Live Video Webinar

Take the Tension Out of Post Tensioning

Speaker

• Bachelors of Civil Engineering

• Master of Applied Science in Civil
Engineering
• 9 years of experience in the construction
industry

Icaro Mariani
Engineering Solutions
Associate

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Vision: Revolutionizing the Construction Industry

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World Presence

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Agenda
1. What is post tensioning?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages?
3. The maturity method and how it helps post tension applications
4. Placement of temperature sensors
5. Case study - Examples of time saving and accuracy

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What is Post Tensioning
Definition
Current definition of post tensioning by ACI:
“Method of prestressing reinforced concrete in which tendons are tensioned
after the concrete has attained a specified minimum strength or a specified
minimum age.”

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How it Works

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Pros and Cons
Design Advantages

✓Controls Cracking
✓Durability
✓Load Capacity

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Operational Advantages

✓Efficiency
✓Economical

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Disadvantages

✓ Safety
✓ Tendon Repair
✓ Corrosion
✓ Complexity

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Construction Objectives
 Objective
Ensuring concrete is strong enough to withstand the post tension
stresses as early as possible

Concrete in
Tension in Compression Concrete in Tension in
cable Concrete in cable
Compression Compression

Influenced by two main characteristics:

1. Concrete mix design
2. External factors (weather / curing conditions)

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Concrete Mix Design

✓Low w/c ratio

✓Usually high cement type III content
✓Special additions (SCM)
✓Superplasticizers
✓Not necessarily high final strength

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External Factors

↑ quicker to achieve
°F/°C
concrete strength
✓Weather condition
✓Good curing (moisture)
↓Longer to achieve
°F/°C
concrete strength

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Concrete Strength in Post Tension
Application
Challenge
What is the optimal time to post tension cables?

Stresses caused by tensioning of cables

Stresses concrete can withstand (concrete strength)

When concrete has reached the minimum required strength

≥
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Challenge
Delays in post tension operation:

➢No progress on the jobsite

➢Delayed schedule
➢Further expenses with man-power
➢Further expenses with rental equipment

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Challenge: How to Measure Concrete Strength?

Field-cured specimens Lab-cured specimens Maturity meters

Does not represent neither Measures the real

Does not represent the actual
the curing conditions nor the temperature and strength in
concrete in-situ (smaller volume
in-situ concrete the concrete element
and different temperature)

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Lab-Cured vs. Field-Cured vs. In-Place Strength
Temperature
110

In-place
100
Lab cure

90 Field cylinder

80
Temperature (°F)

70

60

50

40

30
0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192
Time (hr)

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Limitations of Concrete Cubes
1. Inaccurate temperature
conditions
2. Delayed results
3. Limited information
4. Local variations
5. Low visibility

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What is Maturity?
What is Maturity?
A non-destructive method to estimate the real-time strength
development of in-place concrete, specifically at early ages less than 14
days.

It uses the temperature history of concrete during curing to estimate

strength development. The maturity method requires a calibration prior to
use in order to correlate the maturity to strength. Maturity calibration is
specific for a mix design.

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 What is Maturity?
ASTM C1074 - Maturity method : “a technique for estimating concrete strength that is based
on the assumption that samples of a given concrete mixture attain equal strengths if they
attain equal value of maturity.”

if M1 = M2 → f1 = f2
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How Maturity Helps?

✓ Increases the safety of jobsite post tension operations

✓ Provides more control to your job site
✓ More accurate strength results
✓ Localize measurement of concrete strength
✓ Save time and money

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How to Implement Maturity?
• A unique relationship between the Maturity Index (a function of concrete
temperature) and Concrete Strength for each concrete mixture

6000
Compressive Strength (psi)

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
0 5000 10000 15000 20000
Maturity (ºF-hrs)

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 How to Create a Maturity Calibration?
• Minimum of 17 samples
➢ 15 samples for strength: 5 data points (3
samples per point). 6000

➢ 2 samples for temperature monitoring

5000

• On post tensioned concrete – Focus is stressing

Compressive Strength (psi)

4000
the cables: Critical operation
3000

• Data points can be customized according to the

project needs 2000

➢ PT application: Mainly early ages

➢ Center break point will be the critical operation 1000

➢ 2 break points before and 2 break points after the

critical operation 0
0 5000 10000 15000 20000
Maturity (ºF-hrs)

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Critical Locations – Where to Measure Maturity?
Critical Locations
Colder locations
➢ More wind
➢ Less sun (shade)
➢ More surface area for heat to escape

✓Corners
✓Edges / anchor location
✓Potentially top/ bottom of the
slab (will be shown in future example).

