Chapter-1

Introduction
 Differences between Rcc& PSC
1. In prestress concrete member steel plays active
role. The stress in steel prevail whether external
load is there or not. But in R.C.C., steel plays a
passive role. The stress in steel in R.C.C members
depends upon the external loads. i.e., no external
load, no stress in steel.
2. In prestress concrete the stresses in steel is
almost constant where as in R.C.C the stress in
steel is variable with the lever arm.
3. Prestress concrete has more shear resistance,
where as shear resistance of R.C.C is less.
4.In prestress concrete members, deflections are less
because the eccentric prestressing force will induce couple
which will cause upward deflections, where as in R.C.C.,
deflections are more.

5. In prestress concrete fatigue resistance is more compare

to R.C.C. because in R.C.C. stress in steel is external load
dependent where as in P.S.C member it is load
independent.

6. Prestress concrete is more durable as high grade of

concrete is used which are more dense in nature. R.C.C. is
less durable
 .7. In prestress concrete dimensions are less
because external stresses are counterbalance by
the internal stress induced by prestress. Therefore
reactions on column & footing are less as a whole
the quantity of concrete is reduced by 30% and
steel reduced by about 60 to 70%. R.C.C. is
uneconomical for long span because in R.C.C.
dimension of sections are large requiring more
concrete & steel. Moreover as self-weight increases
more reactions acted on columns & footings,
which requires higher sizes.
 Pretension ed member Vs Post-tensioned member

1. In pretensioned prestress concrete, steel is

tensioned prior to that of concrete. It is released
once the concrete is placed and hardened. The
stresses are transferred all along the wire by
means of bond.

2. Suitable for short span and precast products

like sleepers, electric poles on mass production.

. 3.In pretensioning the cables are basically straight

and horizontal. Placing them in curved or inclined
position is difficult. However the wires can be kept
with eccentrically. Since cables can not be aligned
similar to B.M.D. structural advantages are less
compare to that of post-tensioned.

4. Prestress losses are more compare to that of

post-tensioned concrete.
 1. Concreting is done first then wires are tensioned and
anchored at ends. The stress transfer is by end bearing not
by bond.

2. Suitable for long span bridges

3. The post tensioning cables can be aligned in any manner

to suit the B.M.D due to external load system. Therefore it
is more economical particularly for long span bridges. The
curved or inclined cables can have vertical component at
ends. These components will reduce the design shear force.
Hence post-tensioned beams are superior to pretensioned
beams both from flexural and shear resistances point

4. Losses are less compare to pre-tensioning

 Chapter-1

Advantages of pre stressing

 Advantage of Prestressed Concrete
1. The use of high strength concrete and steel in
prestressed members results in lighter and slender
members than is possible with RC members.
2. In fully prestressed members the member is free
from tensile stresses under working loads, thus whole
of the section is effective.
3. In prestressed members, dead loads may be
counter-balanced by eccentric prestressing.
4. Prestressed concrete member posses better
resistance to shear forces due to effect of compressive
stresses presence or eccentric cable profile.
 5.Use of high strength concrete and freedom from
cracks, contribute to improve durability under
aggressive environmental conditions.
6. Long span structures are possible so that saving in
weight is significant & thus it will be economic.

7. Factory products are possible.

8. Prestressed members are tested before use.

 9. Prestressed concrete structure deflects appreciably
before ultimate failure, thus giving ample warning
before collapse.
10. Fatigue strength is better due to small variations in
prestressing steel, recommended to dynamically
loaded structures
 Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete
1. Skilled labour is required

2. Initial equipment cost is very high. .

3. Prestressed sections are brittle

4. Prestressed concrete sections are less fire

resistant.
 Chapter-2

Materials For Prestressed Concrete

 High strength concrete

High tensile steel

 Higher strength is necessary for prestressed concrete

for following reasons:

Anchorages for prestressing steel always designed on the

basis of high strength concrete.

High strength concrete offers high resistance in tension

and shear ,as well as bond and bearing.

 High strength concrete is lees liable to the shrinkage

cracks.

