Design Curves for Tendon Profile in

Prestressed Concrete Beams

Mohammad R. Ehsani Assistant Professor Department of Civil ~ngineerlng and Engineering Me<;hanics UniverSity of Ar~zona Tucson, Arizona

J. Russell Blewitt

Graduate Research Ass.slant Department of Civil and En'lironmental Engineering Cornell University

Ithaca New York;

The pre liminary design of pre stressed COncrete beams is generally based on working stre ss limitations. In order to simplify the task of the designer, many time-saving techn iq lies for opti mizirig beam cross section, prestressing [owe, and tendon eccentricity have been introduced,

One of the first ,HId ruost popular design aids is the Magnel diagram, shown in FIg, I a, which was introduced in 1948,1 The Magncl diagram defines, for a known cross section, the acceptable comhinations of eccentricity and prestressing force at a particular location along the span. Althougb limited in scope, It has been snmciently usefu 1 in its applicanon to warrant continued use and revi siot!, Current textbooks On prestressed concrete design continue to rel,"r to the Magnel d iagrum as a useful design tool.z.s The primary limitation of the original Magnel diagram is that the

114

designer must generate a separate (~i,,gmm for each critical point alon~ the span.

Krishnamurthy has proposed II lund- 1 Fication of the Magnel diagram :;,' ,IS ~11llWl1 ill Fig. 1 b. This modifLl,~\ti(l1l graphically represents the safe zen H' of eccentricity and prestressing force it' it re lates to the actual position 011 the crnss section. In particular, the method l"ilcd in ReL 7 can be u sed to obtai II nolld ime ns iona] i ze d de sign charts. The charts apply to a large number 01 cr')S~ sections subjected to arbitrary lOl,dillg and are easily generated by hand, Howe~"er, in order to arrive at the telldml profile, the user determines the allowable cccentriuity at a number 0 r p(,illts along the span. These cccentricttie« CiLn t he u be plotted to givc the aC(Tptable zone lor the entire length of the beam.

The charts presented herein gruph l-

cally represent the zone of acceptable eccentridty lor the entire ~pan_ In addition, a d,=,~ign procedure is proposed which enables the use r to select tbe beam cross section and the tendon profile, The method is applicable to prismatic, symmetrical IIr un symmetrical cross sections. Only uniformly loaded, simply suppurtecl beams are considered, and the effect of the presence of mild reinforcing steel is ignored,

The current ACI Code" and AASHTO Speeifkation~lI stipulate stress l imits which iorm the primary basis for preHminarv me mbe r selection. These working stre ss designs often lead to members ... v ht ch satisfy ultimate strength and serviceability requirements, The move toward ultimate strength design~"~ cornbi ned with computer-aided optimization technique s has re sulted in fewer advancements in working stress design methods. However, the need for a continuation i1l the refinement of working stress methods should not he overlooked. The recent work by Oribson is a step in this direction."

OBJECTIVES

As mentioned above, the limitations of the Magnel diagram and its modifications are as follows:

1- Each diagram can be used only for known cross-sectional properties,

2. Each use of the diagram is limited to a specific ]1l0 ruent, therefore, new moment calculations arc required at each critical lccatinn along the span,

Given these limitations, Magne l's definition of the safe zone cannot directly repre sent the acceptable range uf eccentricity for the entire length of the b€am in a single application.

To overcome these limitations, a method is proposed for developing design charts wh ich extend the idea of Magnet's safe zone into a relationship for the entire length of a simply supported beam. The primary objectives in

PCI JOURNAUMay.June 1986

Synopsis

A proposed design procedure and a.ccompanying demgn charts for ths working stress design of uniformly loaded, simply supported, prestressed concre1e beams Is presented. The proposed method is formulated through an extenSion of Magnel's safe zone iota a relationship for the entire length of the beam. A brief feView of the Magna! diagram is followed by a detailed mathematical development of the proposed (kIslgn curves.

The curves define the safe zone of eccenlriclty of the prestressing steel as a function of the horizontal poliliioo along the span. A number of different curves. &ach representing combinetionS of span length, beam height, and applied loads, are included in each design chart, The design parameters appficable to a given chart inducle the concrete strength, the prestress loss ratio, and the proportions of the cross-sectional dimensions. Examples are included to demonstrate the use of the proposed design method.

developing these design charts can be su mmarizerl as follows ~

(a) The charts will not be limited to a specific cross section.

(b) The charts may be used to define the zone of acceptable ecce nt ri city along tile entire span.

(c) Generalized charts IIIay be developed in advance, with each chart being applicable to a large number of posaible design situations.

In order to accomplish these tasks, the following development 15 restricted to simp 1 y supported, un iformlv loaded beams. The assumption of uniform loading is required since the ratio of the self weight of the beam to uniform dead plus live load is used to generalize the basic de~ign equations. The reason for

115

assuming simple supports is due to the necessity of ostabltshing a moment relationship for the span (i.e., moment,.\1, as a function of the distance x from the support). It is, therefore, noted that different support conditions could be accounted for if the appropriate moment relations hips were :substituted in the following equations.

