Pre-Stressed

Concrete
 What is Prestressed Concrete

• Prestressed Concrete is an architectural and structural material possessing great strength. The unique
characteristics of prestressed concrete allow predetermined, engineering stresses to be placed in members
to counteract stresses that occur when the unit is subjected to service loads. This is accomplished by
combining the the best properties of two quality materials: high strength concrete for compression and
high tensile strength steel strands for tension. High tensile strands are stretched between abutments at
each end of long casting beds. Concrete is then poured into the forms encasing the strands. As the concrete
sets, it bonds to the tensioned steel. When the concrete reaches a specific strength, the strands are
released from the abutments. This compresses the concrete, arches the member, and creates a built in
resistance to service loads.
 History: When did it start?

• Eune Freyssinet was the inventor of prestressed concrete, in the 19th century. However, it is not as well
known that he was a skilled craftsman and a prolific bridge builder, qualities that prepared him to invent
prestressed concrete. After graduating in 1905, Freyssinet built a number of concrete arch bridges, each of
which successively broke his own world record for span length. This enabled him to develop an
appreciation for creep of concrete, and encouraged him to develop high quality concrete and high strength
steel that were necessary for the invention of prestressed concrete in 1928. His spectacular rescue of the
Le Havre Maritime Station in 1934 was the first practical application of his prestressing devices and
instantly earned him a worldwide reputation. One of the more profound contributions of Freyssinet is the
invention of precast segmental construction, which started with his structures of the Luzancy Bridge lineage
in the 1940s, and to this day allows concrete bridges to remain competitive with steel bridges.
 • Force-fitting of metal bands on wooden barrels The metal
bands induce a state of initial hoop compression, to
counteract the hoop tension caused by filling of liquid in the
Presstressing barrels

before
Presstressing
was
developed
 Why it is used

• Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, making providing reinforcements to

resist tension all the more necessary. RC structures under service load undergoes
deflection causing the bottom of the beam (tensile zone) to elongate, causing cracks.
Generally, steel bars are provided to limit the crack widths and resist the tensile force
which the concrete lacks. The rebar acts as ‘passive reinforcement’Rebars (steel
reinforcement) provided at the bottom of the bar, does not carry any forces until the
concrete has already deflected enough to crack.
 How it is used

• The principle behind prestressed concrete is that compressive stresses induced by high-
strength steel tendons in a concrete member before loads are applied will balance the
tensile stresses imposed in the member during service. Simply, Permanent pre-
compression is produced in the areas subjected to tension using high tensile strength steel
wires or alloys. Now, a portion of tensile stress is counteracted, thereby reducing the cross-
sectional area of steel reinforcement. As as result, the concrete does not crack because the
pre-stressing has reduced the tensile stress in the section below cracking stress. hence
concrete is treated as a elastic material.
 Advantages of using Prestressed

• Prestressed concrete members are free from cracks and the resistance to the effect of impact, shock, and stresses are higher
than reinforced cement concrete structures.
• Longevity of prestressed structure is greater than rcc structure because the reinforcement stays unaffected from outer agencies.
• High compressive strength of concrete and high tensile strength of steel are used for prestressing that makes it more
economical.
• Smaller sections can be used for longer span by reducing the section of members.
• Prestressed members are lighter in weight and easily transportable.
• It requires a smaller amount of construction materials.
• The shear resistance of members can be increased by using curved tendons.
• Prestressing also reduces the diagonal tension in concreteSection remains uncracked under service loads ¾ Reduction of steel
corrosion Increase in durability. Full section is utilised Higher moment of inertia (higher stiffness)
• Less deformations (improved serviceability).
• Increase in shear capacity,Suitable for use in pressure vessels and liquid retaining structures.
• Improved performance (resilience) under dynamic and fatigue loading.
• High span-to-depth ratios Larger spans possible with prestressing (bridges, buildings with large column-free spaces)
 Disadvantages of Prestressed

• The main disadvantage of prestressing is that it requires some special equipment like jacks,
anchorage etc, which pretends the use of prestressing.
• High tensile steel is required for prestressing that is very difficult to procure.
• It requires highly skilled workers and should be prepared under expert supervision.
• It is costlier than other rcc(Reinforced Cement Concrete) structures.
 Forms of Prestressing Steel

• Wires- Prestressing wire is a single unit made of steel.

