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Concept of Prestressing

Concept of Prestressing
 Prestressing the concrete is to transfer precompression
(compressive stress) to the concrete
 How the prestressing force transmitted to concrete can be
explained by concept of prestressing

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Stress Concept
 The concept that considering prestressing force transmitted to
concrete as initial internal stress to counteract the internal stress
developed due to external loads is known as stress concept
 The combination of the effect of external loads and prestressing
p g
are studied together as equivalent stresses and compared with
permissible levels of stresses in the material
 The procedures of this concept can be divided into two stages:
stress at transfer/stage 1 and stress at service/stage 2
 For stage 1, the stresses across cross section due to self weight and
prestressing are taken into account
 For stage 2, the stresses caused by prestressing, dead and live loads
and other external loads are calculated together through the depth
of cross section
 The stresses should be within the permissible limits

Stresses at transfer

- +
+ + + =
+ -

Axial stress Stress due to Stress due to dead load

eccentricity of
prestressing force

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Force Concept
 In this approach the structural element is considered as if it is
a reinforced concrete element
 The total prestressingg force is taken tensile force and the
stresses generated in concrete will produced compression
force of an equal value. The forces are collinear to keep the
element in equilibrium if only prestressing force is
considered
 Hence, the structural element at any cross-section will be
subjected to tensile force in the prestressing element and a
compressive force in the concrete which is the resultant force
of all compressive stresses acting on that cross-section

Force Concept
 If any additional load (say dead load) is considered, the tensile force in
prestress element will be modified and the center of compression will
also be shifted.
 For a case of positive sagging bending moment applied on the structure
due to external loads the tensile force in the prestressed steel element is
marginally increased and the compressive force which is the resultant
stresses caused by the prestressing and by the loading will be shifted
upwards from the line of action of tension.
 The tensile force or the compressive force multiplied by the shift
between these two forces will be the external moment.
 This concept is used to design the structures and to get the moment
resisting capacity of the cross section
 Since the capacity of the section is decided based on the total tension
and compression it carries, this approach is called the force approach

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Hence position of compression will be located at 256.9mm from the center of

tension cable position.
Hence position of center of compression from center of NA
= 256.9 -160 = - 96.9mm (upward)

This resultant compression (1740kN) will act at 96.9mm above NA only for one
particular stress distribution across the section.
The stress distribution is evaluated as follows
Stress at top =

Stress at bottom =

The stresses are the same as we obtained in the stress concept.

Load balancing concept

 Opposite type of loads in structural element (opposite in nature to
the external loads)
 If the external loads cause a sagging curvature in the beam, any load
which introduces the hogging curvature on to the beam
beam, equal and
opposite in nature to that caused by external loads is also called
prestressing and this method of prestressing is recognized as load
balancing concept.
 The external loads are treated only as loads and not converted as
stress on the structure
 Prestressing also converted as equivalent load and this equivalent load
must counteract or balance the external loads
 The load balancing concept is used for analysis of indeterminate
prestressed concrete structures and complicated analysis where the
effect of prestressing cannot easily depicted

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