BASIC DESIG N EQUATIONS

The development of the propo sc d method is based on the four stress cunstrainrs w hich limit the a l lcw ab!» stresses in the top and bottom fibers 0 f- ~; given section during initial and scrvk-. load condiuous. A possible form of rhe«-

zone of acceptable combinations of Pi and e

p- 1

(a)

e

e

zone of acceptable combinations of Pi and e

(b)

C.A .

1

1/P. 1

~.~:-' . ~"\. "

.. '"

.• I.

Fig. 1. (a) Original Magnel diagram; {b) Krishnamurthy's modification.

t rs

.. ~ .-~

requirements which deltncs the acceptable ecce n tricity of the pre stre ss in ~ tendons as a Iunctinn of the positinn x along the span may he written as [01- lows:

) £{S. S. Af,(x)

e (x ~ -_ - - + --

Pi A PI

( ) f .. S, + S.

ex~---

BP, A

M.(x)

-'1"--

R Pi

I, .• s, S. M. (x)e(x) ;... ~'-" - .....';: + -"-

RP, A RPj

(Id)

In the above equations, the subscripts and s refer to initial and service load conditions; subscripts t and h refer to top and bottom fiber~; and R is the effecttveness or prestress loss ratio. Note that compressive stresses art' taken as positive and tensile stresses as negative. Additionally, the eccentricity, e, is take n as positive when below the centroidal axis.

In order to generalize the above inequal ities so that they are not limited to a particular cross section, the following definitions are introduced. Given the proportions Dr any section shown in Fig, 2 (i.e., bfh"" hlhf, b~/b), it is easily shown that the properties of the cross section can be expressed in the following form:

c '" c'n

(2a) (2b) (2c) (2d)

A = A'bh S = S'bh" I = J'bh'

where r', A " S " and I' represent coefflcients for a specifically pro po rtioned section.

The initial prestressing force, P It as defined by NiI~on,~ may be taken as:

P, = Af,,<1

where

PCI JOURNAUMay-June 1986

Combining Eqs, (2al and (4) gives:

iccJ = 1.:1 - c~ (lei - II;) (4 a )

(Ia)

It is noted that!eo{ is only a function of the section proportions and concrete strength. Combining E1.J.5. Oa), (2), and (3) gi v es:

(l h)

(Ic)

() h;SJ'(hh2) ex"" A'{hh)j~; -

Mdx) A'{bh)f<d

s~ (hh~) A' (bh) +

(5)

which reduces to:

dx) ~ S~ h (____b_ _ 1) + M;(r)

.1' fccr A'(bh)!eoj

{6a)

Similarly, Eqs_ (lh) to (ld) become:

dx) ,,;;: s;~ (1 _ __.fu_) + __ ,\1---'.;_(x-,--)_

A !eel A '(bh)fw

(6b)

S' h ( r j-

e(x);,.-'_I- l-~ -+

A' R!ee

'\-1, {x)

R A '(bh)j,,{ (6e)

e (x) "" S_~_h t_f._r. __ 1') + __ M....;;. • .:-{ x-'--)_

A' \R fcc, R A '(bh)_kcj

(6el)

The beam weight per unit length, W;, may he written as:

w{ =A'(bh)w~

(7)

where ICc equals the unit weight of COI1- crete.

The load ratio, WI!> i!'. defined as:

1[' _ W,

nil -

(w. + W,)

(8)

(3)

in which w, is the sum of the uniform dead and live loads, WV( and W/J_, re-

1i7

spcctivcly, and arc usually expre ssed ill units of pounds per foot.

Using the definitions from Eqs. (7) and (8), the moments as a function of x fur a simply supported beam at initial and service conditions are:

M;(::r) = A' (bh)w,.(Lx -x2) (9)

2

Ai (x) = A' (bid (.co (Lx - X2) (10)

• 2WR

Substituting Eqs. (9) and (10) in"l) Eqs. (6a) to (6d), the rrl1.IT basic de 'i [(II equat!QTls IIIay be written as:

S;h e t x} ..=.;-A'

(1 - _b_) +

/CC1

u.:c (I" X 2Jo","

(lLt)

{J I 11)

~b .1

h I ~. ' r -. : .. " i. -; T

f ; I·. -, Ii' ': -' "

.- ....

bw "!

...... ~

h

b -----I

h

J t ,I' .l

,- 1

I .---~ - : .__-_

h .I--.-~"l·,-----'-

f ~. _ J~ . _ '. ' _ ,11._,

I---- b

f

-'1" - •. ' -. -; .• or' " •.. - • ~ - " • -;-. .. _. ~ ". - -:,. .1':

:'I~

, -:-

h

-'-, ,

1

L ... _ ...... \

.....

. ' . , .'

Fig. 2. Prestressed concrete cross sections.

118

T

b

w :. ~

1

() Sj h

e t: ~-A'

We (l,x - x;) 2 W .. R!ro;

{llel

(lId)

DERIVATION OF A DESIGN COEFFICIENT

Diviriin,,:( Eqs. {lla) to 01 d) by c.

ci. h, tlwn .multtplving by ViI.}, the iollowing e quation s (now expressed us equalities in emOT and em!,,) are obtained:

e;~ (;) = s; (1 - _k_) +
A'('~ ,~~.(';~
[x l X rJ
w, L L (~~)
(12b)
2ft." c/,
e~n l~) = s; (1 - _b_.J +
A'c~ , Rloe-
w,. (~ - (n ~] (E-) (lZc)
2Rj",!ci, h \1-'R
Cm;tt (2-) = Si ( 11$ - 1) +
CIl L. A'ci RJ<d
Wc.- [~ - (;J ~] (hL~J
(12d}
2Rj.r'c~ Note that Eqs. 02a) to (l2d) are dime-nstonles s when written in thl s form. It is apparent that plotting Eqs. (l2a) to (} Zd) would rc sult in nondirne 1151unalized design curves which define the maximum and minimum ratios of e/c. at

PC~ JOURNAUMay-June 1986

any point x along the spun.

