Professional Documents
Culture Documents
post tensioned
concrete: WHO
and WHY?
BY RAYMOND F. MESSER
VICE PRESIDENT
WALTER P. MOORE AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
A simple engineer’s log for tracking post-tensioning submittals and tendon stressing. A form like this will help the structural
engineer of record in his review of stressing records.
GUIDELINES FOR INSPECTION OF POST-TENSIONING
UNBONDED TENDONS BONDED TENDONS
Are fixed end wedges evenly and adequately seated in Are the anchor heads properly machined, cleaned, and
the anchor? protected from corrosion?
Is excessive sheathing stripped at the fixed end? Are the wedges or threaded nuts free of rust and steel
Is the plastic sheathing of sufficient and uniform thick- shavings, and of consistent quality?
ness? Is the duct manufactured from quality steel strip with
Is the grease evenly applied and of consistent texture? specified thickness and watertight seams?
Does the strand appear to be of new quality, free of cor- Is the bare prestressing steel free of corrosion and
rosion when sheathing and grease are removed? debonding contaminants, and adequately protected dur-
ing storage?
Are the anchors properly cast with smooth wedge
holes?
Are the wedges free of rust and steel shavings, and of
consistent quality?
Are mill reports and certifications available for the pre-
stressing steel and other components, as required by
the specifications?
Are the tendon high and low points at the correct ele- Are high and low points of the center of duct at the cor-
vation? rect elevation?
Are the tendon profiles smooth and correctly shaped Are duct profiles smooth and correctly shaped (parabol-
(parabolic, circular, or straight) between re f e re n c e ic, circular, or straight) between reference points?
points? Are all duct joints properly mated and sealed with duct
Do the tendons have excessive horizontal wobble? tape?
Is the sheathing damaged, and if so, has it been re- Are there any holes in the duct, and if so, have they been
paired? repaired to prevent concrete intrusion?
Are there any kinks in the duct which will prevent pre-
Does the chair or support-bar system conform to con-
stressing steel installation?
tractor documents?
Is the support system adequately tied to prevent dis-
Are the stressing anchors securely fastened to the form placement and floating of the duct during concrete
with appropriate pocket formers? placement?
Is bursting steel installed behind the anchorages as re- Are the bearing plates securely fastened to the form
quired by the contract documents? blockouts?
Has the method of concrete placement been reviewed Is bursting steel installed behind the anchorages as re-
as to its effect on tendon stability during placement? quired by the contract documents?
Has the conventional steel placement been reviewed? Has the method of concrete placement been reviewed as
to its effect on duct stability during placement?
Has the conventional steel placement been reviewed?
Are the stressing anchor wedge holes free of grout, dirt Are the anchor heads, wedges and nuts free of corrosion,
and plastic? dirt and grease?
Is a consistent dimension used for the elongation da- Has the elongation datum mark for the initial and final
tum mark on the strand? reading been logically and clearly located?
Is the stressing equipment well maintained, and are cal- Is the stressing equipment well maintained, and are cali-
ibration charts available? bration charts available?
Is the stressing ram operator careful with the equip- Is the stressing ram operator careful with equipment and
ment and consistent from tendon to tendon? consistent from tendon to tendon?
Are the tendons stressed slowly enough to allow the Are the wedges, shims, or nuts properly seated after
strand to overcome as much friction as possible prior to stressing?
seating?
Are the tendon ends and stressing pockets properly pre-
Are the wedges seated evenly and under pressure? pared for patching?
After elongation approval, are the tendon tails cut off
well inside the pocket to allow proper grout cover?
Are pocket surfaces sufficiently clean to allow good
grout bond during and after patching?
inspection has been completed. To preclude or at least The table (opposite) lists important questions about
minimize this potential problem, full-time inspection each of these phases for both bonded (grouted) systems
may be appropriate. One critically displaced tendon can and unbonded (greased and sheathed) tendons.
cause concrete distress during tendon jacking that will Material manufacturing: Most fabrication plants have
result in added construction costs ranging from a few similar production facilities. Depending upon the mag-
dollars for repair to substantial damages for project de- nitude of the project and the general reputation of the
lays. material supplier, plant inspection may be appropriate.
If not, then jobsite material review is in order.
Monitoring stressing operations Tendon installation: An experienced inspection team
Typically, technicians are familiar with hydraulic jack- will review the process with the placer during installa-
ing operations, and can be trained to properly monitor tion of the first pour, and reach an understanding with
tendon stressing and measure elongations (see photo, the crew regarding critical elements.
page 1). A preliminary briefing by the structural engineer Tendon stressing: Stressing or jacking is probably the
regarding tolerances and stressing sequence is impor- most stra i g h t f o rw a rd operation associated with post-
tant. tensioning. Yet it seems to be the most troublesome and
Normal daily inspection reports may be handwritten controversial. Experience with the various stressing pro-
or typed, but should be issued to all concerned parties cedures is a must for the inspector.
( ow n e r, contractor, engineer, and architect) within 24
hours of the actual inspection. Stressing logs recording Conclusions
jacking pressure and tendon elongations should be If experienced inspection services are employed and
neatly handwritten and formally submitted for engineer quality work is maintained by the contractor, the inspec-
review within 24 hours of stressing. tion can be quick and relatively inexpensive, compared
The structural engineer of record usually reviews shop to costs of repair should improper procedures be al-
drawings and other such construction submittals. Simi- lowed. With the current prevalent atmosphere of litiga-
larly, review of stressing records should be the engineer’s tion, inspection by qualified and experienced persons is
responsibility. He will know best what deviations may be well worth the investment. One only needs to read the
tolerated beyond those specified in the construction newspaper to recognize the costly settlements associat-
documents. A simple form makes tracking of field data ed with construction failures. While inspection is not 100
and submittals easy, and helps assure complete execu- percent effective in eliminating mistakes and failures, it
tion. is the most cost-effective method known for minimiz-
ing risk.
Inspection guidelines Well painted datum marks and careful measuring give
As in any industry, there are tricks of the trade which accurate readings of tendon elongation. This is an im-
should be understood by the inspection team to assure portant part of inspecting tendon stressing operations,
quality. Three phases are involved for all post-tensioning as outlined in the guidelines given on page 3.
systems:
• Material manufacturing
PUBLICATION #C830317
• Tendon installation Copyright © 1983, The Aberdeen Group
• Tendon stressing All rights reserved