It also has a higher modulus of elasticity and smaller

creep strain ,resulting in smaller loss of prestress.

By using high strength concrete the c/s area required for

member will be reduced resulting less dead weight

moment.
 Cold working bars: by twisting and stretching the strength

is increased in this process .

Stress relieving: heating the strand to about 350C and

cooling slowly. Improves plastic deformation of steel

Strain tempering for low relaxation: heating the strand to

about 350C while it is under tension .Improves the stress-

strain behaviour of steel . Also the relaxation is reduced.
 High Strength

Adequate Ductility

Bendability

High Bond

Low Relaxation

Minimum Corrosion
 The losses in prestress members due to various
reasons are generally in the range of 250 N/mm2 to
400 N/mm2. If mild steel or deformed steel is used
the residual stresses after losses is either zero or
negligible.
Hence high tensile steel wires are used which
varies from 1600 to 2000 N/mm2.
 Chapter-3

Systems of prestressing
Out line

Systems in pre-tensioning

Systems in post-tensioning
 As system of prestressing involves the

process of tensioning the tendons and

securing them firmly to the concrete.
Pre- tensioning
Hoyer long line system
 Freyssinet system

Magnel balton system

Gifford -Udall system

P.S.C mono wire system

Lee-mc-call system

Electrical prestressing

Chemical prestressing
 The Hoyer system is usually adopted for the production of

pre tensioned members on a large scale.

It consists of stretching wires between two abutments at a

large distance apart.

With this Hoyers process, several members can be

produced along one line, by providing suitable shuttering.

 After concrete has hardened ,the wires are released
from abutment
The prestress is transferred to the concrete through
bond between the tendons and the concrete
 Freyssinet system was first to be introduced among the

post tensioning systems.

Anchor element consisting in two parts, cylindrical piece

with tapered hole (sleeve)and a cone(wedge).

The cylindrical piece is a helically reinforced concrete unit

cast with M60 concrete.

 The tapered hole in the cylindrical piece is lined

with closely wound helix of 2.5mm steel wires of
strength of 200N/mm2 is that it should be
stronger than the wires pulled through the cone.
The cone is made with M100 concrete

A small tube is inserted inside the cone to

facilitate grouting.
 The surface of the cone is grooved with grooves depending on
the number of wires to be stretched.
As the wires are stretched and stressed ,released, cone slips in
to the sleeves.
The space between the wires will be filled with the grout.

This provides additional restraint against the slipping of the

tendons.
Normally Freyssinet system is used for pulling 5mm wires 12
to18Nos.
 In this system a cable of rectangular section is provided,

which contains layers of 5mm to 8mm dia.

The wires are arranged with four wires per layer.

The wires in the same layer and the wires in adjacent layers

are separated with a clearance of 4mm spacers.

The wires are anchored by wedging two at a time in to

sandwich plates.
 The sandwich plates are about 25mm thick and are

provided with two wedge-shaped grooves on its two faces.

The wires are taken two in each groove and tightened.

Then a steel wedge is driven between the tightened wires

to anchor them against the plate.

A complete anchorage unit may consists of one to eight

sandwich plates.

.
 Each plate can anchor eight wires.
 Gifford Udall system is another wedge system.

Small wedge is slit in to 2 units and the cut pieces

have teeth on the inner face.

The wires are stressed and anchored one by one in

a separate cylinder using small wedging grips.

Theses wedge grips are called Udall grips.

 Gifford Udall System(method-2)

Tube anchorage consists of a bearing plate, anchor

wedges and anchor grips.

Anchor plate may be square or circular and have 8

or 12 tapered holes to accommodate the individual

prestressing wires.

These wires are locked into the tapered holes by

means of anchor wedges.

 In addition, grout entry hole is also provided in the

bearing plate for grouting.

Anchor wedges are split cone wedges carrying wires on

its flat surface.

There is a tube unit which is a fabricated steel

component incorporating a thrust plate, a steel tube

with a surrounding helix.
 This method is used to prestress steel bars.