It is conveuie nt here tu definc cross sections of the same group as those having the same d lmc ns iunal ratios (hlb"" hI,,!, and bzlh), concrete strength, unit we ight, and the same prestre ss loss ratio. R- Thus, a closer look at Eqs. {l2a) and (12h) reveals that within each group of cross sections, defined in this manner, the quantity I"-",,-,~/c~ is only a function of Ulh.

Sim llarly, the quantity e",jniCh is only a hmction of l//(h W'R}' This leads to thc de [inition of the ecce ntricity eocfficieut,

C", as:

_ V'

c~ = h \\-'It

(13)

It can he stated that thc nondimensional izcd safe zone of eccentridty (elc~) for uniformly loaded, simply supported beams that are in the same group, varie s only as C" varies. Based on this obscrvation, design charts utilizing the curve s repre~cnted by Eqs. 02a) to (12d) can be generated. fur any gmup of lTOS~ sections, as dellned above.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN CHARTS

Given a value of C e , the controlltng function, C"',H leI>, is chosen from Eqs. (I2c) or \l2d). This function dd1nc5 the upper liJnit to the sale zone of eccentricity lor this value of C, _ Similarly, for a gi\-'~n value of:

u C WR= ~

e h

the controlling function, e.,,,z:ic., is chosen from Eqs: (12a) or (12bl- Thi:,; func' tion defines the lower limit or the safe zone of e(:centricity tor this value of

C.WR-

These curves of elc/> versus xtl: can be

plotted for various values of C, to obtain the de sign chart~ shown in Figs. 3 to 7- [ntemlediare values of C, can be inter-

11 9

ij
co
~
e co
Ct
!i}
Q
~
co
~
Q
~
9
~
e 9
Cb
~
Q
I
~
9
~
-;
~ 0.00

O.zO

o 40

a so

0.10

SECTION r-- 'b -----j hf
PROPERTIES w~
f' _ :z ·'-1-000 psi
01 -
f' . 5000 psi
c
R " O.&:
p- = )97.85 bh lbs
~ 2 SECT ION h:"
A " O. J6:; bh in PROPORTIONS
":l J~
I " D.(j'92 b!1~ in b)b r •
;: ~-"
~b = O. SOO h in h/h = 0.1
, \ ~ ~ --- r-, 1T I I
r\ ,,- <, I I
\ \ I'- ~ K ~C I
"\ "- 1'-... "' 1---
!O' '" 30
"\ 1\.' ...... ~ o _ ---
\ 'i ..... ,~ I+-~
I " "- , <,
"'\J \. <, J50~: -- -- .-
L
-" - ." I , ,I I :
-_. -
_" -, I 1'-.. I t
f- '--- -, ..... i "-00 ~
.......
I I'- ..... I ~
I I ~ I 1
~ :.-i-- i""- I i ~50- ri--
<r= Ce WR ~ 50 _ '" T I N'-- - -- - ~
..._
, .......... N- I I ..._

I r----..I - 100 500 I
-- 0 •• '-r- ~ ...... ~'-~ ,- -- _.
-_j_~, ..._ I : - - -- I ..:::::::
I 150 ,_ ----'
I ; -
--1-- ~. ~ r- - T
,_
: t-- f--L
, - -- .. ~ I .
~
.-~-.- -- .- - -~
I
: .__, -'-
I 0.10

D.SD

0.40

o .ao

Fig. 3. Acceptable ranges of eccentricity for Example 1.

120

O+.~O~O ~O~1~C~ ~o+.=2a=-----~O~.~3~o--------ar.4_0--~--~O.~0

SECTION PROPERTIES

t--- b ---"1 ~ l

~:i

1-- b2 ~ tq

SECTION PROPORTIONS

i' . ("L

1 '

c,

li-OOr) ps i soco \-,51

R P

1

150.51) bh l b s , = 0.210 bh Lrl2

= O. G26 bl/ in 4 0.6>0 h in

,1\ I

bZ!b ~ 0.30 b ib 0.10

w

hfJh = 0.10

Fig. 4, Acceptable ranges 0' eccentricIty for Section 1 of Example 2,

PCI JOlJRNAUMay-Juoe 1965

12t

0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.51:)

~--~~~--------~--------+-------~--------~

SECTI[)N
PROPERTIES
I' . = 4-00C; PSl
CI
t' .5000 p~L
r:
R '- ().SO
P = 194.71 bh lbs.
t :z
A 0 (J.2){l bh In
T 0.0289 bJ,3 LIl 4-
'-
c:b = 0.621', h Jt"I ~ ,~
c
:!ij
e c
Ct
~
= SECTION

