Pre- stressed concrete

Pre- stressed concrete

a form of concrete used in construction which is "pre-stressed" by

being placed under compression prior to supporting any loads beyond its own
dead weight. This compression is produced by the tensioning of high-strength
"tendons" located within or adjacent to the concrete volume, and is done to
improve the performance of the concrete in service.

Tendons consist:
 single wires
 multi-wire strands or threaded bars
 most commonly made from high-tensile steels
 carbon fibre or aramid fibre
 invented by Eugene Frevssinet in 1928
 method for overcoming concrete’s natural weakness in tension

Pre- stressed concrete in 3 ways accomplished:

 pre- tensioned concrete
 bonded
 unbonded

 most pretensioned concrete elements are prefabricated in a factory and must be

transported to the construction site, which limits their size.

Pre-tensioned elements
 balcony elements
 Lintels
 floor slabs
 Beams
 foundation piles
pre- tensioned concrete
Methods of pre- stressing in concrete
prestensioning
Principle:
Using high tensile strength steel alloys producing permanent pre-
compression in areas subjected to Tension. A portion of tensile stress is
counteracted thereby reducing the cross-sectional area of the steel
reinforcement
Methods:
Pretensioning- Placing of concrete around reinforcing tendons that have
been stressed to the desired degree
Post-tensioning- Placing of concrete around reinforcing tendons that have
been stressed to the desired degree
Pretensioning Post-tensioning
Prestressed concrete is used in a wide range of building and civil structures where
its improved performance can allow longer spans, reduced structural thicknesses,
and material savings compared to simple reinforced concrete.

Typical applications:
 high-rise buildings
 residential slabs
 foundation systems
 Bridge
 dam structures
 silos
 Tanks
 industrial pavements
 nuclear containment structures