The diameter of the bar is between 12 and 28mm.

bars provided with threads at the ends are inserted in

the performed ducts.

After stretching the bars to the required length, they

are tightened using nuts against bearing plates

provided at the end sections of the member
 Wires are tensioned individually

The anchorage consists of a single piece collect sleeve

wedging in a conical hole

A steel truncated guide leads each wire from the cable

to the anchorage point along a gentle curvature

In addition to the guide a central block is also provided

to anchor the central wires.

 in this method, reinforcing bars is coated with thermoplastic material such as

sulphur or low melting alloy and buried in the concrete.

After the concrete is set, electric current of low voltage but high amperage is passed

through the bar.

Electric current heats the bar and the bar elongates. Bars provided with threads at

the other end are tightened against heavy washers, after required elongation is
obtained.

When the bar cools, prestress develops and the bond is restored by resolidification

of the coating.

 Chemical prestressing is done using

expanding cement. Prestressing can be
applied embedding steel in concrete made
of expanding cement.
Steel is elongated by the expansion of the
concrete and thus gets prestressed.
Steel in turn produces compressive stress in
concrete.
 Chapter-II

Losses of prestress
 The steel wires of a prestressed concrete member do
not retain all the preliminary prestress

A certain amount of loss of prestress always take place

A loss of prestess will affect the stress distribution on
the section of the member

So necessary to estimate the loss of prestress in

prestressed members

Loss of prestress take place in prestressed concrte

member due to many causes
Losses are classified in two types
Immediate losses
Time dependent losses

Immediate losses: losses in prestress immediately after

transfer .
Loss due to elastic deformation of concrete ,loss due to
friction, loss due to anchorage.

Time dependent losses:

Loss due to creep of concrte,loss due to shrinkage of
concrte,loss due to r relaxation of steel.
 Types of losses in prestress
Pretensioning
1. Elastic deformation of concrete
2. Relaxation of stress in steel
3. Shrinkage of concrete
4. Creep of concrete
 Post-tensioning
1. No loss due to elastic deformation if all wires are
simultaneously tensioned. If the wires are successively
tensioned, there will be loss of prestress due to elastic
deformation of concrete.

2. Relaxation of stress in steel

3. Shrinkage of concrete

4. Creep of concrete

5. Friction

6. Anchorage slip
When the prestress is transmitted to the concrete
member, the concrete element elastically deforms
and there is a strain in concrete and that effects the
applieed elongation in steel due to this some of the
stretch is lost, so prestress gets reduced. The loss in
stress in steel due to elastic deformation of concrete.
happens
Loss due to shrinkage of concrete

There is contraction due to drying of concrete and

shrinkage strain occurs in concrete.

Shrinkage strain causes the steel to lose its stretch,

resulting in the loss of prestress.
The creep of concrete is defined as the increase in
deformation with time under constant load.

Due to the creep of concrete, the prestress in the

tendon is reduced with time.
 Relaxation of steel is defined as the decrease in
stress with time under constant strain.

Due to the relaxation of steel, the prestress in the

tendon is reduced with time. Just like creep, the
relaxation also depends on time.

It depends on the type of steel, initial amount of

prestress, and the temperature.
 Frictional loss occurs only in post tensioned
beams. When the cable is stressed, friction
between the sides of the duct and the cable does
not permit full tension to be transmitted.
Therefore at a point away from the jacking end
prestress is less.

Frictional loss is due to

a) Length effect, and
b) Curvature effects.
 Friction between the tendon and its surrounding
material is the length effect and is sometimes
described as wobbling effect.

Friction due to length effect depends on the

length, stress in the tendon (cable) and the
coefficient of friction between the contact
materials.
 Curvature effect is caused by the friction due to
designed curvature of the cable
 Chapter-III

Analysis of Prestress Member

 1. Concrete is a homogenous material.

2. Within the range of working stress, both concrete &

steel behave elastically, notwithstanding the small
amount of creep, which occurs in both the materials
under the sustained loading.

3. A plane section before bending is assumed to

remain plane even after bending, which implies a
linear strain distribution across the depth of the
member.