PROPORTIONS

b:z!b '- 0.30 bw/b = 0.15 h/h {l.IO

~+-'-~'-~~~~~-r~~~-'~-'~-'~-'~~r-~r-~

- \ ' ~ "' ....... ' 1 __ I I

-c-- - 1-' --y\"]"'., --- --t- .. -

+-+-+--+-----1""----*,_+_ \"\.~+" '<;.~ _. t-~t--t--+-+-+-·r-+--+-+-+-+-+--l

~ \ [\. ~~, .. -~, ."": ~ " -+-+----"---+--+--1--+--+-+--1

9' 1\ I -, ~. ~ J.. '~l--"'-+r-..'-""I--~--j--+--+-t-----+---I

l '" ,I ,:--r--"- I

\:"\ " <.if} --1- - I +-+--+-----1f-----+--' _I

~ , \. '\. "' -- - ':---k .... --to

e 9 + . ......,_. -_!~~:=:~-::~_~,: \t:=_:'\.~~~: ~) I---+--- ~ ~ .~. +--,'

C 1": '~', : --r--f-. !

b -- .- t .- --+- - J

S 1--- -- --~. .. -.- ..... -~- ... ~ L, ~ "i _j__l--f--t-- -+~

9 '-"q,. ," ,........ I ,

~~t--- ~'"-_; 'c- .- f'-'i,*~ ."" -.~-. _ r-.... :-f--

'r--.. ~....... .~ \. c: 50_ ~ ~ :

s;: l'-.. ....... ---.:.... I "" ........ f-- -.""t.

9 I--I--I--+--+,-+l -+', ~ - lOr r-~ s: ._.. 'r-... ++,....'-+-+--1

~ - ~ .. - _-+--+--+--+---+-----jj---t_ ..... _-,I5.Q _ "+ -....... 1-- -1~' . -- t-

~+-4-~~--j---j---j-~~;-+-+-+-+~~~ __ ~_~;~~~~~~-+-+-+~

I- -- - -- ! . t: +---t--+--+-r -+-+---f"""t'-.....j.;;;:_:±,_----'1'"""'<;:j:-;...---t-----,1-+

+-+-+-+-1 -- -- -+ - . -- ... I--I-----i----+----+----+___:,_---+---+=+::::t=~""._==*-.d

~ --t--- +-. --. -f·~· _+_+-l+-+-+--+I--+~---+---t_

'0.00 0.10 0.20 O.~O 0.40

Fig. 5. Acceptable ranges of eccentricity for Section 2 of Examp'e 2.

122

tJ.SO

0·00

0.20

0.\50

0.10

co ,

SECTI[)N t-- b ------1 ~
PROPERTIES
r' . = 40tJ(J psi ~'h
(:1 1
~ f 1 - 500{l psi
c:
R = 0.80 ~ b2 ~ h1
1
P. - 240. ~ 4 bh Ibs.
J 2 SECTION
A =- 0.27Q bh in PROPORTIDNS
I Q.03.50 bh J in 4
= b2!b 0 • .50
=
ciJ 0.5&33 h In b !b O. I;
-
w
hf!r. - 0.10
, ; r'\ r-, r- --.. ....... 1 1 ~l· i
\ \ -, ~i <, ! C
'. e .~. 200
, , [\_. }.. . ~i'-- ; -
I-+- ...... f--+- .. -
\ , ; "- 1 :
---I--- \. i\. "\I.. ~ ~ I ~
1-- ,- 1<50_ .-
, '- ,'" r-..
._ 1\ -, .~'\, " _ r-, -
;
"- _ .. _ -, ..
! \ 1'..' .' I i
1 I'\. '--! 1.JoG <, ..-
, -r--C- '\i. - ,t- . -- -
: ... + ~ ,
. 1-+- \,_ i\. ~'.,- -1 !o~ "- •
, -- . -..
,
: " fb 10:- --i- f":":- I
.. ~ _ ..... __ . --- I
;:0-.. r--' j i "9- "" ' r-.
f--. ~ r-- : i'""--r- C "R - 50 ~ ['..,' .-
,___ ....... -.. e - ' .. "=::: ::--..
. ~ :, "'
......... r-- ~IJ~ _ " <, .~
I-- _. ..... r-.... I- -_ .. r-
~ r-, f-,.
-
- '-:-J~-, , ......
. -_ ......
, , ~ , <,
• .. - . -- - . r--j--.. t""::-
o ; -
l .- , --1-- -J .•.
J _ -T: _." T'
. l ~

'0.00

O.lO

0.30

0.40

0.50

Fig. 6. Acceptable ranges of sccentrlclty for Section 3 of Example 2.

PCI JOURNAUMay-June 19B6

i23

SECTION PROPERTIES

4000 pSI 50GO p:o;j 0.30

196.40 bh lbs , 0.230 bh In2 0.0326 bll} in 4 0.5'17 h in

fl.

CL

f'

c

R

p

I

A

T

SECTION

PROPORTIONS

b2/b ~ 0.50 bw/b = 0.10 hf/h = 0.10

c b

--+----11--+_ ..

0.40

X/L

Fig. 7. Acceptable ranges of eccentricity for Section 401 Example 2.

