POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMME IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Basic concepts of pre-stressing
CE 6515 Bridge Engineering
Pre-stressed
Concrete for Bridges
By Dammika Abeykoon
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Advantages of pre-stressed concrete
Pre-stressed concrete offers great technical advantages in
comparison with other forms of construction, such as
reinforced concrete & steel
In the case of fully pre-stressed members, free from tensile
stresses under working loads, the cross-section is more
efficiently utilized when compared with a reinforced concrete
section which is cracked under working loads
Within a certain limits, a permanent dead load may be
counteracted by increasing the eccentricity of the pre-stressing
force in a pre-stressed structural element, thus effecting
savings in the use of materials
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Pre-stressed concrete is basically a concrete in which internal
stresses of a suitable magnitude & distribution are introduced to a
desired degree
In reinforced concrete members, the pre-stress is commonly
introduced by tensioning the steel reinforcement
The earliest examples of wooden barrel construction by force
fitting of metal bands & shrink fitting of metal tyres on wooden
wheels indicate the art of pre-stressing has been practiced from
ancient times
The application of permanent compressive stress to a material like
concrete, which is strong in compression but weak in tension,
increases the apparent tensile strength of that material because
the subsequent application of tensile stress must first nullify the
compressive pre-stress
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Advantages of pre- Cont
Pre-stressed concrete members possess improved resistance
to shearing forces, due to the effect of compressive pre-stress,
which reduces the principal tensile stress
The use of curved cables, particularly in long span members
helps to reduce the shear forces developed at the support
sections
A pre-stressed concrete flexural member is stiffer under
working loads than a reinforced concrete member of the same
depth
However, after the onset of cracking, the flexural behaviour of
a pre-stressed member is similar to that of a reinforced
concrete member
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Advantages of pre-
The use of high strength concrete & steel in pre-stressed
members results in lighter & slender members than could be
possible by using reinforced concrete
The two structural features of pre-stressed concrete, namely
high strength concrete & freedom from cracks, contributes to
the improved durability of the structure under aggressive
environmental conditions
Pre-stressing of concrete improves the ability of the material
for energy absorption under impact loads
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Advantages of pre-
Since the fatigue strength of pre-stressed concrete is
comparatively better than that of other materials, mainly due
to the small stress variations in pre-stressing steel, it is
recommended for dynamically loaded structures, such as
railway bridges & machine foundations
Due to the utilization of concrete in the tension zone, a saving
of 15% - 30 % in concrete is possible in comparison with
reinforced concrete
The savings in steel are even higher, 60% - 80%, mainly due to
the high permissible stresses allowed in the high tensile wires
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Cont Advantages of pre- Cont
The ability to resist repeated working loads has been
proved to be as good in pre-stressed as in reinforced
concrete
Pre-stressed concrete has considerable resilience due to its
capacity for completely recovering from substantial effects of
overloading without undergoing & serious damage
Leonhardt points out that in pre-stressed concrete elements,
cracks which temporarily develop under occasional overloading
will close up completely when the loads are removed
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
Cont
Advantages of pre- Cont
Although there is considerable saving in the quantity of
materials used in pre-stressed concrete members in comparison
with reinforced concrete members, the economy in cost is not
that significant due to the additional costs incurred for the high
strength concrete, high tensile steel, anchorages, & other
hardware required for the production of pre-stressed members
However, there is an overall economy in using pre-stressed
concrete, as the decrease in dead weight reduces the design
loads & the cost of foundations
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA