BOOK REVIEWSICRITIQUES DE LIVRES
Prestressed concrete basics
Received February 25, 1988
Manuscript accepted March 21, 1988
Prestressed concrete basics. By M. P. Collins and D. Mitchell. Canadian Prestressed Concrete Institute, 85 Albert Street,
Ottawa, Ont., Canada K I P 6A4. 1987. 614 p. $50.00 + handling and postage ($5, Canada; $7, U.S.A.; $9, elsewhere)
Can. J. Civ. Eng. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by University of North Dakota on 11/26/14
Can. 1. Civ. Eng. 15.931-932 (1988)
The authors treat the fundamental principles of prestressed
concrete in lucid and simple terms. The book is a state-of-the-art
compilation of basic theory and practical research results that
are transformed into manageable easy-to-apply design tools.
The authors emphasize the need for the student and the practicing
engineer to understand the fundamental principles of design
rather than keep track of a myriad of equations and emperical
expressions, some of which may become outdated as more
logical models emerge.
The authors present the basic principles of prestressed
concrete in a systematic and logical progression. Throughout
the book the text is reinforced with clear engineering diagrams,
construction photographs, design charts, worked examples, and
For personal use only.
extensive references. The book may loosely be divided into five
basic parts: technology; material properties; member response
to loads; design principles - global effects and local effects;
and, finally, system response to loads.
After a brief historical review, the book progresses through
a technological description of the production techniques of
prestressed concrete members and the hardware related to both
pretensioned and post-tensioned elements. Elementary princi-
ples are presented to drive home the simplicity and the logic of
the concept of prestressing. Variations in tendon geometry and
the resulting stress and loss profiles are also presented.
Next, material properties are discussed clearly with ample
figures, graphs, and practical examples demonstrating the
application of basic stress-strain relationships. These proper-
ties include response of prestressing steel and concrete to cyclic,
tensile, and compressive loading and to fatigue, creep, shrink-
age, thermal, and relaxation effects. Concrete protection to
enhance durability and the mechanics of bond and corrosion are
clearly explained and illustrated in lucid sketches and diagrams.
Next, the response of prestressed concrete members, with
bonded and unbonded tendons, subjected to externally imposed
axial and flexural loads is covered. The subjects of cracking and
computation of crack width and spacing, moment-curvature,
long- and short-term camber, and deflections are extensively
treated. Special emphasis is given to the effects of construction
staging, nonuniform thermal gradients, and shrinkage on
stresses and strains in a section. Also, the behaviour of slender
columns and the associated interaction diagrams are discussed.
In the next part, the subject of design principles as applied to
sections resisting flexure, shear, and torsion is presented with
considerable detail. The design process for flexure starts with
the selection of an appropriate section to resist the imposed
loads and proceeds through the steps of verifying stress,
deflection, cracking, and strength requirements at various
stages of the member's service life. Designing for shear
commences with traditional methods and basic principles (e.g.,
Mohr's circle) and proceeds through a step-by-step description
of the compression field theory. The latter is the design method
that the authors have expanded and refined over the years and
that a number of codes have adopted (e.g., Canadian Standards
Association CSA-A23.3) or are in the process of adopting (e.g.,
Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code (OHBDC) and American
Concrete Institute (ACI). Similarly, torsional effects are treated
in detail starting from basic principles through the elegant
variable-angle space truss model, which the authors have
advanced and advocated in their professional practice for many
years. Finally, the truss model is applied to the design of
members exposed to the combined effects of flexure, shear, and
torsion; and related detailing practices are presented. In the
analysis of local internal pre- and post-cracking stresses,
deep-beam analogy and the logical strut-and-tie models are
presented with extensive details. These are models pioneered by
Morsch at the turn of the century and, more recently, refined by
Marti, Schlaich, and the authors. Anchor zones, corbels, areas
in the proximity of directional changes of tendons, and beams
under concentrated loads are treated by these models by plotting
stress and force trajectories and deriving the resulting strut-and-
tie force components.
The last part of the book, comprising 4 chapters, pertains to
system response to imposed loads. The topics discussed are
noncompatibility effects between structure and cable geome-
tries, post-tensioned slabs, buildings, and, finally, bridges. In
dealing with restraint actions in statistically indeterminate
structures, the authors present solutions applying the basic tools
of statics, such as virtual work, the flexibility approach, and
Cross's moment distribution techniques, to a number of
beam-cable geometries and fixity conditions. Various types of
post-tensioning are detailed for one-way and two-way slabs,
including the use of bonded and unbonded tendons. Special
considerations are cited for edge and comer panels. Design tools
such as yield line theory and equivalent frame method are
discussed in detail. A complete design example is given at the
end of the chapter, demonstrating the application of the theories
given throughout the book. The chapter on buildings deals
mainly with precast construction and the careful connection
detailing associated with this technology. The application of
stage post-tensioning to parking structures and multi-story
buildings is demonstrated by examples, diagram, and sketches.
