Design of

Prestressed
Concrete Sections
1
 Stress Conditions
Minimum section modulus:
Prestressed sections under the action of flexure should
satisfy the limits specified for permissible stresses at the
stage of transfer of prestress and service loads. Expressions
for the minimum section moduli required, prestressing
force and the corresponding eccentricity are developed
using the four stress relationships established for the two
extreme fibres of the section and considering two critical
combinations of prestress and moments. The general
critical combinations considered are:

1. The maximum prestressing force at transfer together

with the minimum moments sustained by the section, and
2. The minimum prestressing force after all losses in
combination with the maximum design moment for the
serviceability limit state.

Referring to Fig, the four fundamental conditions for

stresses at transfer and service loads are as follows:

At transfer

 Mg 
At top fibre  f sup    f tt …………………………(1)
 Zt 

 Mg 
At bottom fibre  f inf    f ct …………………………(2)
 Zb 
  P Pe  Mg Mq
f sup      P Pe 
    Zt
 A Zt   A Zt  Zt

 P Pe   P Pe  Mg Mq
f inf        
 A Zb   A Zb 
Zb Zb

Initial Prestress Dead Applied load

Prestress after Load stresses
losses stresses
At working load

 Mg Mq 
At top fibre f sup     f cw ……………(3)
 Zt Zt 

 Mg Mq 
At bottom fibre f inf     f tw ……………(4)
 Zb Zb 

From Equations (1) and (3)

 M q  1  M g 
    f cw f tt   f tr
 Zt 
Similarly, From Equations (2) and (4)

 M q  1  M g 
   f ct  f tw   f br
 Zb 

where ftr and fbr are the ranges of stress at top and bottom
fibres respectively. Hence the design formulae for the
required section moduli are expressed as
 M q  1  M g  ………..………………(5)
Zt   
 f tr 

 M q  1   M g 
Zb    ………..………………(6)
 f br 
Prestressing force:

Generally the section selected is somewhat greater than

the minimum indicated by Equations (5) and (6) and
consequently prestress can lie between an upper and
lower limit. Any value of the prestress within these limits
may be safely used without exceeding the permissible
stresses at the extreme fibres. However, the minimum
prestressing force required will be obtained by selecting
the maximum tensile stresses, indicated by Equation (1) at
the top fibre and the minimum compressive, indicated by
Equation (4) corresponding to the bottom fibre.
Rearranging these equations,
  Mg 
f sup   f tt  
 Zt 

f inf 
f tw

M q  Mg 
 Z b

In these Equations, Zt and Zb correspond to the actual

values of the section selected.

Eliminating e from the equations,

 P Pe   P Pe 
f sup     f inf    
 A Zt   A Zb 
We have the expression for the minimum prestressing
force as

 A f supZ t  f inf Z b 
P 
 Zt  Zb  
Similarly eliminating P from the equations, the
corresponding maximum eccentricity is given by

 Z t Z b  f inf  f sup  
e 
 A f sup Z t  f inf Z b 
Alternatively, graphical method developed by Magnel and
Bennett may be used for determining the prestressing
force and the corresponding eccentricity.

In Magnel’s method, the four stress conditions (Equations

(1) to (4)), combined with prestress equations, yield four
linear relationships when plotted on a graph with A/P as
the ordinate and e as the abscissa. The possible
combinations of the prestressing force and eccentricity are
represented by points lying within the quadrilateral
formed by the four lines.
A prestressed concrete beam of rectangular section, 90
mm wide and 180 mm deep, is to be designed to support
two imposed loads of 3.5 kN each located at one-third
points over a span of 3m. If there is to be no tensile stress
in the concrete at transfer and service loads, calculate the
minimum prestressing force and the corresponding
eccentricity.

Dc = 24kN/m3, Loss ratio = 0.8

3.5kN 3.5kN

1m 1m 1m
Section Properties

A = 90 × 180= 16200 mm2

90 180 2
Z  Zt  Zb   486 103 mm3
6

wg  0.09  0.18  24  0.388kN / m

 wg L2   0.388  32 
Mg   
   0.4365kNm
 8 
   8 

M q  3.5 1  3.5kNm
ftt = ftw = 0 (Type -1 member)

Loss ratio = 0.8

 M g   0.4365 106 
f sup   f tt    0  3 
 0.90MPa
 Zt   486 10 

 f tw M g  M q   0.4365  3.5106 
f inf      0  
 Z b 0.8  486 10 
3
 
 10.12MPa

 A f supZ t  f inf Z b 
P 
 Zt  Zb  
P
 
16200   0.90  486  103  10.12  486  103 
 2 486  10 3
 

 74682 N  74.68kN

 Z t Z b  f inf  f sup  
e 
 A f sup Z t  f inf Z b 


 
 486  103 2 10.12   0.90  

16200  486  10  0.90  10.12  
3

 35.6mm
Design the prestressing force and the eccentricity for a
symmetrical I-section beam having flanges of width 260
mm and thickness of flange being 100 mm, thickness of
web = 50 mm, overall depth of the I-section = 520 mm,
span of the beam = 9m. The beam supports a uniformly
distributed live load of 8 kN/m. Assume compressive
strength of concrete at transfer as 15 MPa, loss ratio = 0.8.
No tensile stresses are permitted at any stage. If 5 mm
diameter high tensile wires initially stressed to 1200 MPa
are used, find the number of wires.

