Preliminary Design of Post-Tensioned Transfer Girders

Almıla Uzel, Ph.D., P.Eng. 1

Abstract: Posttensioned transfer girders offer elegant solutions to support vertical members that do not extend below lower levels of
high-rise buildings. The design of a posttensioned transfer girder involves selection of a preliminary section, and then optimization of girder
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size and the prestressing force to satisfy serviceability and ultimate design requirements. In practice, typical span-to-depth ratios are used for
preliminary sizing of structures. However, in the case of transfer girders, it is not easy to set a rule-of-thumb because the depth of the member
depends on the transferred load and many other parameters. Herein, a simple approach is suggested to practicing engineers for determining
the depth of simply supported transfer girders with minimal trial and error. It is shown that the proposed expression gives reasonable pre-
liminary dimensions to achieve an acceptable design in terms of serviceability. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000519. © 2020
American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Staged prestressing; Preliminary sizing; Prestressed concrete; Posttensioning; Transfer girders.

Introduction checked. This check must be repeated until an economical and

To have flexibility in the column layout of mixed-use buildings or
to create a wider space at lower floors of a building, the engineer
may need to terminate a column or a shear wall, and introduce
other ones. In such design challenges, posttensioning can offer both
structurally and architecturally efficient solutions. Advances in
posttensioning techniques and materials have enabled structural en-
gineers to more widely use posttensioned members during the last
decade (Fig. 1).
Prestressing improves the response of a flexural member, be-
cause precompression substantially increases the external load re-
quired to crack the concrete. By using prestressing, for the same
imposed load, a more slender structure can be designed. Control
of creep deflections and cracking is one of the other reasons to
choose posttensioned girders when transferring high-rise columns.
The design process of almost any type of structural element starts
with choosing appropriate cross-sectional dimensions for prelimi-
nary calculations. In practice, typical span-to-depth ratios are used
for preliminary sizing of structures. Basic ratios of span to overall
depth for reinforced concrete beams without axial compression are
given in Table 9.3.1.1 of ACI 318-19 (ACI 2019). These typical
ratios provide guidance for preliminary sizing under common oc-
cupancy loading. However, in the case of transfer girders, it is not
easy to set a rule-of-thumb because the depth of the member would
depend on many parameters such as the number of floors to be
transferred and the layout of supporting structural members. On
the other hand, transfer girders, whether posttensioned or conven-
tional reinforced concrete, are usually large members, and it is gen-
erally expected by the whole design team to have an idea on how
large the beam would be so that the clear height under the beam is
known, and any related design obstacles can be foreseen at the be-
ginning of the project. A preliminary section is often assumed
based on past experience, and service design requirements are then
1
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Dept. of Civil Engineer-
ing, Yeditepe Univ., Atasehir, Istanbul 34755, Turkey. ORCID: https://
orcid.org/0000-0001-9402-8757. Email: almila.uzel@yeditepe.edu.tr
Note. This manuscript was submitted on October 23, 2019; approved on
June 10, 2020; published online on August 11, 2020. Discussion period
open until January 11, 2021; separate discussions must be submitted for
individual papers. This paper is part of the Practice Periodical on Struc-
tural Design and Construction, © ASCE, ISSN 1084-0680.
sound design is achieved.
The load balancing concept was first introduced by Lin (1961)
to produce relatively simple preliminary designs without compli-
cated calculations and has given a new approach to the design
of complex prestressed members (Lin 1963). This concept, where
prestressing balances a portion of the applied load, relies on the
principle of superposition, which is applicable in the elastic region,
i.e., before cracking. If one assumes that prestressed members are
essentially uncracked under service loads, load balancing can be
used to decide on the effective prestressing force and section size.
It is significant for a practicing engineer to answer this question
quickly: “What would be the depth of the girder if we transfer this
column?” This paper aims to propose a simple approach to derive
an expression for preliminary sizing of posttensioned transfer gird-
ers based on the concept of balanced loading. Furthermore, a de-
sign example is included to illustrate the use of the proposed
expression for the serviceability design of a posttensioned transfer
girder for which prestressing is applied in stages.
Preliminary Design Process: Choosing Girder
Dimensions and Prestressing
In the design of prestressed concrete structures, loads on the
member must be assessed with the utmost care, and concrete
stresses under these loads must be checked at different stages
of the member’s life. Once service design requirements are satis-
fied, the ultimate strength design of the girder is carried out. Often
satisfying the ultimate strength requirements of a posttensioned
member is less complicated than satisfying stress limits at service
stages. To determine an appropriate tendon profile and the pre-
stressing force to be applied, the structural framing system and
cross-sectional dimensions of the transfer girder must be
determined.
Fig. 2(a) shows a typical single span simply supported transfer
girder, with a profiled tendon which supports a column at midspan.
Ideally, the prestressing profile of a posttensioned girder transfer-
ring a column should be a harped profile to fully balance the load-
ing from a point load (Lin 1963). However, harped tendons with
sharp deviations are not suitable for field installation because rup-
turing of the strands during stressing operation may occur due to

