Prestressed Concrete

Module 3. Allowable Flexural Stresses

Engr. Grace Dolloso

 Cross Section Kern or Core

❑ When the prestressing force acing alone, cause no tension in the cross section,
it is said to be acting within the kern or the core of the cross section. In the
limiting cases, triangular stress distributions will result from application of the
prestress force with zero concrete stress at the top or the bottom of the
member.

The kern limit dimensions can be found from these equations.

To find the lower kern dimension, the concrete stress at the top surface is set
equal to zero as illustrated in fig.3.3. Thus
 Cross Section Kern or Core

Indicating that the quantity in parenthesis must be equal zero. Solving for that
particular eccentricity, defined as 𝑒 = 𝑘2 , the lower kern limit is

Similarly, the upper kern limit is found by setting the expression for the
concrete stress at the bottom surface equal to zero, from which

The minus sign confirming that the limit dimension is measured upward from the
concrete centroid.
ALLOWABLE FLEXURAL STRESSES
Most specifications for prestressed concrete construction impose certain
limitations on stresses in the concrete and steel at particular stages such as while
tensioning the steel, immediately after transfer of prestress fore to the concrete
and at full service loads. These limits are intended to avoid damage to the
member during construction and to insure serviceability by indirectly limiting
crack width and deflection.
 Allowable Flexural Stresses

Concrete
Concrete stress limits imposed by the ACI Code are summarized in Table 3.1. Here
𝑓𝑐𝑖′ is the compressive strength of the concrete at the time of initial prestress,
in psi, and 𝑓𝑐′ is the specified compressive strength of the concrete in psi.
 Allowable Flexural Stresses

Steel
The permissible tensile stresses in prestressing steel given in Table 3.2. When the
jacking force is first applied, a stress of 0.85𝑓𝑝𝑢 or 0.94𝑓𝑝𝑦 is allowed, whichever
is lower.
𝑓𝑝𝑢 is the ultimate strength of the steel, and
𝑓𝑝𝑦 is the specified yield strength

Cracking Load
The relation between applied load and steel stress in a typical well-bonded
pretensioned beam is shown in fig. When the jacking force is first applied and the
strand is stretched between abutments, the steel stress is 𝑓𝑝𝑗 . Upon transfer of
force to the concrete member, there is an immediate reduction of stress to the
 Allowable Flexural Stresses

initial stress level 𝑓𝑝𝑖 , due to

elastic shortening of the concrete,
At the same time, the self weight
of the member is caused to act as
the beam cambers upward. It will
be assumed here that all time-
depended losses occur prior to
superimposed loading, so the
stress is further reduced to the
effective prestress level 𝑓𝑝𝑒 .
➢ It may be necessary to predict
the cracking load for any of the
following reasons:
1. Deflection is influenced by the reduction in flexural rigidity that accompanies
cracking.
2. After the beam cracks, the prestressing steel is more vulnerable to corrosion.
3. The fatigue resistance of beams is reduced by cracking because of the greater
stress range experienced by the prestressing steel near the cracks.
4. Cracks may be visually objectionable in some cases.
5. In the case of liquid containment vessels, leaks are more likely after cracking.
Allowable Flexural Stresses

The moment causing cracking

may easily be found for a
typical beam by writing the
equation for the concrete
stress at the bottom face,
based on the homogeneous
the cracking section and setting it equal to
the modulus of rupture:
 Allowable Flexural Stresses

This simply states that the change in bottom face stress as the full cracking moment
is applied must be such as to overcome the initial precompression due to prestress
and to introduce a tensile stress just equal to the modulus of rupture shown in fig.
3.6.
𝐼
For 𝑆2 = 𝑐 ; cracking moment is
𝑐2

In which the factor 𝐹𝑐𝑟 may be less than, equal to, or larger than unity. Then

Where:
𝑀𝑐𝑟 = cracking moment
𝑀𝑜 = moment due to weight of beam
𝑀𝑑 = moment due to dead load
𝑀𝑙 = moment due to live load
𝐹𝑐𝑟 = for safety factor relative to cracking where it can be less, equal to or
larger than unity.