LOSSES IN PRESTRESS

INTRODUCTION

In the early days, it was observed that the prestressing force does not
stay constant, but reduces with time. Even during prestressing of the
tendons and the transfer of prestress to the concrete member, there is a
drop of the prestressing force from the recorded value in the jack
gauge. The various reductions of the prestressing force are termed as
the losses in prestress.

The initial prestress in concrete undergoes a gradual reduction with time

from fix stage of transfer due to various causes. This is generally
referred to as "loss of prestress' . A reasonably good estimate of the
magnitude of loss of prestress is necessary from the point of view of
design.
The losses are broadly classified into two groups, immediate and
time-dependent. The immediate losses occur during prestressing
of the tendons and the transfer of prestress to the concrete
member. The time-dependent losses occur during the service life of
the prestressed member. The losses due to elastic shortening of
the member, friction at the tendon-concrete interface and slip of the
anchorage are the immediate losses. The losses due to the
shrinkage and creep of the concrete and relaxation of the steel are
the time-dependent losses. The causes of the various losses in
prestress are shown in the following chart.
 The different types of losses encountered in the pre-tensioning and
post-tensioning systems are as follows:

S.No Pre-tensioning Post-tensioning

1 Elastic deformation of concrete No loss due to elastic deformation if all
the wires
Table 2.1 Types of losses are simultaneously tensioned. If
of prestress
the wires are successively tensioned,
there will be loss of prestress due to
elastic deformation of concrete
2 Relaxation of stress in steel Relaxation of stress in steel

3 Shrinkage of concrete Shrinkage of concrete

4 Creep of concrete Creep of concrete

5 Friction

6 Anchorage slip
In addition to the above, there may be losses of prestress due to
sudden changes in temperature, especially in steam curing of
pretensioned units. The rise in temperature causes a partial
transfer of prestress (due to the elongation of the tendons between
adjacent units in the long-line process) which may cause a large
amount of creep if the concrete is not properly cured. If there is a
possibility of a change of temperature between the times of
tensioning and transfer, the corresponding loss should be allowed
for in the design.
LOSS DUE TO ELASTIC SHORTENING

In pretensioned members when the tendons are cut and the

prestressing force is transferred to the member, the concrete
undergoes immediate shortening due to the prestress. The tendon
also shortens by the same amount, which leads to the loss of
prestress.

In Post-tensioned Members if there is only one tendon, there is no

loss because the applied prestress is recorded after the elastic
shortening of the member. For more than one tendon, if the tendons
are stretched sequentially, there is loss in a tendon during
subsequent stretching of the other tendons.
The loss of prestress due to elastic deformation of concrete
depends on the modular ratio and the avenge stress in concrete at
the level of steel.
fc = Prestress in concrete at the level of steel

Es = Modulus of elasticity of steel.

Ec = Modulus of elasticity of Concrete.

αe = 𝐸𝑠 / 𝐸𝑐 = Modular ratio

Strain in concrete at the level of steel = fc/ Ec

Stress in steel corresponding to this strain = (fc/ Ec) Es

Loss of stress in Steel = αe fc

If the initial stress in steel is known, the percentage loss of
stress in steel due to the elastic deformation of concrete can
be computed.
 LOSS OF STRESS DUE TO SUCCESSIVE TENSIONING OF
CURVED CABLES

In most bridge girders, the cables are curved with maximum

eccentricity at the centre of the span. In such cases the loss of
stress due to the elastic deformation of concrete is estimated by
considering the average stress in concrete at the level of steel.
Consider a beam shown below, which is post-tensioned by 3
parabolic cables. The stress distribution in concrete at the level of
cable 1 is also shown in the figure when cable 2 is tensioned. For
computing the loss of stress, the average stress (shown in figure)
is considered. When cable 3 is tensioned, there will be losses of
stress in both cables 1 and 2. This is illustrated in the following
example
Successive tensioning of curved cables
 LOSS DUE TO SHRINKAGE OF CONCRETE

The shrinkage of concrete in prestressed members results in a

shortening of tensioned wires and hence contributes to the loss of
stress. The shrinkage of concrete is influenced by the type of cement
and aggregates and the method of curing used. Use of high-strength
concrete with low water cement ratios results in a reduction in shrinkage
and consequent loss of prestress. The rate of shrinkage is higher at the
surface of the members. The differential shrinkage between the interior
and surface of large members may result in strain gradients leading to
surface cracking. Hence, proper curing is essential to prevent shrinkage
cracks in prestressed members.