The final chapter deals with prestressed concrete highway
bridges. The topics include types of bridges and their effective
spans, economic considerations, detailing and construction
techniques, loads, membrane slab action, and transverse mo-
ments in box girders.
The book ends with an appendix that features a computer
program designed to solve moment-curvature effects of pre-
stressed concrete cross sections. The program listing in BASIC
language is also included.
 932 CAN. J. CIV. ENG. VOL. 15, 1988
In summary, the authors have to be congratulated for
producing an outstanding book that deals with up-to-date basic
principles of desigr? and detailing, in sufficient detail, for both
students and practicing engineers in the field of prestressed
concrete. T i e fact that the authors have established for
themselves a preeminent reputation over the years in many of
the topics they discuss in their book will undoubtedly enhance
the book's merits as a reference source for logical and basic
design techniques. Furthennore, the sponsorship of the industry
for the publication of the book lends it a practical design and
construction integrity in addition to the strong theoretical and
Can. J. Civ. Eng. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by University of North Dakota on 11/26/14
Corrosion damaged concrete - assessment and repair
Received March 10, 1988
Manuscript accepted March 21, 1988
For personal use only.
Corrosion damaged concrete - assessment and repair. By P. Pullar-Strecker. Buttenvorth Publishers, 80 Montvale Avenue,
Stoneham, MA 02180, U.S.A. 1987. 99 p. $24.95 U.S.
Can. J. Civ. Eng. 15,932(1988)
This book results from a research project by the Construction
Industry Researcn and Information Association (CIRIA) in the
United Kingdom. This is an independent nonprofit body which
manages research and the dissemination of information on
building and civil engineering work. Since its inception and
with funding from its members, this body has sponsored many
significant research programs such as the Concrete in the
Oceans Series. Membership of CIRIA has its privileges since
members receive the results of research long before the data
reaches the public domain.
The author was the CIRIA project director for the program
from which the information in this book was drawn. He is now
in private practice.
The book covers assessment of structural condition, specify-
ing and commissioning inspection and repairs, methods of
repair, surface treatments, and cathodic protection.
In the introduction, the causes of reinforcement corrosion and
the resuits and symptoms are discussed. The effects of the
environment, concrete quality, repair options, accidental load-
ing, and faulty materials and construction are touched upon.
A review of repair strategies - replacement of structural
elements and demolition and reconstruction -leads to the need
for an assessment of the condition of the structures. In this
section on assessment, most established survey techniques are
discussed together with extensive guidance on the types,
causes, and classification of cracks. For some techniques,
useful guidance in methodology is given, while for others a brief
description of the equipment and technique only is given.
In a brief section on specifying and commissioning inspection
and repairs, the often overlooked effect on the public of
pragmatic contribution by the authors. The authors should
produce another version of the book using imperial units,
specifically for use by the American profession.
H. Grouni
Structural Office,
Ministry of Transportation,
3501 Dufferin Street,
Downsview, Ont.,
Canada M3M IN6
rehabilitation is discussed. The importance of good public
relations during the management of a rehabilitation project is
correctly stressed.
The section on repairs covers the treatment of various types of
cracks, concrete removal and replacement, preparation of all
concrete surfaces, and treatment or replacement of reinforce-
ment. Shotcrete, prepacked aggregate concrete and cementi-
tious and resin mortars are covered.
In the section on surface coatings, different types of treatment
to resist salt, water, and carbonation are discussed and guidance
is given in their application. A useful tabulation of the types of
coatings and their efficiency and likely service life is included.
A very brief and superficial coverage of cathodic protection is
provided. The short list of references are almost entirely from
publications in the United Kingdom.
In an appendix a chronological review is made of research
carried out in the United Kingdom and the United States and the
resulting recommendations regarding chloride-activated corro-
sion. While not at all extensive or exhaustive, it is a useful
reference for researchers and others who need to track the
growth of knowledge in this area.
The book is a slim 80 pages of text. It would be useful primer
to those without previous exposure to the problem. For North
Americans with any significant experience in the field, the book
has little to offer.
John A. Bickley
Trow Inc.,
1595 Clark Boulevard,
Brampton, Ont.,
Canada L6T 4VI