© ASCE 04020036-1 Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.

Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036


transferred columns
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Fig. 1. Two tower columns being transferred at a lower story. (Image
by Almıla Uzel).
Peff Peff
(a)
anchor plates
h x
e p,mid
bw
section section
at midspan at ends
ep=ep,mid ep=0
(b)
Fig. 2. (a) Typical transfer girder supporting a column at midspan; and
(b) transfer girder cross sections at midspan and at ends.
the kink in the tendon at high and low points, especially when the
girder is continuous (Nawy 2006). There are different approaches
in practice, either the tendon is arranged in a parabolic profile and
then a profile close to a harped profile is achieved by smoothing the
curvatures, or the tendon is arranged in a harped profile, and then it
is bent in a concentrated curvature with minimum radius at
deviation points. The center of gravity of tendons at the ends of
a member is arranged such that it coincides with the centroid of
the gross cross section not to transmit any moments to the columns
supporting the girder.
The engineer then decides on sectional dimensions and the pre-
stressing force to be applied. Service design requirements are
checked, and this must be repeated a few times before an acceptable
design in terms of serviceability is achieved. Due to the high axial
compression that is sustained during the lifetime of a prestressed
member, there is a greater tendency in prestressed structures to
© ASCE 04020036-2
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036
creep (Balázs et al. 2013). Therefore, it is usually suggested to
choose a prestressing force that balances the deflection due to dead
load so that the creep of both dead load deflection and upward cam-
ber are balanced, and the long-term deflection is only due to sus-
tained live load. If the actual live load is too high and will be
sustained, then the engineer may also choose to balance part
of the live load for better control of deflections. It is concluded that
the amount of loading to be balanced should be decided based on
the circumstances of each project.
Proposed Expression for Preliminary Sizing
In this work, a simple expression to determine the depth of a simply
supported single span transfer girder is derived by assuming that a
certain percentage of the applied downwards load is balanced with
the upwards push due to prestressing. Fig. 2(b) shows cross sec-
tions of a typical transfer girder, at midspan and the ends. The width
of the surrounding slab can be neglected when compared with the
large girder section, and the girder section can be assumed as a
rectangular section. Design variables are h, height of the section;
bw , width of the section; ep;mid , eccentricity of the tendon at mid-
span which is the distance from the center of gravity of steel (c.g.s)
to the center of gravity of concrete (c.g.c) section and the effective
prestressing force after all losses, Peff [Fig. 2(a)].
There are practical and code limitations that enable the engineer
to consider reasonable values for the effective prestressing force,
Peff , and the eccentricity of the tendons at midspan, ep;mid . Below,
the value assumed for these critical design parameters will be given
along with the reasoning behind it.
Effective Prestress Force, Pef f
Peff is the total prestressing force after all losses due to shrinkage,
creep, relaxation, anchorage seating, and friction due to the drape of
tendons. In most design codes [ACI 318-19 (ACI 2019); CSA
A23.3-14 (CSA 2014)], a minimum value for average effective pre-
stress, f pc , which is the compressive stress at the centroid of the
section due to prestress after allowance for all prestress losses, is
specified. On the other hand, many codes do not specify upper lim-
its for average effective prestress, and it is often decided by the
engineer based on previous experience (Aalami and Jurgens
2003). It is recommended to limit the applied prestressing force
to limit restraint forces in the surrounding and supporting structural
members; to minimize creep of concrete and congestion of
reinforcement at anchorage zones and to achieve an economical
design. It is important to note that according to Chapter 18.6.3.5
(a) of ACI 318-19, fpc shall not exceed the lesser of 3.5 MPa
(500 psi) and f c0 =10 for beams in structures assigned to seismic
design category (SDC) D through F whether the beam is a part
of seismic-force-resisting system or not. For beams in structures
assigned to SDC B and C, this upper limit on f pc applies only
to beams that are part of the seismic-force-resisting system, and
beams in structures assigned to SDC A are exempt from this limit.
High prestressing forces may cause excessive restraint forces in the
surrounding members, which would result in cracking of concrete
(Aalami and Jurgens 2003). Therefore, an effective compressive
stress of 4–6 MPa on gross cross section is a good design choice,
which also results in lower compression just behind the anchor
plates at the ends of the transfer girder [Fig. 2(b)].
Width of Transfer Girder, bw
As shown in Fig. 2(a), tendons approach into a relatively tight