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Critical Locations
Structural critical location

➢Maximum absolute moment

✓Mid span

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Critical Locations
Placement schedule End

➢End of the pour

✓Last poured corner

✓Last poured slab Start
edge/Anchor location

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 Examples
Case Study and Time Savings
 Example 1

Comparison between lab, field, and in-place strength

Most Common Strength Target
Typically, PT applications focus on 3000-4000 psi to stress the cables

• Usually target strength is developed within 1-3-7 days

➢ Depends on the mix-design
➢ Depends on the weather/curing conditions

How should concrete strength be measured?

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 Temperature
Lab-Cured vs. Field-Cured vs. In-Place Strength

Temperature Maturity
110 8000
In-place In-place
100 7000
Lab cure Lab cure
90 Field 6000 Field
cylinder cylinder
80 5000

Maturity (°F-hrs)
Temperature (°F)

70 4000
60 3000
50 2000
40 1000
30 0
0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192 0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192
Time (hr) Time (hr)

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 Strength
Lab-Cured vs. Field-Cured vs. In-Place Strength
Strength
6000

5000

4000
Strength (psi)

3000

2000
In-place
0.8 day
Lab cured
1000
1.7 days Field cylinder

0
0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192
Time (hr)

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 Example 2
Cold Weather: Same location at different depths
 Example – Same location different depths

A post tension lab might be exposed to

different temperatures on top and at the
bottom

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 Example – Same location different depths

Temperature Profiles
100

95
1 in
90
4 in

Temperature (°F)
85
8 in
80

75

70

65
Slab Middle 1in from surface

60
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Time (hours)

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Example – Same location / different depths

Mautiry Index
2000
1800
1600
1400
Maturity F.hs

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
Time (hours)

Slab Middle 1in from surface

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Example – Same location / different depths
Strength Difference - Middle x 1 in from surface
5000
Slab Middle 1in from surface

4000
Strength (psi)

3000

2000

4 hours
1000

SAFETY!
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Time (hours)

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 Example 3
3500 psi to Stress Cables
Example – 3500 psi to Stress Cables
• Generally wait for the ‘call from the lab’ to
proceed with operations

➢ The lab breaks the samples in the morning

and generates the report to call/send email to
the jobsite

➢ Call from the lab usually takes place in the

third day after pour – After 12 pm

➢ Until 12 pm no tensioning operation takes

place – half day lost

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Example – 3500 psi to Stress Cables
• Download information from the sensors

• Information is automatically uploaded to the

cloud and all users receive notifications of
new data

• If threshold achieved, app would notify that

3500-psi target was achieved

• At least half day saved. Operations flow at a

fast-paced rhythm

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 Lab-Cured vs. In-Place Strength
• It is normal to expect higher strength results from the maturity method compared to lab-cured cylinders
Temperature Strength
150 6000
In-place
140
Lab cured 5000
130 4400 psi
Temperature (°F)

120 4000

Strength (psi)
3500 psi
110
3000
100
90 2000
80 In-place
Time saving ~ ½ day
1000
70 24 hr Lab cured
13 hr
60 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 10 20 30 40 50
Time (hr) Time (hr)

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The Giatec Solution
 Logger/transmitter: Battery,
SmartRock™ 3 Sensor Bluetooth antenna, memory and
secondary temperature sensor
QR Code: Scan QR code to tag
the sensor

Temperature Cable:
NTC

Activation channel: Pull out

probe to activate sensor
Installation strap: To secure
sensor to reinforcement
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February 19, 2021
Roxi™: Who is she?

The first AI program created for concrete

testing
1. Suggests pouring time based on
temperature history
2. Mix validation
3. Proposes cement reduction based on mix
performance

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Giatec 360™ Software

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 Thank You!

+1 (877) 497-6278 | www.giatec.ca

support@giatec.ca sales@giatec.ca

Icaro.Mariani@giatec.ca