PRESTRESSED

CONCRETE
BRIDGES
 INTRODUCTION
 Prestressed concrete structures, using high-
strength materials to improve serviceability
and durability, are an attractive alternative for
long-span bridges, and have been used
worldwide since the 1950s.
GUSTAVE MAGNEL
 MATERIALS
 CONCRETE
 STEEL FOR PRESTRESSING
 ADVANCED COMPOSITES FOR
PRESTRESSING
 GROUT
 CONCRETE
 A 28-day cylinder compressive strength (f’c) of concrete
28 to 56 MPa is used most commonly in the United States.
 The modulus of elasticity of concrete with density
between 1440 and 2500 kg/m3 may be taken as
 Concrete shrinkage is a time-dependent
material behavior and mainly depends on the mixture of
concrete, moisture conditions, and the curing method.
 Total shrinkage strains range from 0.0004 to 0.0008 over
the life of concrete and about 80% of this occurs in the
first year
Creep of concrete is a time-
dependent inelastic deformation under
sustained load and depends primarily on the
maturity of the concrete at the time of
loading.
 STEEL FOR PRESTRESSING
 Uncoated, seven-wire stress-relieved strands (AASHTO M203 or
ASTM A416), or low-relaxation seven-wire strands and uncoated
high-strength bars (AASHTO M275 or ASTM A722) are
commonly used in prestresssed concrete bridges
 Prestressing reinforcement, whether wires, strands, or bars, are
also called tendons.
 Properties of Prestressing Strand and Bars

Material Grade and Type Diameter (mm) Tensile Yield Strength Modulus of
Strength fpu fpy (MPa) Elasticity Ep
(MPa) (MPa)
Strand 1725 MPa 6.35–15.24 1725 80% of fpu 197,000
(Grade 250) 10.53–15.24 1860 except 90% of
1860 MPa fpu for low
(Grade 270) relaxation
strand

Bar Type 1, Plain 19 to 25 1035 85% of fpu 207,000

Type 2, 15 to 36 1035 80% of fpu
Deformed
Advanced Composites for Prestressing

 Advanced composites–fiber-reinforced plastics

(FPR) with their high tensile strength and good
corrosion resistance work well in prestressed
concrete structures.
 GROUT

 Grout is made of water, sand, and cements or

epoxy resins.
PRESTRESSING SYSTEM

TWO TYPES OF PRESTRESSING SYSTEM

 Pretensioning
 Post-tensioning
 PRETENSIONING
SYSTEM
 Pretensioning system are methods in
which the strands are tensioned before
the concrete is placed.
POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM

 Post-tensioning
systems are methods in
which the tendons are
tensioned after concrete
has reached a specified
strength.
 SECTION TYPES
 VOID SLABS
 I-GIRDERS
 BOX GIRDERS
 VOID SLABS

 Voided slabs are significantly

improved versions of solid slabs and
offer more improvements for the
building as a whole.
 They consist of two thin slabs and ribs
connecting them, having the same or
better performances than a solid slab,
with less concrete used.
 I-GIRDERS

 I-shaped girders are made

like the I-beam section and
are composed of couple of
load bearing flanges
 I shaped girders made to
bear the high load of things.
 They are used in building of
pulls, fly overs etc.
 BOX GIRDERS

 Box girders is often used in

cast-in-place prestressed
concrete bridges.
 A box or tubular girder is
a girder that forms an
enclosed tube with multiple
walls, as opposed to an I- or 
H-beam.
Losses in Prestress
 Losses in Prestress

 refers to the reduced tensile stress in the tendons.

Although this loss does affect the service performance
(such as camber, deflections, and cracking), it has no
effect on the ultimate strength of a flexural member
unless the tendons are unbounded. Prestress losses can
be divided into two categories:
 Elastic Shortening

 • In pre-tensioned concrete, when the

prestress is transferred to concrete, the
member shortens and the prestressing steel
also shortens in it. Hence there is a loss of
prestress.

 • In case of post-tensioning, if all the cables

are tensioned simultaneously there is no loss
since the applied stress is recorded after the
elastic shortening has completely occurred.
 Anchorage Slip

 • In most Post-tensioning systems

when the tendon force is transferred
from the jack to the anchoring ends,
the friction wedges slip over a small
distance

 • Loss of prestress is due to the

consequent reduction in the length of
the tendon.
 Friction Loss

 • The friction generated at the interface of

concrete and steel during the stretching of a
curved tendon in a post-tensioned member •
Loss due to friction may be classified as
 (a) loss due to length effect,
 (b) loss due to curvature effect.
 Concrete Creep

  • Time-dependent increase of
deformation under sustained load

 • Due to creep, the prestress in

tendons decreases with time.

 • Creep is due to sustained

(permanent) loads only. Temporary
loads are not considered in
calculation of creep. 
 Concrete Shrinkage

 • Shrinkage of defined as concrete the is

contraction due to loss of moisture

 •  Due to the shrinkage of concrete, the

prestress in the tendon is reduced with
time.
 Relaxation

 • Relaxation is the reduction in stress with

time at constant strain

 – decrease in the stress is due to the fact

that some of the initial elastic strain is
transformed in to inelastic strain under
constant strain.

  – stress decreases according to the

remaining elastic strain.
The design considerations are formulated to bring to the attention of the
designers in applying the universal accessibility design principles and
requirements to buildings and facilities.