group at locations of maximum moment, and they are placed
preferably in a single layer to maximize tendon eccentricity. On
the other hand, a clear spacing must be provided between them
to evenly distribute the precompression and to allow for proper
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.
 concrete placement. Tendons are anchored at the stressing end with
steel plates attached to them, as depicted in Fig. 2(b). Prestressing
force is applied and as the strands are anchored by means of conical
seats, compression is first applied to this small area. In the design of
posttensioned girders, large concentrated loads require high pre-
stressing forces to be applied. In the anchorage zones of transfer
girders transverse tensile stresses, i.e., bursting stresses occur
due to the high longitudinal compression applied by the prestress-
ing force over a small bearing area. As the ratio of bearing area
dimensions to member dimensions increases, bursting stresses will
decrease; therefore, it is usually desired to have anchorage plates
distributed over the entire cross section. Also, the size of these
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plates should be large enough such that the compressive stresses
behind the anchorage plates stay below reasonable limits, and these
anchorage plates should be placed within an acceptable distance
from the face of the girder to avoid spalling failure. Hence, the
width of the transfer girder should be wide enough to accommodate
a proper arrangement of the tendons. In practice, considering a
beam width close to the height of the transfer girder is reasonable
and economical unless there are architectural constraints to limit the
width of the girder.
Tendon Eccentricity at Midspan, ep;mid
Cover requirements and minimum spacing between the tendons
dictate the value of the eccentricity of the tendon at the span where
the largest sag occurs. To determine concrete cover and minimum
spacing between tendons, applicable standards and recommenda-
tions should be followed. Fire protection and durability are ensured
by a sufficiently thick cover. Moreover, the cover must be thick
enough to ensure sufficient bond and to avoid spalling of concrete.
The minimum specified cover for cast-in-place prestressed concrete
is given as 40 mm (1.5 in.) in Table 20.5.1.3.2 of ACI 318-19 (ACI
2019). The minimum spacing between the tendons should be large
enough to provide clearance for proper concrete placement around
the tendons. According to R25.6.2.1 of ACI 318R-19 (ACI 2019),
it is suggested that the clear distance between parallel ducts is at
least 1.33 times the nominal maximum size of aggregate but not
less than 25 mm (1 in.). Larger spacings based on the diameter
of ducts are recommended in AASHTO (2017) and other technical
guidance documents (Rogowsky and Marti 1991). Based on the
cover and spacing requirements of the ducts, it is suggested that
the eccentricity of tendons at midspan can be approximately taken
as 0.35 h for most design cases where h is the total height of the
transfer girder. It is believed that this approximation is conservative
and reasonable from the standpoint of practical design.
Height of Transfer Girder, h
Herein, the load balancing concept is used to derive a simple ex-
pression for the height of transfer girders. The balancing moment
due to prestressing is the sum of the primary moment and the sec-
ondary moment that occurs only in statically indeterminate systems
resulting from restraint of deformations induced by prestressing.
The primary moment does not depend on the member’s support
conditions and applied loading (Aalami 1990). For a simply sup-
ported beam with a profiled tendon, the balanced moment at mid-
span is calculated as follows:
M bal ¼ Peff ep;mid ð1Þ
where ep;mid = eccentricity of the tendon at midspan; and Peff =
effective prestressing force after all losses. Effective prestressing
force (Peff ) can be calculated by simply multiplying the cross-
sectional area by the effective compressive stress value, fpc , as
follows:
© ASCE 04020036-3
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036
Peff ¼ fpc hbw ð2Þ
where bw = width; and h = height of the transfer girder. Substituting
ep;mid ¼ 0.35h; bw ¼ h as practical values and assuming an effec-
tive compressive stress value of 5 MPa, the balancing moment can
be calculated as
Peff ep;mid ¼ ð5 MPaÞðh2 Þð0.35hÞ ¼ 1.75h3 ð3Þ
Assuming the engineer chooses to balance 100% of the moment
produced by the dead load of the transferred column, the following
equation can be written:
PDL L
Peff ep;mid ¼ ð4Þ
4
where PDL = total dead load of the transferred column; and L =
span length of the transfer girder. Applied moment due to the dead
load of the supported column is calculated assuming that the point
load acts at the midspan. Recall that because the profile of the ten-
dons cannot be formed into a perfect harped profile to avoid sharp
kinks along the tendon, the profile will not match the applied
moment diagram. Consequently, exact load balancing is not
achieved, and this will result in some unbalanced moments along
the beam. However, it is noted that the purpose here is to calculate a
preliminary girder size that will require minimal trial and error.
Substituting Eq. (3) into Eq. (4) and solving for h, the following
simple expression to determine the required height of a simply sup-
ported posttensioned transfer girder supporting a column dead load
of PDL at midspan, is obtained as
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
h ¼ 52 3 PDL L kN; m ð5Þ
As is understood from the above, the coefficient in Eq. (5)
changes depending on the value of the average effective compres-
sive stress, the location of the transferred column along the span,
percentage of the column dead load to be balanced, and the ratio of
width to height of the girder. This coefficient which is notated as ah
in Eq. (6), can be tabulated.
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
h ¼ ah 3 PDL L ð6Þ
Table 1 gives values for ah in Eq. (6) considering different levels
of balanced column dead load percentage and width-to-height ra-
tios. For all cases, tendon eccentricity at the midspan, ep;mid , is as-
sumed to be 0.35 h; an average effective prestress of 5 MPa is
applied, and the column load is assumed to be applied at the mid-
span. Using the approach explained above, the ah value can easily
be calculated to meet the specific needs of any project, such as the
percentage of the balanced column load, average effective pre-
stress, or location of the transferred column in the span.
In continuous beams, the tendon profile is effectively used with
high points over the intermediate supports, and the moments gen-
erated by the external loading will be less in statically indetermi-
nant systems. However, secondary moments, which occur in the
opposite direction of primary moments at spans, lower the balanced
Table 1. ah values considering different levels of balanced load percentage
and width-to-height ratios for an average compression value of 5 MPa
Balanced dead
load (%) bw ¼ 0.5h bw ¼ 0.8h bw ¼ h bw ¼ 1.2h
80 61 52 49 46
100 66 56 52 49
120 70 60 56 52
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.
 Table 2. ah values for multispan transfer girders considering an average compression value of 5 MPa
Applied moment due to
Number of spans Span type column dead load at midspan
2 Exterior 0.156PDL L
3 Exterior 0.175PDL L
Interior 0.100PDL L
4 Exterior 0.170PDL L
Interior 0.116PDL L
moments. Table 2 gives the results of calculations to determine the
height of multispan transfer girders using the same approach. For
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all girders, tendon eccentricity at the midspan, ep;mid , is assumed to
be 0.35 h; an average effective prestress of 5 MPa is applied, and
the girder width to height ratio is taken as 1. The girders have equal
span lengths with a point load acting at each midspan. The midspan
moment for the exterior and first interior span of continuous beams,
along with the primary and secondary moments generated by pre-
stressing at the same section, are given in Table 2. The secondary
moments generated by prestressing in statically indeterminate sys-
tems are calculated by the method given in Collins and Mitchell
(1997). As seen from Table 2, governing ah values are those cal-
culated for exterior spans in multispan girders with equal spans
under equal point loads and for a four-span continuous girder
ah value in Eq. (6) is equal to 48.1, which is only about 10% less
than that of a simply supported girder as calculated in Eq. (5).
Therefore, instead of performing complicated secondary moment
calculations, the same expression can be used to calculate a
conservative value for the required height of a continuous transfer
girder with the same loading and span length.
Stage Prestressing
At the initial stage when the prestressing force is applied through
tensioning of strands, the prestressing force is at its highest value,
and the strength of young concrete is lower than the specified de-
sign strength. Large concentrated loads on transfer girders require
high prestressing forces to be applied, which may result in exces-
sive cracking and crushing in the young concrete. Therefore, it is
possible to damage a member during stressing operation, if stresses
in young concrete exceed the tensile strength of concrete. Another
challenge in the construction of posttensioned transfer girders is
that because the number of floors to be transferred is not there
at the initial stage, excessive cambering due to large prestressing
forces may occur. This can be prevented by applying stage post-
tensioning (Slater 1975). In this method, the prestressing force is
chosen to balance the weight of several floors, such that these floors
are constructed without exceeding the code stress limits in the con-
crete, and the tendons are stressed gradually at several stages as the
building construction progresses. This process of stage posttension-
ing is repeated until the structure is completed. Elastic behavior is
ensured by limiting the concrete stresses to the values suggested in
relevant design codes at each stage, and the principle of superpo-
sition can then be used.
By stage prestressing, the stresses can be controlled; however,
construction and operational issues may demand the stressing oper-
ations to end as early as possible. Grouting of tendons is usually per-
formed when all the prestressing operations end; therefore, specific
measures should be taken to prevent water ingression into the ducts.
This may not be desirable because there is always a risk of water
ingression. If lower stories are planned to be occupied sooner, no
major construction work can continue; therefore, stressing should
be finished earlier. In such cases, top cracking as a result of excessive
cambering due to large prestressing forces may be inevitable and
© ASCE 04020036-4
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036
Balanced moment due to prestressing
at midspan Mprimary þ Msecondary ah
−Peff e þ 0.15Peff e 47.2
−Peff e þ 0.12Peff e 48.4
−Peff e þ 0.24Peff e 42.2
−Peff e þ 0.13Peff e 48.1
−Peff e þ 0.21Peff e 43.8
must be controlled with conventional steel reinforcement. In that case,
camber calculations may not be correct because the concrete is
cracked. If exact deflection calculations are required, then the section
should be assumed as a cracked section. It is believed that the same
expression can still be used to determine a preliminary girder depth.
If stage prestressing is an option, then the loading and construc-
tion history must be contemplated before developing a safe design
and detailing of transfer girders. In their engineering report,
Rogowsky and Marti (1991) noted that, “A satisfactory design is
possible if one examines what can go wrong during the construction
and use of a structure, along with the resulting consequences.” It is
preferable to grout ducts once stressed; however, in stage prestress-
ing, grouting of ducts is usually carried out after all stressing stages
are completed. If the ducts are grouted at the end of the final stage,
the tendons will be temporarily unbonded, and this must be taken
into account when detailing conventional steel reinforcement. At
the end of a stage, before the last prestressing takes place, the trans-
fer girder would be supporting the weight of several floors, and the
tendons would still be unbonded because stressing operations are
not completed. Transfer girders are instrumental to the integrity of
the whole structure because the failure of the girder may cause
progressive collapse of the building. Therefore, it is prudent to
design the transfer girder reinforcement such that the ultimate re-
sistance provided by only nonprestressed bonded steel reinforce-
ment is sufficient to support the self-weight of floors existing at
the beginning of the final stage before the rest of the building is
constructed.
The first step, in the design of stages, would be to choose the
total effective prestressing force to be applied such that the stress
limits at the final stage are satisfied. Stress limits for tensile stresses
in the concrete are given in Chapter 24.5 of ACI 318-19 (ACI
2019). Flexural stresses are calculated assuming uncracked section
properties or fully cracked conditions, whichever is appropriate ac-
cording to Table R24.5.2.1. Compressive stresses under sustained
loads should also be checked and limited to 0.45f c0 to avoid creep
effects (Balázs et al. 2013).
The initial jacking force is based on the required long-term ef-
fective stress and includes all long-term prestress losses. Therefore,
the initial prestressing force is usually 15–20% higher than the re-
quired effective force at a certain stage (Kelley 2000). When check-
ing concrete stresses at the end of each intermediate stage, it is
suggested that a construction live load of 1 kPa (20 psf) as specified
in ASCE/SEI 37-14 (ASCE 2019), is considered in the calculation
of applied loads.
Design Example
Preliminary Sizing
A posttensioned girder, with a span length of 12 m, is required to
support a 650 × 650 mm column at midspan. The column is 28
stories high and does not extend below the second story of the
building, which is assigned to SDC A. The total dead and live loads
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.
 to be supported after the completion of the building is PDL ¼
6,000 kN and PLL ¼ 2,000 kN, respectively. Because the live load
is not so high compared with the dead load, the design decision is to
balance only 80% of the dead load. Assuming an effective prestress
of 5 MPa, for a section where bw ¼ h, the ah value to calculate a
preliminary size for this member can be taken from Table 1 as
ah ¼ 49, and the height of the girder is determined as
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi p
3
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
h ¼ 49 3 PDL L ¼ 49 6000 × 12 ¼ 2038 mm ð7Þ
Based on this preliminary calculation, the cross-sectional dimen-
sions of the girder are chosen as bw ¼ h ¼ 2,000 mm. A starting
value for Peff can be calculated by choosing an effective prestress
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value equal to the one considered as one of the design choices when
determining the preliminary depth of the girder; thus, Peff is calcu-
lated as ð5 MPaÞð2 mÞ2 ¼ 20,000 kN. This effective prestressing
force can be achieved by using six tendons, with a parabolic profile
that consists of 23–15 mm low-relaxation strands with a total
cross-sectional area of 19,320 mm2 and a duct diameter of
120 mm. The ultimate tensile strength of the prestressing steel is
