ASSIGNMENT 1

PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

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QUESTION 1: Discuss the advantages and limitations of Pre-stressed concrete

structures
SOLUTION:
The prestressing of concrete has several advantages as compared to
traditional reinforced concrete without prestressing. A fully prestressed
concrete member is usually subjected to compression during service life. This
rectifies several deficiencies of concrete.
Serviceability and Strength

1. Reduces occurrence of cracks.

2. Freezing & thawing durability is higher than non prestressed concrete
3. Section remains uncracked under service loads
4. Reduction of steel corrosion
5. Increase in durability.
6. Full section is utilized
7. Higher moment of inertia (higher stiffness)
8. Less deformations (improved serviceability).
9. Increase in shear capacity.
10. Improved performance (resilience) under dynamic and fatigue loading.
11. In areas where there are expansive clays or soils with low bearing
capacity, post-tensioned slabs-on-ground and mat foundations reduce
problems with cracking and differential settlement.
12. Reduces self-weight of building thereby reducing the lateral load
resisting system. Suitable for use in pressure vessels, liquid retaining
structures.

Applications
1. High span-to-depth ratios
2. They do not crack under working loads, and whatever cracks may be
developed under overloads will be closed as soon as the load is removed,
owing to the cambering effect of pre-stress.
3. This becomes an important consideration for such structures as long
cantilevers. Under live loads the def section is also smaller because of the
effectiveness of the entire un-cracked concrete section.
4. Larger spans possible with prestressing (bridges, buildings with large
column-free spaces)
5. Post-tensioning allows bridges to be built to very demanding geometry
requirements, including complex curves, and significant grade changes.

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6. Another advantage of post-tensioning is that beams and slabs can be

continuous, i.e. a single beam can run continuously from one end of the
building to the other.
7. Crack control helps in constructing high performance water tanks
8. More aesthetic appeal due to slender sections
9. Applications of various prestressed techniques enable quick assembly of
standard units such as bridge members, building frames, bridge decks
providing cost-time savings

Economy
1. Rapid construction
2. Better quality control
3. Reduced maintenance
4. Suitable for repetitive construction
5. Multiple use of formwork
6. There is also a definite savings stirrups, since shear in post-tensioned
concrete is reduced in the inclination of the tendons, and the diagonal
tension is further minimized bathe presence of pre-stress.
7. A lower building height can also translate to considerable savings in
mechanical systems and façade costs.
8. Thinner slabs mean less concrete is required. It means a lower overall
building height for the same floor-to-floor height.
9. Pre-tensioning is suitable for precast members produced in bulk.
10. The high tensile strength & precision of placement gives maximum
efficiency in size & weight of structural members.

The major prestressed concrete disadvantages include the followings.

1. The major problem with prestressed concrete is that it needs specialized

construction machineries like jacks anchorage etc.
2. Advanced technical knowledge and strict supervision is very important.
3. For concrete prestressing, high tensile reinforcement bars are needed
which costs greater than generally used mild steel reinforcement bars.
4. Highly skilled labour is needed for prestressed concrete constructions.

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QUESTION 2: Justify the need for high strength materials in Pre-stressed

concrete structures
SOLUTION:
Prestressed Concrete is a building material having extraordinary quality.
Some characters of prestressed concrete permit foreordained, building worries
to be set in individuals to neutralize stresses that happen when the unit is
subjected to service loads. This is proficient by consolidating the best properties
of two quality materials: high strength steel rods for tension and HSC (High
Strength Concrete) in case of compression.

Really, prestressing is very basic. High strength steel rods are extended
between abutments at every end of long casting beds. Concrete is then filled
the structures encasing the rods. As the concrete sets, it bonds to the tensioned
steel. At the point when the concrete achieves a particular quality, the strands
are discharged from the projections. This packs the concrete, curves the part,
and makes an inherent imperiousness to service loads.

Compression accomplished by tensioning of high quality rods improves

the performance of concrete. Rods perhaps single wire, multi wire strands or
strung bars which are normally produced using high-elastic steel, carbon fibre.
Tensioning of the bars perhaps attempted either before or after casting
concrete. For the chance that tensioning is done preceding casting of concrete,
then it is called pre-tensioning and if tensioning is subsequent to casting of
concrete then it is called as post-tensioning.
Pre-tensioned concrete has its rods framing bond as it cures taking after
which the end-tying down of the rods is discharged and the tendon strain
powers are exchanged to the concrete as pressure while in post-tensioned the
rods are embodied inside a defensive sleeve which is cast into the concrete
structure. Thus it is to be noted that as the prestressing force is very high,
usage of HPC (High performance concrete) and HSC (High strength concrete)
along with high strength steel is of great necessity.

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QUESTION 3: Explain the stress – strain characteristics of high strength steel

and concrete
SOLUTION:
Stress strain relationship of Concrete:

A typical relationship between stress and strain for normal strength concrete is
presented in Figure. After an initial linear portion lasting up to about 30 – 40%
of the ultimate load, the curve becomes non-linear, with large strains being
registered for small increments of stress. The non-linearity is primarily a
function of the coalescence of micro cracks at the paste-aggregate interface.
The ultimate stress is reached when a large crack network is formed within the
concrete, consisting of the coalesced micro cracks and the cracks in the cement
paste matrix. The strain corresponding to ultimate stress is usually around
0.003 for normal strength concrete. The stress-strain behaviour in tension is
similar to that in compression.

The descending portion of the stress-strain curve, or in other words, the post-
peak response of the concrete, can be obtained by a displacement or a strain
controlled testing machine. In typical load controlled machines, a constant rate
of load is applied to the specimen. Thus any extra load beyond the ultimate
capacity leads to a catastrophic failure of the specimen. In a displacement
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controlled machine, small increments of displacement are given to the

specimen. Thus, the decreasing load beyond the peak load can also be
registered. The strain at failure is typically around 0.005 for normal strengt h
concrete, as shown in Figure. The post peak behaviour is actually a function of
the stiffness of the testing machine in relation to the stiffness of the test
specimen, and the rate of strain. With increasing strength of concrete, its
brittleness also increases, and this is shown by a reduction in the strain at
failure.

Stress-strain relationship of steel

Most of the mechanical properties for steels of interest to the design engineer
can be read directly from their stress-strain curves, such important
characteristics as proportional elastic limit, yield point, strength, ductility, and
strain hardening properties are immediately evident. The difference between
the ordinary reinforcing steel and prestressing steel is the much higher
proportional elastic limit and strength available in the round wires and alloy
bars used for prestressing, and the substantially lower ductility.

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For smooth, round wires, the elastic modulus is about the same as for ordinary
reinforcement, that is, about 200000MPa. For stranded cable, the apparent
modulus is somewhat less, about 186000MPa, although the strand is
manufactured from the same wire. This happens because the spiral-wound

strand tends to straighten slightly as the cable is loaded in tension. The modulus
for cables embedded in concrete may be closer to that for round wires. The
elastic modulus for alloy bars is also about 186000MPa, the reduction in this
case occurring because of the presence of alloying elements. In the absence of
a well-defined yield stress for prestressing steels of all types, it is necessary to
adopt arbitrary definitions of yielding. For wire and strand, the yield stress is
defined as the stress at which a total extension of 1 percent is attained. For
alloy bars, the yield stress is taken as equal to the stress producing an extension
of 0.7 percent.

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QUESTION 4: Determine the elastic stresses and limiting kern point at transfer
and full service load condition for the simply supported post
tensioned rectangular beam of span 12 m. The cross sectional
dimension of beam is 350 mm x 800 mm. The dead and live of
beam are 4 kN/m and 12 kN/m respectively. The cable profile
is parabolic with eccentricities of -20 mm at ends and 300 mm
at mid span. The initial pre-stressing force is 600 kN. Assume
time dependent loss as 20 percent. Also check the elastic
stresses are safe as per IS 1343:2012.
SOLUTION:

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