Introduction

Prestressed concrete is a structural material that allows for predetermined, engineeringstresses to be

placed in members to counteract the stresses that occur when they are subject to loading. It combines the
high strength compressive properties of concrete with the high tensile strength of steel.

In ordinary reinforced concrete, stresses are carried by the steel reinforcement, whereas prestressed
concrete supports the load by induced stresses throughout the entire structural element. This makes it
more resistant to shock and vibration than ordinary concrete, and able to form long, thin structures with
much smaller sectional areas to support equivalent loads.

Prestressed concrete was patented by San Franciscan engineer P.H Jackson in 1886, although it did not
emerge as an accepted building material until 50 years later when a shortage of steel, coupled with
technological advancements, made prestressed concrete the building material of choice during
European post-war reconstruction.

It is now commonly used for floor beams, piles and railways sleepers, as well as structuressuch
as bridges, water tanks, roofs and runways. Generally, prestressed concrete is not necessary
for columns and walls, however, it can be used economically for tall columns and high retaining walls with
high bending stresses.

As a general rule, traditional reinforced concrete is the most economic method for a span of up to 6
m. Prestressed concrete is more economical when spans are over 9 m. Between 6 and 9 m, the two
options must be considered according to the particular requirements as to which is the most suitable
option.

Steel

Steel used for prestressing may be in the form of wire or tendons that can be grouped to form cables.
Solid bars may also be used.

Wire is made by cold-drawing a high carbon steel rod through a series of reducing dies. The wire
diameter typically ranges from 3-7 mm and may be round, crimped or indented to give it
better bond strength. Another form of tendon is strand which consists of a straight core wire around which
is wound in helixes around further wires to give formats such as 7 wire (6 over 1) and 19 wire (9 over 9
over 1). Similar to wire tendons, strand can be used individually or in groups to form cables.

Method
The process of prestressed concrete can be either through pre-tensioning or post-tensioning.

Pre-tensioning

This process involves the stressing of wires or cables by anchoring them at the end of a metalform, which
may be up to 120 m in length. Hydraulic jacks stress the wire as required, often adding 10% to
accommodate creep and other pre-stress losses that may be incurred. Side moulds are then fixed and
the concrete placed around the tensioned wires. The concretehardens and shrinks, gripping
the steel along its length, transferring the tension from the jacks to exert a compressive force in
the concrete.

Once the concrete has reached the desired strength, the tensioned wires are released from the jacks. A
typical concrete strength of 28 N/mm2 can be achieved by 24-hour steam curing, as well as using
additives.

To create shorter members, dividing plates can be placed at any point along the member which, when
removed, permit the cutting of the wires.

Post-tensioning

This follows the reverse method to pre-tensioning, whereby the concrete member is cast and the
prestressing occurs after the concrete is hardened. This method is often used where stressing is to be
carried out on site after casting an insitu component or where a series of precast concrete units are to be
joined together to form the required member.

The wires, cables or bars may be positioned in the unit before concreting, but bonding to the concrete is
prevented by using a flexible duct or rubber sheath which is deflated and removed when the concrete has
hardened.

Stressing is carried out after the concrete has been cured by means of hydraulic jacks operating from one
or both ends of the member. Due to the high local stresses at the anchorage positions it is common for a
helical (spiral) reinforcement to be included in the design. When the required stress has been reached,
the wire or cables are anchored to maintain the prestress. The ends of the unit are sealed
with cement mortar to prevent corrosiondue to any entrapped moisture and to assist in stress distribution.

Anchorages used in post-tensioning depend on whether the tendons are to be stressed individually or as
a group. Most systems use a form of split cone wedges or jaws which actagainst a form of bearing or
pressure plate.
 There are many different post-tensioning systems. For example, the Freyssinet system enables the
stressing strands to be tensioned simultaneously using centre hole tensioning jacks, anchored by tapered
jaws. This is suitable for pre-stressing elements up to 50 m in length.

The Macalloy system on the other hand, involves applying stress to the concrete by means of a solid bar,
usually with a diameter of 25-75 mm. The bar is anchored at each end by a special nut which bears
against an end plate to distribute the load.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of prestressed concrete include:

 The inherent compressive strength of concrete is used to its fullest.