• Strands- Two, three or seven wires are wound to form a prestressing strand.
• Tendon- A group of strands or wires are wound to form a prestressing tendon.
• Cable- A group of tendons form a prestressing cable.
• Bars- A tendon can be made up of a single steel bar. The diameter of a bar is much larger
than that of a wire.
 What is Post Tensioning?

• Post tensioning is a technique for reinforcing concrete. Post-tensioning tendons, which are prestressing
steel cables inside plastic ducts or sleeves, are positioned in the forms before the concrete is placed.
Afterwards, once the concrete has gained strength but before the service loads are applied, the cables are
pulled tight, or tensioned, and anchored against the outer edges of the concrete.
• Post-tensioning is a form of prestressing. Prestressing simply means that the steel is stressed (pulled or
tensioned) before the concrete has to support the service loads. Most precast, prestressed concrete is
actually pre-tensioned-the steel is pulled before the concrete is poured. Post-tensioned concrete means
that the concrete is poured and then the tension is applied-but it is still stressed before the loads are
applied so it is still prestressed.
 Nature Of Concrete (Steel Interface)

• Bonded tendon- When there is adequate bond between the prestressing tendon and concrete, it is called a
bonded tendon. Pre-tensioned and grouted post-tensioned tendons are bonded tendons. In bonded post-
tensioning, tendons are permanently bonded to the surrounding concrete by the on-site grouting of their
encapsulating ducting (after tendon tensioning). This grouting is undertaken for three main purposes: to
protect the tendons against corrosion; to permanently "lock-in" the tendon pre-tension, thereby removing
the long-term reliance upon the end-anchorage systems; and to improve certain structural behaviors of the
final concrete structure. Bonded post-tensioning characteristically uses tendons each comprising bundles of
elements (e.g. strands or wires) placed inside a single tendon duct, with the exception of bars which are
mostly used unbundled. This bundling makes for more efficient tendon installation and grouting processes,
since each complete tendon requires only one set of end-anchorages and one grouting operation.
 Nature Of Concrete (Steel Interface)

• Unbonded Tendon-When there is no bond between the prestressing tendon and concrete, it is called
unbonded tendon. When grout is not applied after post-tensioning, the tendon is an unbonded tendon.
Unbonded post-tensioning differs from bonded post-tensioning by allowing the tendons permanent
freedom of longitudinal movement relative to the concrete. This is most commonly achieved by encasing
each individual tendon element within a plastic sheathing filled with a corrosion-inhibiting grease,
usually lithium based. Anchorages at each end of the tendon transfer the tensioning force to the concrete,
and are required to reliably perform this role for the life of the structure. Permanent corrosion protection
of the strands is provided by the combined layers of grease, plastic sheathing, and surrounding concrete.
Where strands are bundled to form a single unbonded tendon, an enveloping duct of plastic or galvanised
steel is used and its interior free-spaces grouted after stressing. In this way, additional corrosion protection
is provided via the grease, plastic sheathing, grout, external sheathing, and surrounding concrete layers.
 Bonded Vs Unbonded

• Following tensioning and grouting, bonded tendons are connected to the surrounding concrete
along their full length by high-strength grout. Once cured, this grout can transfer the full tendon
tension force to the concrete within a very short distance (approximately 1 meter). As a result, any
inadvertent severing of the tendon or failure of an end anchorage has only a very localised impact
on tendon performance, and almost never results in tendon ejection from the anchorage. On the
other hand, The elimination of the post-stressing grouting process required in bonded structures
improves the site-labour productivity of unbonded post-tensioning. Although having a lower
ultimate strength than bonded tendons, unbonded tendons' ability to redistribute strains over their
full length can give them superior pre-collapse ductility. In extremes, unbonded tendons can resort
to a catenary-type action instead of pure flexure, allowing significantly greater deformation before
structural failure.