f pu ¼ 1,860 MPa. Assuming that the effective stress in the strands
after prestress losses is fse ¼ 1,070 MPa (PCI Committee on
Prestress Losses 1975), the final effective prestressing force can
be calculated as Peff ¼ 20,670 kN. The compressive strength of
concrete is specified as f c0 ¼ 40 MPa. Because the supporting sys-
tem is statically determinate, secondary moments due to prestressing
do not occur. At the service stage, the total moment at midspan due to
the self-weight of the beam, loads on the second floor and loads from
the transferred column is equal to M service ¼ 26,440 kN-m.
For this preliminary cross section with an eccentricity of ep ¼
0.35 · 2,000 ¼ 700 mm at midspan and a prestressing force of
Peff ¼ 20,670 kN, stresses at the final service stage, can be calcu-
lated considering uncracked concrete section as below:
Peff Peff ep Mservice
f¼  ∓ y tion is calculated as 3.75 mm, which is only about 1/3,200 of the
Ac Ic Ic
−20670 × 103 20670 × 103 × 700
f top ¼ þ × 1000
2000 × 2000 2000×20003
12
26440 × 106
− 2000×20003
× 1000
12
f top ¼ −5.17 þ 10.85 − 19.83
¼ −14.15 MPa < 0.6ð40Þ ¼ −24 MPa
fbot ¼ −5.17 − 10.85 þ 19.83
7.5 pffiffiffiffiffi
¼ 3.81 MPa < 40 ¼ 3.95 MPa ð8Þ
12
As seen from the above calculations, stresses at the final stage
are below specified stress limits; therefore, the design will proceed
with six ducts containing 23 strands each with a cross-sectional
area of 3,220 mm2 and a duct diameter of 120 mm which results
in a total prestressing steel area of Aps ¼ 19,320 mm2 for the
girder. Assuming that the effective tensile stress in the strands will
be f se ¼ 1,070 MPa after long-term losses occur, the final pre-
stressing force Peff is calculated as 20,670 kN. As shown in Fig. 3,
the clear cover is taken as 75 mm to the bottom of ducts, and the
distance between the ducts is assumed to be equal to 50 mm, which
are both acceptable values according to ACI 318-19. The tendon
eccentricity at the midspan can then be calculated as ep;mid ¼
2,000=2 − 240 ¼ 760 mm assuming a distance of Δe ¼ 20 mm
between the center of gravity of strands and duct centerline because
the strands will be pulled towards the inside wall of the curved duct
during stressing. Recall that for preliminary calculations, tendon
© ASCE 04020036-5
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036
h=2000
x
ep = 760
clear cover to tendons=75
bw=2000
Fig. 3. Transfer girder section at midspan showing only tendon
arrangement.
eccentricity was approximated as 0.35h ¼ 700 mm; therefore,
the prestressing force can be slightly lowered because the actual
eccentricity of the tendons increased. Accordingly, the number
of strands in each duct is lowered to 22, which results in an effective
force of Peff ¼ 19,770 kN (Fig. 4). With this arrangement, Table 3
gives the concrete stresses that are calculated at midspan section for
service loads and sustained loads assuming a 25% sustained live
load. It is noted that because the load from the transferred column
at the midspan is substantial, the critical section for stresses is al-
ways at the midspan. As documented in Table 3, stresses due to
total and sustained loading are below specified limits. The deflec-
tion under the transferred column can be calculated assuming un-
cracked section properties according to Table R24.5.2.1 of ACI
318-19 (ACI 2019). If 25% of the live load is assumed to be sus-
tained with a creep coefficient of 2, then the long-term total deflec-
span length.
In the example above, if the engineer chooses to consider lower
values for the height of the girder, the required average prestressing
to satisfy final service stress limits will increase accordingly. Aver-
age prestressing, fpc , for h ¼ bw ¼ 1,900 mm is 6 MPa, with a
maximum tensile stress value of 3.61 MPa at the final service stage,
whereas f pc , for h ¼ bw ¼ 1,800 mm should be increased to
7.2 MPa to satisfy the tensile stress limit at the final service stage.
The engineer must evaluate the resulting restraining due to the in-
creased average prestressing if the girder height is taken less than
calculated by the proposed expression.
Table 4 gives the results of preliminary height calculations for
two additional design cases: one with increased loading and one
with a longer span length. The same design decisions are made;
therefore, an ah value to determine girder height is taken as 49.
The first column of Table 4 summarizes the design parameters
and gives the girder height calculated by the proposed expression.
If a girder height close to the calculated height is used in the design,
then an effective prestress of 5 MPa is enough to satisfy the tensile
stress limit at the final service stage. In the second row of each
design case, the girder height is taken less than the calculated height
and as a result, the effective prestressing is increased to satisfy the
stress limits. As determined from Table 4, the proposed method
gives reasonable results for different design parameters.
Application of Stage Prestressing
It is assumed that the posttensioning will be completed in
two stages, thus the first stressing takes place after the girder is
Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.
 Roof