 The special alloy steels used to form the prestressing tendons are used to their fullest.

 Tension cracks are eliminated, reducing the risk of the steel components corroding.

 Shear stresses are reduced.

 For any given span and loading condition a reduction in weight can be achieved from using
a component with a smaller cross section.

 A composite member can be formed by joining individual precast concrete units together.

The disadvantages of prestressed concrete include:

 A high degree of workmanship and control is required.

 Special alloy steels are more expensive than traditional steels used in reinforced concrete.

 Expensive equipment is needed and there are complex safety requirements.

What is Pre-stressed Concrete?
How Does It Work?
Mithun Ray

Pre-stressed concrete is a form of concrete where initial compression is given in the

concrete before applying the external load so that stress from external loads are
counteracted in the desired way during the service period. This initial compression is
introduced by high strength steel wire or alloys (called ‘tendon’) located in the concrete
section.

Why is Pre-stressed Concrete Required?

Now, the question is, why we need this complexity?
Okay, before get started let’s go back to some basics first. We know, concrete is good at
compression but very weak in tension. And so we see after external loading, in the bottom part of
concrete, a tension zone occurred. So, it tries to be elongated and guess what? It cracks. This is
why we add some steel bars at the bottom section so that it can resist most of the tension and
save concrete from cracking. This is our traditional RC structure. But what about some
megastructures with larger beam span? Think about a flyover or famous Gateway Bridge in
Australia, Incheon Bridge in South Korea or Ringhals nuclear reactor in Sweden where external
loading is very high.
In the way of traditional RC structure, for these larger beam spans, we should provide larger
depth which is often too much that, for a bridge over a river, there will be no enough space under
the bridge for ships to pass it. Here comes this new concept--- Pre-stressed concrete. The concept
of prestressed concrete is not so difficult. In fact, the practice of prestressing things is very older
in our day to day life. Imagine a barrel made of wooden staves and metal bands. Tung-Yen Lin,
a civil engineering professor at the University of California, explained it in the introductory
chapter of his book “Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures".

The basic principle of prestressing was applied to construction, perhaps centuries ago, when
ropes or metal bands were wound around the wooden staves to form a barrel (see Figure 1).
When the bands were tightened, they were under tensile prestress, which in turn created
compressive prestress between the staves and enabled them to resist hoop tension produced by
internal liquid pressure. In other words, the bands and the staves were prestressed before they
were subjected to any service loads.
T.Y. Lin

Like this, in prestressed concrete, initial compression is given to be balanced by future loading
that will create tension.

How Pre-Stressed Concrete works?

[Image source: Wikipedia]

So by now, I have had our concept. We have learned why and when we should use prestressed
concrete. So, how does it work? In the real life, high tensile strength steel wires are inserted into
the beam section and they are stretched and anchored, then released. Now the steel tendon wants
to gain its original length and tensile stresses are transformed into a compressive stress in
the concrete. Now after loading there are two kinds of forces on the beam,

1. Internal prestressing force

 2. External forces (Dead load, Live load etc.)

Which must counteract each other. Observing the moment diagram, we will find something like
this

[Image source:
ptsindia.net]

Pre-Stressed Concrete Materials

According to AASHTO, high strength seven wire strand, high strength steel wire or alloys of
grade and type (as specified by the designer) should be used in prestressed concrete. Also,
stronger concrete is required in prestressed than normal RC. Generally, minimum 28-day
cylinder strength of 5000 psi concrete must be used. So, why this high strength concrete? Well, if
the concrete is not strong enough, it can be cracked or failed when it is stressed by tendons. As
well as high compressive strength offers higher resistance to tension and shear and so it is
desirable for prestressed concrete.

Moreover, high strength concrete is less subjected to shrinkage crack. It has a higher modulus of
elasticity and smaller creep strain. As a result, loss of prestressing is small.
 Pre-Stressed
Concrete Materials [Image source: journal paper from www.mdpi.com]
 Concept of Prestressing
As mentioned before, prestressing is the application of an initial load on the concrete
structure, so that the structure is able to counteract or withstand the stresses coming due
to the service loads. The concept can be clearly understood by the example of a barrel.

