08/19/2021

Design of Pre-Stressed Flat Slabs

Code of Practice - EC2 Design of concrete structures

Introduction
The technique of prestressing has several different applications within civil engineering ,
often being used to keep cables taut when subjected to compressive forces. However,
by far the most common application is in prestressed concrete where a prestress force is
applied to a concrete member, and this induces an axial compression that counteracts
all, or part of, the tensile stresses set up in the member by applied loading.
Within the field of building structures, most prestressed concrete applications are in the
form of simply supported precast floor and roof beams. These are usually factory made,
where the advantages of controlled mass production can be realized. Where large spans
are required, in situ prestressed concrete beams are sometimes used, and in situ
prestressed concrete flat slab construction is increasingly being employed.
Most prestressed slabs utilize uniform –depth slabs with draped tendons, but an
interesting development is the use of variable-depth slab with straight tendons.
No design guidance is given in EC2 regarding prestressed concrete slabs. Design is,
therefore, be based on the recommendations given in the Concrete Society (1994)
Technical Report TR43.
Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage
1 B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

Two way load balancing

A one way spanning slab is essentially a very wide simply supported beam. With a
prestressed concrete slab simply supported on four edges, the situation is different,
since the structure is now highly indeterminate. A rectangular slab is shown in Figure
below supported on walls along each edge and prestressed with sets of uniformly
spaced parabolic tendons in each direction.

2 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021
If the prestress forces in the x and y directions are, respectively Px and Py per unit
length, and the mid span eccentricities are ex and ey, respectively, then since the
vertical forces due to the tendons in each direction are additive at any point in the slab,
the total upward uniform load on the slab ……..

Since the tendons must have a minimum spacing between them, the stress distribution
within the slab will not be exactly uniform, but in practice it would be reasonably so.
Prestressed concrete slabs such as that shown in figure above are rarely found in
practice, and the more common form is the flat slab.

3 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021
The slab shown above will resist any additional imposed load in much the same way as
would a reinforced concrete flat slab, and the same analysis methods are applicable.
Since this analysis need only be carried out for a small percentage, usually, of the total
design load, any inherent inaccuracies in the method are not significant.

4 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

5 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

In practice, the sharp changes of curvature in the tendons are avoided by adopting
smooth reversing in curvature. An alternative pattern of tendons which is often used
based on the distribution of primary and secondary tendons is well suited to slabs with
irregular column layouts, but shear strength will be reduced.

6 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

Equivalent Frame Analysis

The load balancing technique is very useful for estimating the prstress force required in
each direction, but an analysis of the slab for the unbalanced loads must still be made.
The analysis and design of reinforced concrete flat slabs with regularly spaced columns
has been based on a method which divides the slab and columns into a series of
equivalent frames in each direction. The distributions of bending moment and shear
force may be determined by any of the available methods of structural analysis. The
equivalent frame method has also been found to give acceptable results for prestressed
concrete flat slabs and is one of those recommended in TR43.
The equivalent frame method can be used to find the distribution of moments due to
both the prestress force and the total design load, and not just the unbalanced loads.
Each equivalent frame comprises columns and strips of slab at each floor level. The
width of slab to be used to determine the beam stiffness is generally equal to the full
width of the panels for vertical loading, whilst for horizontal loading, where lateral
stability is provided by the frame, one-half of the panel width should be used.
If the equivalent frame method is used to determine the stresses under the design load,
the analysis should be carried out for the following load cases.
i) All spans loaded with total design load
ii) Alternate spans loaded with total design load, all other spans loaded with dead
load only.

7 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

Consideration should be given to any restraint to the free movement of a prestressed

concrete slab due to axial shortening, and creep and shrinkage effects. This restraint will
have the effect of reducing the prestress in the slab and is caused by the columns and
any walls connected to the slab such as those from lift shafts, for instance. As a guide if
the axial stress in the slab is less than 2N/mm2, and there is not more than one stiff
restraint between movement joints, then restraint effect is usually ignored.

8 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

Design and Detailing

For preliminary estimation of the required slab depth, span/depth ratios in the range of
36-45 for floors and roofs, respectively, may be assumed. Waffle slabs are sometimes
used, and the span/depth ratio for these should be taken as 25. Careful attention must
be paid to the layout of tendons in these slabs, since they can only be placed in the ribs.
Solid slabs with spans in excess of 10m are likely to require drop panels in order to
provide adequate shear resistance at the columns, and waffle slabs with smaller spans
than this will require at least a solid section near the column.

A commonly used layout of tendons is to place 70% of the total number of tendons in a
panel, determined from an equivalent frame analysis, in a band of width equal to 40%
of the bay width, centered on the columns. The remaining tendons are uniformly
distributed across the panel. Maximum spacing of tendons, or groups of tendons,
should be 6 times the slab depth for unbonded tendons or eight times the slab depth
for bonded tendons. The minimum spacing between ducts or groups of ducts, should be
75mm, or the width of the group of ducts.

9 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

Untensioned reinforcement should be placed in the top of all slabs over the columns,
equal in area to a minimum of 0.075% of the gross cross section of the slab, placed in a
width equal to that of the column plus one and a half times the slab depth on each side
of the column. Bars should extend at least one-fifth of the span on either side of the
column and have a maximum spacing of 300mm. The combination of tendons and
reinforcing bars in the region of the columns could lead to congestion and careful
attention should be paid to the detailing in this area.

Example
A prestressed concrete flat slab warehouse floor has the layout shown in figure below.
The imposed load is 10KN/m2.
i). Determine a preliminary slab depth and layout of unbonded prestressing
tendons.
ii). Determine whether the ultimate strength capacity of the slab is adequate.
iii). Determine the shear resistance at column B3

10 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

11 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)
 08/19/2021

12 Prepared by: Eng. Chamil Duminda Mahagamage

B.Sc.Eng (Hons), C Eng, MIE(SL)