UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO DEPT.

OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
SPRING QUARTER 2014 INSTRUCTOR: P.B. SHING

SE 151B Design of Prestressed Concrete

Homework # 1
(Due April 11)

Problem 1

For the plain concrete beam shown in Problem 4.1 in the textbook, consider that a vertical point load is applied at
mid-span (instead of a uniform load as stated in the problem statement) in addition to the self-weight of the beam.
Assume that 5, 000 psi
c
f .

1. With F = 0, determine whether the beam will crack under its self-weight assuming that the modulus of
rupture of concrete is 7.5
c
f .
2. If the applied vertical load is 5 kips, what will be the minimum longitudinal force F applied at the centroid of
the cross section which will prevent the cracking of the beam? What will be the compressive stress at the top
of the beam under the vertical load and the applied F?
3. If the force F is applied 6 in. below the centroid, what will be the minimum force F required to prevent
cracking under the vertical load of 10 kips? What will be the compressive stress at the top of the beam under
the vertical load and the applied F? What can you conclude with the results from Parts 2 and 3.
4. If the vertical load applied is 10 kips, what will be the magnitude of a longitudinal force F applied at the
bottom of the central kern that will result in a uniform compressive stress in the concrete section at the
midspan?


Problem 2

A prestressed concrete beam is simply supported over a 30-ft. span. The beam section at the midspan is shown in
the figure below. It has four stranded cables with a total cross-sectional area
p
A = 0.575 in.
2
The eccentricity of
the steel varies parabolically with 0 at the supports. The effective prestress in the steel after all losses is 150 ksi.
(a) What superimposed uniformly distributed vertical load will induce cracking in the beam, given that the
modulus of rupture
r
f = 600 psi? (b) What superimposed uniform load will produce a condition of uniform axial
compressive stress in the concrete section at midspan? (c) For the load determined in part (b), what are the top
and bottom fiber stresses in the beam section at 10 ft. the from the left support? (d) For that load, would the
deflection at midspan be downward, upward, or zero? Explain. (Note: Need to consider the self-weight of the
beam as well. The superimposed load is the load in addition to the self-weight.)

17
11
4
4
20
3
9
Mid-span section
of beam
Problem 3

For the beam in Problem 4.5 in the book, assume that the tendon eccentricity, e
o
, is 3 in. and the
effective prestressing force is 300 kips. Calculate the maximum stresses at the top and bottom of
the beam at support A under the following loading condition. Consider the self-weight also.


10 ft
10 ft
40 ft
A B
2 kip
2 kip
C
12 in.
15 in.