124

0.50

polated to arrive at the required tendon profile for any section to which the chart pertains, As shown in the following example, it is possible to achieve a combination of maximum eccentricity and minlmum prc stre ss ing force by narrowing the depth of the safe zone at midspan,

The following conventions are adopted for plotting purposes:

(a) For eccentricities below the certtroidal axis, the values ofelc. are plotted, while for eccentriclties above the centroidal axis the corresponding values of elc, are plotted.

(b) A conventional X-',I plotting routine is used w hich req u i re s that ecce ntricities below the cenlroidal axis be plotted as negative.

The following design value shave becn selected to generate the sample charts, The allowable stress limits correspond to the current ACI Code." However, the allowable increase ill tensile stresses at the end of the beam has not been included,

The value of the effectiveness ratio,R, is taken as 0.80. The values off;j and/; are 4000 and 5000 psi," respectively. The unit weight of concrete j s taken as 150 pcf for normal wcight concrete. ~ ote that in calculating C. for Eq, 03), the span length is given in feet and the beam height in inc he s,

The charts shown in Figs, 3 to 7 represent a small "ample of those that have been generated, All of the computation s and plotting of the curve s are i nte nde d to be performed by a compute r. Given the nece s sary software, charts for l-beams, T-beams, and box girders, using various cornb+nahom off~ j,f:, and R can be easily produced.

In addition. some of the aspects of the following design procedure could be computerized. For example, given the

• Note' AI] u nits IH<" expressed in U.S. foot and pound units. to"or metric couverslon factors, !i-{~Ij,~ end of paper,

PCI JOUANAUMay-June 19B6

relative cost of placin ~ the prestressing steel and concrete per unit volume and some initial architectural requirements, computer algorithms utilizing Eqs. (12a) to (12d) co u ld be developed which would converge to an optimum cross section. Depending on the available computer facilities, this could be done in either an interactive Or batch mode,

DETERMINATION OF TENDO N PROFILE

In some case s the designer may wish to use the proposed design charts only to select a tendon profile. To do this, the designer first calculates the eccentricitr (:oeflicicnt, C" from the known parameters of the design. TIle design chart, appl icable to thi s cTO~ S section immediately describes the ac~eptable range of ec~eTltricity along the entire span. This procedure is demonstrated by the following example,

DESIGN EXAMPLES

Two numerical design examples are pre .. entcd to show the application of the proposed design method. The first example treats a symmetrical box beam while the second example covers an unsymmetrical I -beam.

EXAMPLE"'!

Consider a symmetrical pre she ssed box beam. The tendon profile for the cross section of Frg, Sa will he determined by the use of the design charts. The dimensional ratios of this cross section are:

h!l)lb = 0.2 and hJlI = 0.1

The concrete strengths are specified as:

f;j = 40()1} psi and!; = 5000 p .. i Normal weight concrete is to be used, and a prestress loss ratio (R) = 0.80 is assumed, Based on this information, the design chart of Fig. 3 is appropriate fur

125

~LJ ~,
40 in.
:3 in. • I! /I '" ' . <0 ~
0
T ~
...
4 in. b .
e ' 4 in.
__.
~ .
30 in.
j__ -ee, _l
..,.
3 in. .". •• e. ~
T ~

(a) I· :30 ft- 1


zone of accegtable
eccentricity
C.A.
t
.J.. Cb

Support I~
(b) MIdspan Fig. 8. Box beam o! ~)(ample 1; (a) cross section; (b) elevation showing zone of acceptable ecoel1tncfty.

126

this cross sedion.

The following data are also ~pecified for the design of the beam: the beam span (L) = 60 II: and the m.factored dead plus live load (WIJJ. + wu) "'- 400 psr. An acceptahle tendon profile for this design is detc rmined as follows.

Solution

The load ratio, WR• from Eq. (8) is equal to 0.252. This gives an eccentricity coefficient, C., from Eq, (13) equal to 476. Given these values, the acceptable range of eccentricity is easily determined frcm the design chart of Fig. 3. The limits of eccentricity for this example are shown in Fig.8b,

Once the designer has established the zone of acceptable eccentricity, the selection of the number and placement of the prestressing strands is a straightforward procedure. Any tendon profile for which the center of gravity of the steel {cg~) lies within this zone will satisfy the working stress req uireme nts. A more compreheusive de sign example (Example 2), including the selection and layout 01' the prestress ing strands, follows the proposed design procedure.

PROPOSED DESIGN PROCEDURE

For a given design problem, the values of L, w, (from WilL and IVU.), f;;, f; , and R must be known Or assumed. In many cases the values of band/or h are known or predetermined by architectural requirements. Although both band h may he varied throughout the design procedure, it is recommended that h remain constant. Then, if neces5ary, the procedure can be repeated USing a refined value ofb. A now chart of the design procedure is shown in Fig. 9, and is described in the following steps;

1. Select initial values of band h.

2. Select a number of design charts based on dimensional ratios, Although a working uesigll can be determined

Pel JOURNAUMay-Jur'le 1986

using a single design chart, it is generally beneficial to obtain a numher of feasible de"igns hy using more than one chart. It may become apparent during the design iterations that one or more of the selected charts are inappropriate and are thus eliminated from con~ideJil.tiou,

3. T'l.oulatc the values of A [Eq. (2b) L Wr [Eg. (7)], WR [Eq. (8) I. and ('~ [Eq_ (2a)] lor the chosen sections, Based 011 minimum cover requirements, determine a suitable value of efcb, usually around 0.8. By ill te rpo lation, at thi s value of elc~, obtain a preliminary C~ Irom each design chart .

4. Determine the minimum h as follows;

L~

JI",Ir+ = C Wk (15)

The optimum value of h, for each of the chosen sections, is between hml• and the initial value ofh from Step. 1.

5. If, in the judgment of the designer, h",,,, is not sufficiently c1o~e to the initial h, select a new h and repeat Steps 3 and 4. In general, a value of h which is within 2 Or 3 percent ofh",,,, is a sllitable solution. The reason that a value of h le ss than Ii",,,, may be acceptable is that the ratio etc. chosen in Step 3 is an approximation and often conservative.

6. Using the final value ofh, calculate Pi and determine the required number of prestressing strands.

7. [f the zone of m:0eptable eccentri~~ ity at midspan, based on the values ofC, and C .. Wn is too narrow to accommodate the required number of strands while maintaining minimum cover reg uiremerits, increase h and repeat Step~ :3 through 6.

8. Select the tendon profile, Any prome which lies hetween the applicable Co and C. WR curvC5 is acceptable.

9. Satisfy ultimate ,trength and other establi~hed requ i rernents.

It is important to note that a lower I imit of ecce ntriuity, as define d by C" \VII, wh lch lies outside 'he beam cross section (i.fl., elc" > 1) iT1~licate:s that the

127

Obtai~ ~e froE chart lsi

Sel~d_ "I!N h

between h~in ~_N~O~ ~

and initial h

Calculat~ Pi and the required nu~ber of prestrl!$5ing strands

I II(: r e as e h

NO

Select strand profile bi5ed on Ce and Ce~R

Sati5~y ulti.atl! str~ngth and other applicable re~uirements

Fig. 9. Flow chart of proposed design procedure,

128

Table 1. Steps 3 and 4 of Example 2.
ClOSS section 1 2 3 4
Design chart Fig. 4 Fig, 5 Fig.@1 Fig.IV G:.
Iteration ht 2nd 1 st 211d 1st 3m ht 2nd
b (in.) 60 00 so so 60 611 60 60
h (hI,) 30 32 30 29.5 30 2R 30 21
.- .. -
A (in.i) J7R 403 450 443 414 388 4R6 437
WI (lhlft) 394 420 469 461 431 402 506 455
-
w, (lhlft) 1375 1375 1375 1375 1375 137:'5 1375 137.'}
"\t'B 0.223 0.234 0.2:'54 0.251 0,239 O.22fi 0.269 0,249
--
c~ (in.) 19.5 20.8 18,8 nUl 17.9 16.7 11.5 15,7
-
etc; 0.88 0.87 0.85 0.85 o.ss O.~ 0,84 {U:13
C, 32:1 33{) 340 338 390 385 385 380
i.: (ill.) 34,5 32-4 28,9 29.5 27.2 28.4 24.1 26.4
section selected is conservative. In this tion is based On the thicknesses of the
case, the designer may choose a differ- flanges and the web that will result from
ent value of b or an alternate design the initial selection ofb and h.
chart, Step 3 - The results of the calcula-
tions of A, w" WJj, and Cb for each of the
EXAMPLE 2 design charts is given in Table 1, At
midspan &fL = 0.5), the minimum cover
The proposed method will be demon- requirements" are such that the tendon
strated by designing an unsymmetrical group eccentricity, e, minus c~, would be
f-beam given the following specifica- a minimum of about 2.5 to 3 in. There-
tions: fore, a value ofc!> - e = 2.75 in. it> used to
Beam span (L) = 50 ft determine elcs, By interpolation, the
Unfactored dead plus live load values of'C, are taken from each design
(WVL + teu.) = 275 psf char! and shown in Table l.
f;, = 4000 psi,!; = 5000 psi Step 4 - Next, h"'4>1 is calculated from
Prestress loss ratio (R) = 0.8 Eq, (15). The values obtained for cach
Top flange width (b) = 5 ft cross section are included in Table 1.
The follcwing step-by-step solution Step 5 - It is apparent that, according
parallels the proposed design procedure to the values of h,.j~, each of the four
and the flow chart of Fig. 9- sections could be refined further, al-
Solution though Section 2, with h = 30 in. would
appear to be a reasonably close design,
Step 1 - An L/h ratio of 20 y ie Ids h = Sections L, 3, and 4, however, certainly
30 in. This will be assumed as a reason- warrant further iteration. For the pur-
able initial value ofli. pose of this example, only the second
Step 2 - The design charts of Figs. 4 iteration for Section l will be given.
to 7 are selected as having appropriate Step 3 (second iteration) - An inter-
proportions for this design, The selec- mediate value ofh = 32 in. is chosen for
pel JOURNAUMay-June 1986 129 Table 2. Step 6 of Example 2.

Cross section I 2 3 4
Design chart F"ig-, 4 Fig,5 _F2g@1 Fig.<i)k
.- ..... _----_.- .....
h (in.) :l2 29g- 28 27
A. (in,') 403 443 386 437
.__; --- _._.._.
P, (kip.» 289 339 330 .189
Number oflh in. diameter strands,
f ... = 210 hi to 12 12 14
.-
Initial pre~tYe~~,f<f (k~i) 189 1&'5 180 182 3.2"

32"

Fig. 10. Preliminary cross section used in Example 2.

Section 1, The values olA, W j, W}l , and c~ are given in Table L 1:1 inimum cover requirements indicate that a value ofefcb

= 0,87 is appropriate, which leads to an eccentricity coefficient (C<t) = 330.

Step 4 (seeond iteration) - The value of h",;" for Section I is 32-4 in., as given in Table L Values of h",jn for Section s 2, 3, and 4 are also given for their final iterations,

Step 5 (second iteration) - The assumed value ofh = 32 in., for Section 1, is deemcd adequate for continuation to Step 6. The final values of h = 29,5, h = 28, and h = 27 in. were determined to be

130

appropriate for Sections 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Each of the four cross ~cc· tions will bc retained and carried over hl Step 6.

Step 6 - Having obtained the final values ofli fur the four possible sectiou-. the values of P I are calcu lated from tlu: simplified form of Eq. (3) found on till' design charts> In order to compare tlu: sections further, the required number pI' ¥.! in, diameter Grade 270 strands, a! a maximum allowable stress of 189 hi, [' also calc u lated, These results are Sh(HVII in Table 2.

At this point, the designer may decide

e

32"

6"

e.g.s. ~
a t_._ft a 0
,
r-- 18" ~
(a) 12.25"

o ()

4.00"

o D

4.00"

o Q

fcr

c.g.s.

O~"QO

(b)

F~g. 11. Mod~fied crOSS section used in Example 2 with strand pattern shown at (a} midspan and (b) ends.

to select a single cross section, or continue with any number of the four posaible designs, For the purpose of this

e xarnple , only one section will be choSCI) for SteP5 7 to 9. Unles5 the beam depth is a (;ontrollin~ factor, Section 1,

PCI JOURNAUMay-June 1986

131

which utilizes the maximum allowable in itial prestress of 189 ksi, would appear to be the best choice {or the final de~igll. This section is shown in Fig. 10, Note that the flanges of the section mar be tapered slightly withoul significant changes in the section pro pertie s, In this case, the flanges in the final section, shown in Fig. 11, are tapered from 2,5 to 4 in. , resulting in an average thickne ss of 3.25 in., which is very dose to the original flange th lcknc ss of 3.2 in. The changes ill the distance to the centrnidal axis and the moment of inertia as a result of this modification are less than I,t2 percent of the original value s.

Stell 7 - The acceptable region for the tendon profile is bouuded by the (Curves representing C, = 334 and C.; U'n = 78 as shown in Fig. 4. This range represents a 1.3 in. zone in which the cgs must be placed at midspan. Note that a straight tendon profile corresponding to a constant eccentricity is not possible given this optimized section. However, it would be a simple matter to find the minimum beam height required for any tendon profile.

Step S - The selected strand placement is shown in Fig. 1]. For the center 2() percent (10 ft) of the span, the strands are placed such that the ratio etc; is equal to 0.9. The end eccentricities arc selected to give elc; = 0.39. Ty#: cgs is shown as a broken line in Fig. ';t. It is clear that this strand profile results in ratios ofefcb which are positioned within the acceptable regio 11 for the enti re length of the beam.

Step 9 - Check ultimate strength and satisly other applicable requirements.

I

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Through the use of the proposed design charts, a de signer mar quickly and easily arrive at a number of acceptable working stress design alternative s, The fact that the proposed charts define the safe zone of eccentricity for the entire span el iminatcs the need to check the

132

actual stresses at critical points along th<." beam, A~ already noted, the values off";,, n , and R may be vaded, along with the dimensional ratios, to develop desigr charts for any group of cross section-, Additionally, the designer may develop charts using any values of the allowabl« working stresses (i.e.,j~; ,jw/u, and/I, :1, Having gene rated the desired chart, considerable savings can be achieved bl' applying the same charts to numerous design situations,

This method may be of particu lnr interest to the manufacturers or pn,'stressed girders who generally utilize .1 lim ited number of crOSS sections. III such cases, the charts need only to he:> generated 10r the available CrOSS Sf'( 'tions, Regardless or the span length, design charts could be used lOT a quic-k determination of the arrangement at',ll number of prestressing strands.

Another advantage of this method i s its potential use as a teaching aid, T he charts can be a useful tool in allowiug the student to visual ize tbe variation of acceptable tendon profile over the 1-';)tire span. Finally, the method could he easily adapted to an interactive cumputer graohtc s format which would eliminate the need for preparation of the design charts in advance.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

A set of dimenslonlc ss design C\l[\'f;S has been developed which extends the applicahility of Magnel's safe zone iro m a single point on the span to the ent i r€ length of the girder; the acceptable comhinatlons of P and e are expr~,,!'d fur all points along the span, For f,',\"e of application, the curves have be<:'n plotted, and design charts fur se v,-c,ll types of cross sections have been ill" eluded.

The design charts are dependent OTt the concrete strength, the prestress 1 oss ratio, and the proportions of the ero>'

section Therefore, a single chart can be applied to a number of cross sections all having the same relative proportions. In addition, the design charts are independent of the span length and load intell" sity, The two design examples demonstrate the use of the charts for determining tendon profiles, and the timesaving potential of the proposed design method,

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The work pre:sented in this paper was completed while the first author was enrolled at the University or Arizona. The usc of the computational facilitic s of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Arizona is gratefully acknowledged.

* * *

NOTE: Discussion of this paper is invited, Please submit your comments to PCI Headquarters by January 1. 1987.

PCI JOURNAUMay-June 19B6

133

REFERENCES

L Magnel, G" Prestressed C~;ncr~!~, COli· crete Puhlications Ltd., London, United Kingdom, 1948; also, McGraw-Hill Book Co, New York. N_Y_, 19M.

2. Khfl<:~atllriafl,"., and Curfmkel, G,. Prestressed Concrete, McGraw-Hili Book Co" New York, NY, 1960.

3- Lin, T, Y., and BUTIl~, N. H" DC8ign oj Prestn:ssed Concr-cte Structures, Third Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1\;11)1.

4. Naarnan, A, E .. Preetressed Concrete An(llYSIS and Design, McGmw-Hill Book ce., New York, N.Y., 1982.

5- Nf lson, A, H_, Design of Prestressed Concrete, JOhl1 Wiley & Sons, Inc" New York, NY. 1978.

6, Krishnarriurthy, N" "Magnel Diagrams for Prestressed Concrete Beams" ASCE V. 109, 11:0, 12, December 1983, PP: 2161·2169,

7- Krishnamurthy, N., "Modified Magnel Diagram as Design Aid fin Prestressed

*

Concrete Bridge Members," ProceedIngs, Second International Symposium on Concrete Bridge Design, ACI Puhltcation SP-26, American Concrete Institute, Detroit, M ichigan, 1971, pp, 663· 689,

8, ACI Committee 318, "Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete. (ACI 318-83)," American Concrete Institute, Detroit, M ichigan, 1983-

9. AASHTO, Stundard SpedJir:ations for Ilighwuy Bridges, 13th Edrtion, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offlclals, WashingtOIl, D,C" 19~3.

In, PCI D{'~ll5n IIandbook -Precast and Pre~tre~sed Concrete, Third Edition Pre~:resscd Concrete Institute, Chica~o, [1- IIIIOis, 1978_

lL Orbison, J. C., «Generalized Flexural Design Equations fin Prestressed Concrete," PCI JOUR:-l"AL, V. 30, No, 2. March-Aprrl I M'j, pp_ 172-182.

*

*

Metric(SI) Conversion Factors 1ft = O.305m

1 in. = 25.4 mm

1 In.:;! = 645.2 rnrn2 11b = 4.448 N

1 psj "" 0.006895 MPa 1 ksi = 6.895 MPa

1 pst ... 0.0479 kPa

1 pcf "'16.02 k9tm3

. 1lb/ft = 14.59 N/m

134

APPENDIX - NOTATION

A "" cros~-sectioJlal area of beam

A' = coe ffieie JI t for cross-se ctional areaofbcam

h = width of top flange ofbcam

b2 = width of buttom flange of

unsymmetric l-bearn b", = width of beam web

C~ = eccentricity coefficient

(:. = di~tance from e xtre me bottom

fiber to centroidal axis of he am

Cl = distance from extreme top fiber to centroidal axls of beam

c; =coefficient for distance from extreme bottom fiber to celltroidal axis of beam

c] = coefficient for distance from extreme top fiber to centroidal axis of beam

CA = eentroidal axis of beam

cgs = center of gravity of prestressing steel

e = tendon eccentricity

e",,,,,, = maximum allowable tendon ecce ntricity

e,nl" = minimum allowable tendon eccentricity

f<! = allowable compressive stress in extreme fiber" under initial loading conditions

j;,. ='- allowable compressive stress in extreme fibers unde r se rv ice loading conditions

fed = concrete centroidal stress under initial loading conditions

n = compressive strength of concrete f~; = initial compressive strength of concrete

I.... = ultimate strength in prestressing steel

Ion =' initial prestress In prestressing

steel

II; = allowable tens ile stre ss ill extreme fiber" under initial loading

PCI JOURNAUMay-June 1986

conditions

f~. = allowable tensile s trc 5, in extrcme fibers under service loading conditions

h = height of beam

h, = height of beam flange

I "'- moment of inertia of beam about centroidal axis

I' = coefficient for moment of inertia of beam

k~ = kern distance m e as ure d from centroldal axis to top of beam

k; = kern distance measured from centroidal axi s to bottom uf beam L = beam span

M j -- bending moment in beam under

initial loading conditions

M. = bending moment in heam under

service loading conditions

P '" prestressing force

P! = initial prestressing force

R = effectivene ss or pre stress loss ratio

Sh = 5edion modulus relative to bottom fibers of beam cross section S, = section modulus relative to top fibers of beam cross section

S~ = coefficient for section modulus relative to bottom fiber of beam cross section

S; = coefficient tor section modulus relative to top fiber of beam cross section

w-: = unit weight of beam

w, = self weight of beam per unit

length

WD~ = uniform dead load per unit area Wu = uniform live load per unit area ill, = uniform dead plus live load on

beam per unit length WII = load ratio

x = horizontal distance from end of beam

* *

*

135