14 more stories transferred

29th floor

16th floor 16th floor

14 stories transferred
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2nd floor

Stage1-initial Stage2-final
Stage Stage1-final Stage2-initial
INITIAL STAGE FINAL STAGE

Total P1-i =11870 kN P1-f =9890 kN P2-i =21760 kN Peff =19770 kN

Prestressing
force

Applied SW of transfer girder SW of girder and 14 SW of girder and 14 SW of structure above,

Loads and slab floors, floors, no construction SDL and LL on all floors
construction live load load during stressing.
PSW =2500 kN PSW =2500 kN PDL = 6000 kN
PCLL =500 kN PLL = 2000 kN
M=2120 kN-m M=11230 kN-m M=9620 kN-m M=26440 kN-m

Concrete
strength
30 MPa 40 MPa 40 MPa 40 MPa

ftop= 2.21 MPa ftop= -5.26 MPa ftop= -0.25 MPa ftop= -13.5 MPa
Total stress
fbot= -8.14 MPa fbot= 0.31 MPa fbot= -10.6 MPa fbot= 3.62 MPa

3 0.6(40) = -24 MPa 0.6(40) = -24 MPa

Permissable 30 = 1.36 MPa 0.6(40) = -24 MPa
12 7.5 7.5
stresses 0.6(30) = -18 MPa 40 = 3.95 MPa 0.6(40) = -24 MPa 40 = 3.95 MPa
12 12

Fig. 4. Application of stage prestressing.