A barrel used in olden periods to transports liquids and grains are tightly bound by metal
bands as shown in figure-1. These metal bands are fitted so tightly that it creates a hoop
compression around the barrel. When this barrel is filled with liquid, it exerts hoop
tension.

The hoop compression that is created by the metal bands helps to counteract the hoop
tension created by the fluid within. This is a prestressing system.

Fig.1.Prestressing Concept in a Barrel

Similarly, effective internal stresses are induced into the concrete by means of tensioned
steel bars before the concrete structure is subjected to any service loads. This stress
counteracts with external stresses.

Need for Prestressing Concrete

The need for prestressing in concrete can be justified by the following issue:

1. Concrete is weak in tension and strong in compression. This is a weak point of concrete that
results in early flexural cracks mainly in flexural members like beams and slabs. To prevent this, the
concrete is induced with compressive stress deliberately (prestressing) and this stress counteracts with
the tensile stress the structure is subjected to during service condition. Hence the chances of flexural
cracks are reduced.

2. The pre-compression that is induced as a part of prestressing helps to enhance the bending
capacity, the shear capacity and the torsional capacity of the flexural members.

3. A compressive prestressing force can be applied concentrically or eccentrically in the

longitudinal direction of the member. This prevents cracks at critical midspan and supports at service
load.
4. A prestressed concrete section behaves elastically.

5. The full capacity of the concrete in compression can be used over entire depth under full loading
in the case of prestressed concrete.

Methods of Prestressing
The prestressing can be performed by two methods:

1. Pretensionong

2. Post-Tensioning

1. Pretensioning
In the pretensioning method, the stress is induced by initially tensioning the steel tendons.
These are wires or strands that are tensioned between the end anchorages. After this
tensioning process, the concrete casting is performed.

Once the casted concrete has hardened sufficiently, the end anchorages arranged are
released. This releasing transfers the prestress force to the concrete. The bond between
the concrete and the steel tendons facilitates this stress transfer.

As shown in figure-2, the tendons that are protruding at the ends are cut and a finished
look is achieved. In order to induce prestress force in the pre-tensioning method, a large
number of tendons and wires are used. This arrangement hence demands a large area of
surface contact to make the bond and stress transfer possible.

Fig.2.The process of Pre-tensioning

 2. Post Tensioning
The procedure in post-tensioning is depicted in the figure-3 below. Here, the steel is
prestressed only after the beam is cast, cured and attain strength to take the prestress.
Within the sheathing, the concrete is cast. For the passage of steel cables, ducts are
formed in the concrete.

Fig.3.The process of Post-tensioning

Once the casted concrete hardens completely, the tendons are tensioned. One end of the
tendon is anchored and the other end is tensioned. In some cases, the tensioning can be
performed from either side and anchored subsequently.

Once the prestressing is complete, there is space between the tendons and the duct. This
leads to:

1. Bonded Construction

2. Unbonded Construction

1. Bonded Construction
In bonded construction, the space between the duct and the tendon is filled with cement
grout. The grouting process helps the steel to resist corrosion to a large extent. The
ultimate strength is increased as this method increases the resistance to live loads acting.
The grout mixture is cement and water combined with or without admixture. No sand is
used in this grout.
 2. Unbonded Construction
If no grout is used to fill the space between the duct and tendon, it is called as unbonded
construction. Here, the steel is galvanized to protect from corrosion. A waterproofing
material is used for galvanizing.

Read More: Pre-Tensioning and Post-tensioning in Prestressed

Concrete Mix Design
Advantages of Prestressed
Concrete
The major advantages of Prestressed Concrete are:

1. The prestressing of concrete by using high tensile steel improve the efficiency of the materials

2. The prestressing system works for a span greater than 35m.

3. Prestressing enhance shear strength and fatigue resistance of concrete

4. Dense concrete is provided by prestressing systems thus improving the durability

5. Best choice for the construction of sleek and slender structures.

6. Prestressing helps to reduce the dead load of the concrete structure

7. Prestressed concrete remains uncracked even at service load conditions which proves the
structural efficiency

8. Composite construction by using the prestressed concrete unit and cast-in-unit derives the
economical structure

Disadvantages of Prestressed
Concrete
1. Higher material costs

2. Prestressing is an added cost

3. Formwork is more complex than for RC (flanged sections, thin webs) – thus, precast not as
ductile as RC