15
Section Properties

A = [(2 × 260 × 100) + (320 × 50)] = 68000 mm2

 260  5203 210  3203 

I     24726  10 5
mm4

 12 12 
I 24726 105
Z  Zt  Zb    9.51106 mm3
y 260

wg  0.068  24  1.632kN / m
 wg L2   1.632  9 2 
Mg   
   16.52kNm
 8 
   8 
  wq L2   8  9 2 
Mq   
   81kNm
 8 
   8 

fct = 15MPa, ftt = ftw = 0 (Type -1 member)

Loss ratio = 0.8

Minimum section modulus is given by

 M q  1  M g   81106  1  0.816.52 106 
Zb    
 f ct  f tw   0.8 15  0 

Z b  7.02 106 mm3  9.51106 mm3 (Provided)

Hence, adequate.
Minimum prestressing force is given by

 A f supZ t  f inf Z b 
P 
 Zt  Zb  

 M g   16.52 106 
f sup   f tt    0  6 
 1.73MPa
 Zt   9.5110 

 f tw M g  M q   16.52  81106 
f inf     0  6 
 12.81MPa
 Z b   0.8  9.5110 
P

 68000   1.73  9.51106  12.81 9.51106  
 
2  9.5110 6
 

 376000 N  376kN
 Z t Z b  f inf  f sup  
e 
 A f supZ t  f inf Z b 


  
9.51 10 12.81   1.73
6 2 

 68000   1 .73  9 . 51  10 6
 12. 81  9 .51  10 6


 184mm

Number of 5 mm diameter wires required = 376000/[π/4

(5)2×1200] = 16
A post-tensioned prestressed beam of rectangular section
150 mm wide and 350 mm deep is required to support a
dead load moment of 15 × 106 N-mm (inclusive of its own
weight) and a live load moment of 40 × 106 N-mm at its
mid-span. The stress in the concrete must not exceed 17
MPa in compression and 1 MPa in tension at any time and
the loss of prestress may be assumed to be 15%.
Determine the minimum prestressing force and the
corresponding eccentricity at the mid-span section. Check
the results by Magnel’s graphical method.

20
(a) A = 150 × 350= 52500 mm2

150  3503
I  535937500mm4
12

I 535937500
Z  Zt  Zb    3062500mm3
y 175

M q  M g  55106
  Mg   15 106 
f sup   f tt     1    5.898MPa
 Zt   3062500 

 f tw M g  M q    1 55 106 
f inf       19.952MPa
 Z b   0.85 0.85  3062500 

 52500   5.898  3062500  19.952  3062500 

P 
 2  3062500  
 368917.5 N  368.9175kN

 3062500 19.952   5.898 

2
e 
 52500   5.898  3062500  19.952  3062500
 107.29mm 22
(b) Magnel’s Graphical Solution
Mg 15 106
  4.898
Zt 3062500

Mq  Mg 55 10 6
  17.959
Z 3062500
535937500
r 
2
 10208.33
52500

r 2 10208.33
  58.33
y 175
Substituting numerical values in the equations, we have
 P   ey   M g 
1   2      f tt
A   r   Z t 

P
 1  0.0171e   4.898  1
 A

P   ey   M g 
1   2      f ct
A   r   Z b 

P
 1  0.0171e   4.898  17
 A
P   ey   M q  M g 
  f cw
1   2   
A   r   Zt 
 0.85 P 
 1  0.0171e   17.959  17
 A 

P   ey   M q  M g 
  f tw
1   2   
A   r   Zb 

 0.85 P 
 1  0.0171e   17.959  1
 A 
Rewriting the above linear equations in terms of the
parameters (A/P) and e, we have 25
 A   1   0.0171e 
       …………………………(1)
 P   5.898   5.898 

 A   1   0.0171e 
      …………………………(2)
 P   21.898   21.898 

 A   0.85   0.85  0.0171e  …………………………(3)

      
 P   0.959   0.959 

 A   0.85   0.85  0.0171e  …………………………(4)

     
 P   16.959   16.959 
Equations (1) to (4) are graphically represented as shown in
Fig. The intercepts of (A/P) corresponding to e = 0 in the
above equations are obtained as -169.55 × 10-3, 45 × 10-3,
-886.34 × 10-3 and 50.12 × 10-3. The intercepts of e
corresponding to zero values of (A/P) are 58.48 and -58.48.

The four equations intersect each other in quadrilateral,

which is shaded, indicating the feasible zone of solutions.

The minimum prestressing force and corresponding to the

maximum eccentricity as governed by the Equation (1) and
(4) are read out from Figure having the value (A/P) = 135 ×
10-3 , yielding,
28
  
3
P 10
 
 A  135
52500 103
P  388888.89 N  388.89kN
135
and
e  110mm

These values of the prestressing force and the eccentricity

are nearly same as those obtained in case (a).

29