cast provided that concrete reaches a compressive strength of
f ci0 ¼ 30 MPa, and the second stressing is carried out when the
building reaches the 16th floor (Fig. 4). The prestressing force ap-
plied at the first stage is chosen to transfer the first 14 floors is
9,890 kN. At the second stage, an additional effective prestressing
force of 9,890 kN will be applied to transfer the remaining 14
floors. In this example, for concrete stress checks, initial jacking
stress is taken as 20% greater than the effective prestressing
force, 1.2 × 1,070 ¼ 1,280 MPa. This initial stress value is less
than the limit stress in posttensioning tendons immediately after
tendon anchorage, which is given as 0.7fpu ¼ 1,302 MPa in
Table 20.3.2.5.1 of ACI 318-19 (ACI 2019).
Fig. 4 shows how the stage prestressing is applied along with
the loading on structure and applied prestressing force at each
stage. It is assumed that only the self-weight of the structure is
present during construction because finishes cannot be completed
before the stressing operations end. During construction, a live load
of 1 kPa on each floor is considered. However, at the time of
stressing, it is assumed that the construction live load within the
vicinity of the transferred column is removed. The actual live load
is used to check stresses at the final service stage. Fig. 4 also gives
concrete stresses at each stressing stage. The stresses are calculated
assuming that the section is not cracked and using gross section
properties. As seen from Fig. 4, stresses at each stage are below
specified limits, and both the section size and prestressing satisfy
service stage requirements except at the first initial stage where the
top stress exceeds the stress limit. At the initial service stage, crack-
ing in the top concrete fibers is generally acceptable and can be

© ASCE 04020036-6 Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.

Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036

 Table 3. Stresses at midspan due to total and sustained loads
Due to total load Due to sustained loads
Stresses f bot (MPa) ftop (MPa) f bot (MPa) f top (MPa)
Peff =Ag −4.94 −4.94 −4.94 −4.94
Peff ðep Þ=S −11.27 11.27 −11.27 11.27
M ext =S 19.83 −19.83 16.33 −16.33
Total stress 3.62 −13.5 0.12 −10
7.5 pffiffiffiffiffi 7.5 pffiffiffiffiffi
Permissible stresses 40 ¼ 3.95 0.6ð40Þ ¼ −24 40 ¼ 3.95 0.45ð40Þ ¼ −18
12 O.K. O.K. 12 O.K. O.K.
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Table 4. Results for different design cases fpc = compressive stress at the centroid of the section due to
Design parameters Transfer Applied Tensile stress prestress after allowance for all prestress losses;
calculated girder height prestressing check at final fpu = specified tensile strength of prestressing reinforcement;
height (mm) f pc (MPa) stage (MPa) fse = effective tensile stress in prestressing reinforcement after
L ¼ 12 m 2,200 5 3.71 < 3.95 all prestress losses;
PDL ¼ 8,000 kN h = overall height of member;
PLL ¼ 3,000 kN 2,100 6 3.48 < 3.95 I c = Inertia moment of uncracked section;
h ¼ 2,240 mm Peff = effective prestressing force after all losses;
L ¼ 14 m 2,100 5 3.68 < 3.95 PCLL = total live load due to construction loads;
PDL ¼ 6,000 kN PDL = total dead load due to self-weight and superimposed loads;
PLL ¼ 2,000 kN 2,000 6 3.74 < 3.95 PLL = total live load; and
h ¼ 2,140 mm
PSW = total dead load due to only self-weight.

controlled by providing conventional steel reinforcement in the pre-

tensioned compressive zone.
Conclusions
This paper proposes a simple expression to quickly calculate the pre-
liminary depth of a girder, which transfers a column and as Lin and
Scordelis mention in their (Lin and Scordelis 1953) paper, “ : : : thus
enhance the interest and application of prestressed concrete struc-
tures.” The proposed simple expression gives reasonable values
for preliminary sizing of simply supported single span posttensioned
transfer girders. Although the expression is derived to determine the
required height of a simply supported posttensioned transfer girder,
the same expression can be used for continuous girders to calculate
an initial value. By using the approach given in this paper, the pre-
liminary height of transfer girders can easily be calculated to meet the
specific needs of any project, and the engineer can control and im-
pose design decisions for the preliminary design of transfer girders. It
is noted that the design of transfer girders depends on many param-
eters, and the proposed approach is suggested only to determine a
preliminary section for a more detailed design.
Data Availability Statement
No data, models, or code were generated or used during the study.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
Ac = area of uncracked section;
Aps = area of prestressed tension reinforcement;
bw = web width of member;
ep = eccentricity of prestressing tendons, distance from centroid
of prestressing steel to the centroid of gross cross section;
fc0 = specified compressive strength of concrete;
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© ASCE 04020036-7 Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr.

Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr., 2020, 25(4): 04020036