalogoustothe
developmentlengthforconcretemildreinforcedmembers,andshouldnotbeconfusedwith
frictionlossesinposttensionedbeams.
Lossesduetofrictionareunavoidableforposttensionedbeams.Thiswillbeexplainedin
detailinthesectiononfrictionlosses.
Ingeneral,eithermethod(preorposttensioning)canbeused,dependingonapplication.
Sufficetosay,theeffectiveprestressingforce, ,islessthantheinitialprestressingforce ,
suchthat
.
Acoupleofothernotesaboutpretensioningandposttensioning:
Wherepretensioningisconcerned,holddownstoformthedrapedshapeofthetension,
whichwewilltalkaboutlater,areexpensive.Typically,pretensionedbeamswillusea
harpedshape,whichismarginallylessefficientformostbeamsloadingconditions.

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1.Pretensioningvs.PosttensioningUtTensio,SicVis

Onereasonforthegroutingofposttensionedbeamsistoavoidaconditionwhereasingle
tendonfailurepointwouldcausetotalfailure,i.e.atendonpuncturefromacarelessjack
hammer.

Thecenterofgravity(c.g.)ofthetendonandthec.g.oftheductaredifferent.
NOTaccountingforthiswouldessentiallybeunconservative.

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