In the case of pre-tensioned members, generally moist curing is resorted

to in order to prevent shrinkage until the time of transfer. Consequently,
the total residual shrinkage strain will be larger in pretensioned members
in comparison with post-tensioned members.This aspect has been
considered in the recommendations made by the Indian standard code
(IS: 1343) for the loss of pre-stress due to the shrinkage of concrete and
is detailed below.
 LOSS DUE TO CREEP OF CONCRETE

The sustained prestress in the concrete of a prestressed member

results in creep of concrete which effectively reduces the stress in
high-tensile steel.

The various factors influencing creep of concrete are relative

humidity, stress level, strength of the concrete, age of the concrete
at loading, duration of stress, water/cement ratio and the type of
cement and aggregate in the concrete. The loss of stress in steel
due to creep of concrete can be estimated if the magnitude of
ultimate creep strain or creep coefficient is known.
The magnitude of the creep coefficient, φ varies depending upon
the humidity, concrete quality, duration of applied loading and the
age of the concrete when loaded. The general values
recommended for the creep coefficient vary from 1.5 for watery
situations to 4.0 for dry conditions with a relative humidity of 35 per
cent.
 LOSS DUE TO RELAXATION OF STRESS IN STEEL

Most of the codes provide for the loss of stress due to relaxation of
steel as a percentage of the initial stress in steel. The Indian
standard code recommends a value varying from 0 to 90 N/mm2 for
stress in wires varying from 0.5fPu to 0.8fPu . The loss of prestress
due to relaxation of steel recommended in British and Indian codes.
Temporary over-stressing by 5-10 percent for a period of 2 min is
sometimes used to reduce this loss as in the case of drawn wires.
LOSS OF STRESS DUE TO FRICTION

In the case of post-tensioned members, the tendons are housed in

ducts preformed in concrete. The ducts are either straight or follow
a curved profile depending upon the design requirements.
Consequently, on tensioning the curved tendons, loss of stress
occurs in the post-tensioned members due to friction between the
tendons and the surrounding concrete ducts. The magnitude of this
loss is of the following types:

(a) Loss of stress due to the curvature effect, which depends upon
the tendon form or alignment which generally follows a curved
profile along the length of the beam.
(b) Loss of stress due to the wobble effect, which depends upon the
local deviations in the alignment of the cable.
The wobble or wave effect is the result of accidental or unavoidable
misalignment, since ducts or sheath cannot be perfectly located to
follow a predetermined profile throughout the length of the beam.
The Indian standard code recommends the following values for μ and K.
Values for the coefficient of friction μ
0.55 for steel moving on smooth concrete
0.35 for steel moving on steel fixed to duct
0.25 for steel moving on steel fixed to concrete
0.25 for steel moving on lead
0.18-0.30 for multi-layer wire rope cables in rigid rectangular steel sheaths
0.15-0.25 for multi-layer wire rope cables with spacer plates providing lateral
separation
These recommendations are based on the experimental work done by Guyon and
Cooley.
Values for the friction coefficient for wave effect K

0.15 per 100 m for normal conditions

1.5 per 100 m for thin-walled ducts and where heavy vibrations are encountered
and in other adverse conditions.
The coefficient may be reduced to zero where the clearance between the duct and
cable is sufficiently large to eliminate the 'wave' effect.
Frictional losses can be reduced by several methods, such as
(a) over tensioning the tendons by an amount equal to the maximum frictional loss,
and
(b) jacking the tendons from both ends of the beam, generally adopted when the
tendons are long or when the angles of bending are large.
 LOSS DUE TO ANCHORAGE SLIP

In most post-tensioning systems, when the cable is tensioned and

the jack is released to transfer prestress to concrete, the friction
wedges, employed to grip the wires, slip over a small distance
before the wires are firmly housed between the wedges. The
magnitude of slip depends upon the type of wedge and the stress in
the wires. In systems where the tendons are looped around concrete
anchorage blocks, loss of stress may take place due to the wires
biting into the anchorage
A post-tensioned concrete beam, l00 mm wide and 300 mm
deep, is prestressed by three cables, each with a cross-sectional
area of 50 rnm2 and with an initial stress of 1200N/mm2. All the
three cables are straight and located 100 mm from the soffit of
the beam. If the modular ratio is 6, calculate the loss of stress in
the three cables due to elastic deformation of concrete for only
the following cases:
(a) Simultaneous tensioning and anchoring of all the three
cables; and
(b) Successive tensioning of the three cables, one at a time.
A prestressed concrete sleeper produced by pre-tensioning
method has a rectangular cross-section of 300mm × 250 mm. It is
prestressed with 9 numbers of straight 7mm diameter wires at 0.8
times the ultimate strength of 1570 N/mm2. Estimate the
percentage loss of stress due to elastic shortening of concrete.
Consider m = 6.