Materials and Methods in

Building Construction VII

18ARC72

Prestressed Concrete
Module 1
1. Introduction to wood products as building
Module 4
material: Plywood, block board, particle board,
7. Introduction to Advanced foundation: Mat foundations, Pile
hard board, laminates, MDF, HDF, HDPE wood
foundations; different types of piles, precast piles, cast-in-situ
wool, etc.
piles in wood concrete and steel.
2. Interior residential construction: Detail of
8. Pile foundation construction: method of driving piles, Sheet
wardrobes and show cases in wood, ferro
piling, pile caps, etc.
cement and stone.
9. Earth retaining structure: Selection, Design, Construction of
Module 2 retaining structures including gravity, cantilever, sheet pile, and
3.Interior residential construction: modular anchored earth and mechanically stabilized earth (reinforced
kitchens and cabinet shelves. earth) walls.
4. Interior office construction: bookshelves, file
cabinets and workstations. Partition systems: Module 5
wall and ceiling using plywood, PVC, marble, 10. Bamboo Construction: detailing of walls, wall panels, doors,
granite, aerated concrete blocks, gypsum windows, and roof in Bamboo.
board, glass etc. 11. Prefabrication in India: Advantages and relevance in the
Indian context. Prefabrication: Design, analysis and manufacture
Module 3 processes. Study of one example.
5. False ceiling systems: Fiber board, plaster of 12. Introduction to advanced methods of Building construction:
Paris, particle board, wood wool, metals, straw CAD /CAM fabrication and 3D
and any other materials introduced in the printing.
market including acoustic ceiling.
6.Prestressing and post tensioning:
Introduction to pre-stressing and post
tensioning of building components especially
floor slabs and beams.
6. Prestressing and post tensioning: Introduction to pre-stressing and
post tensioning of building components especially floor slabs and
beams
Prestressed concrete is a concrete construction material which is placed under compression prior to it
supporting any applied loads (i.e. it is "pre" stressed). A more technical definition is "Structural concrete in which internal
stresses have been introduced to reduce potential tensile stresses in the concrete resulting from loads."

This compression is produced by the tensioning of high-strength "tendons" located within or adjacent to he concrete
volume, and is done to improve the performance of the concrete in service. Tendons may consist of single wires, multi-wire
strands or threaded bars, and are most commonly made from high-tensile steels, carbon fibre or aramid fibre.

The essence of prestressed concrete is that once the initial compression has been applied, the resulting material has the
characteristics of high-strength concrete when subject to any subsequent compression forces, and of ductile high-strength
steel when subject to tension forces. This can result in improved structural capacity and/or serviceability compared to
conventionally reinforced concrete in many situations.

The essence of prestressed concrete is that once the initial compression has been applied, the resulting material has the
characteristics of high-strength concrete when subject to any subsequent compression forces, and of ductile high-strength
steel when subject to tension forces. This can result in improved structural capacity and/or serviceability compared to
conventionally reinforced concrete in many situations.

Prestressed concrete is used in a wide range of building and civil structures where its improved concrete performance can
allow longer spans, reduced structural thicknesses, and material savings to be realized compared to reinforced concrete.
Typical application range through high-rise buildings, residential slab, foundation systems, bridge and dam structures, and
tanks, industrial pavements and nuclear containment structures.
ADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

1. The size or dimensions of structural members are reduced, which may increase the clearances or reduce
storey heights.

2. It permits the use of large spans (greater than 30 m) with shallow members, even when heavy load are
encountered.

3. In addition to general advantages, such as excellent fire resistance, low maintenance costs, elegance, high
corrosion-resistance, adaptability etc, the prestressed concrete is found to sustain the effects of impact or
shock
and vibrations.

4. Because of smaller loads due to smaller dimensions being used, there is considerable saving cost of
supporting members and foundations.

5. The prestressing technique has eliminated the weakness of concrete in tension and hence crack free
members of structure are obtained.

6. Because of better material (i.e. controlled concrete and high tension steel) being used and nullifying the
effect of dead loads, smaller deflections are caused
DISADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE:

1. The unit cost of high strength materials being used is higher.

2. Extra initial cost is incurred due to use of prestressing equipment and its installation.

3. Extra labour cost for prestressing is also there.

4. Prestressing is uneconomical for short spans and light loads.

Steel Wires – wire is a single unit made of steel.

Strands – Group of wire not more than 7 wounded to form a prestressing strand.

Tendon – Number of strands or wires are packaged together to form a prestressing tendon.

Cable – When a number of tendons are grouped together and form single wire then it is called Cable.

Based upon the concrete-steel interface it can be classified into two-part:

Unbounded tendon – This tendon is those which are not bonded or in which not concrete grouting is done
after prestressing.

Bonded tendon – This tendon is bounded by injecting concrete grout.

Types of Prestressed Concrete

1. Pre-tensioning
In the pre-tensioning process steel tendon is
stretched before the concrete is poured into the
formwork. Then High-strength steel tendons are
placed between two abutments and stretched as
per the required deflection or strength. After that
Concrete is poured into moulds and around the
tendons and allowed to cure.

Tendons are kept stretched until the desired

concrete strength reached after curing. As the steel
reacts to regain its original length, the tensile
stresses are translated into compressive stress in
the concrete.

The most popular prestressed concrete elements

are roof slabs, piles, poles, bridge girders, wall
panels, and railroad ties.
2. Post-tensioning

The post-tensioning process tendons are

stretched after the concrete hardens. Firstly, a
Concrete is cast around, but not in contact
with unstretched tendons. In many situations, a
duct is formed in the concrete unit using thin-
walled steel forms.

As the concrete hardened to the required

strength, the steel tendons are then inserted
and stretched against the ends of the unit and
anchored off externally, placing the concrete
into compression. Post-tensioned concrete is
used for cast-in-place concrete and for
bridges, large girders, floor slabs, shells, roofs,
and pavements.
 Principles of Prestressed Concrete

• In concrete, a large prestressing force is applied by tendons embedded into it to develop high bearing
stresses at the ends by the anchoring devices. These anchoring devices are generally designed for
high-strength concrete work.

• Too high tensile stresses are likely to be developing in concrete members and that cannot be
satisfactorily resisted by low strength concrete work.

• Stress transfer to concrete is done by and between concrete and tendons, the concrete should have a
high strength concrete.

• Shrinkage cracks will occur during the safer of stresses from tendon to concrete.

• High strength concrete has a high modulus of elasticity and therefore the elastic and creep strain are very
small resulting in smaller loss of pre-stress in all steel reinforcement.