INTRODUCTION &

BRIEF HISTORY OF
PRESTRESSING
SRGQ 423 - PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN
WEEK 1

ENGR.CHARLENE M. ORIAN
PROFESSOR
LESSON OUTLINE

Introduction to Prestressed Concrete

Why do we prestress?
Brief History of Prestressed Concrete
LEARNING OUTCOMES
To explain what is prestressed concrete and why do we use
it
To describe the behavior of PSC and differentiate it with
normal RC.
 INTRODUCTION
Prestressed Concrete is a form of
concrete used in construction which is
prestresseed by being placed under
compression prior to supporting any loads
beyond its own dead weight.
This compression is produced by the
tensioning of high strength “tendons”
located within or adjacent to the concrete
volume,, and is done to improve the
performance of the concrete in service.
 INTRODUCTION
The principle behind prestressed concrete
is that compressive stresses induced by
high-strength steel tendons in a concrete
member before loads are applied will
balance the tensile stresses imposed in
the member during service.
 INTRODUCTION
Prestressed Concrete is a form of
concrete used in construction which is
prestresseed by being placed under
compression prior to supporting any loads
beyond its own dead weight.
This compression is produced by the
tensioning of high strength “tendons”
located within or adjacent to the concrete
volume, and is done to improve the
performance of the concrete in service.
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN | ENGR. CM ORIAN
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN | ENGR. CM ORIAN
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN | ENGR. CM ORIAN
 WHY DO WE PRESTRESS?
Concrete is weak in tension
Economical
 ADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Prestressing minimises the effect of cracks in concrete elements by holding the concrete in
compression.
Prestressing allows reduced beam depths to be achieved for equivalent design strengths.
Prestressed concrete is resilient and will recover from the effects of a greater degree of overload than
any other structural material.
If the member is subject to overload, cracks, which may develop, will close up on removal of the
overload.
Prestressing enables both entire structural elements and structures to be formed from a number of
precast units, e.g. Segmented and Modular Construction.
Lighter elements permit the use of longer spanning members with a high strength to weight
characteristic.
 ADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

The ability to control deflections in prestressed beams and slabs permits longer spans to be achieved.
Prestressing permits a more efficient usage of steel and enables the economic use of high tensile
steels and high strength concrete.
More efficient members (i.e., smaller members to carry same loads)
Much less cracking since member is almost entirely in compression
Precast members have very good quality control
Precast members offer rapid field erection
DISADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Prestressed concrete requires high-quality dense concrete of high strength. Perfect

quality concrete in production, placement and compaction is required.
It requires high tensile steel, which is 2.5 to 3.5 times costlier than mild steel.
Prestressing process requires complicated tensioning equipment and anchoring
devices.
Construction requires perfect supervision at all stages of construction.
Prestressed concrete needs skilled labors.
Somewhat limited design flexibility.
 BRIEF HISTORY OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

P.H. Jackson
The concept of prestressed appeared in 1888.
He was granted the first patent in the United States for prestressed concrete
deisgn.
His idea was perfect, but the technology of high strength steel that exhibited
low relaxation characteristics was not yet available.
 BRIEF HISTORY OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Eugene Freyssinet
He defined the need for these materials that prestressed concrete could be
used as a structural building material.
Unfortunately, although he is a brilliant structural designer and bridge builder,,
lacked the teaching qualities necessary to communicate his ideas to other
engineers.

Gustave Magnel
He wrote the first book of design in prestressed concrete, communicating this
idea to designers worldwide.
He designed and built the legendary Walnut Lane Bridge in Philadelphia, which
revolutionized prestressed concrete in America.
 BRIEF HISTORY OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Urlich Finsterwalder
The German bridge builder and designer, was revolutionizing the construction
means and methods for prestressed concrete bridges.

Paul Abeles and H.Von Emperger

Studied and tested prestressed concrete that the idea of “partial prestressing”
emerged.

Freyssinet and Magnel

Initially, they were adamant that prestressed concrete should not be allowed to
exhibit any tensile forces at sustained loading.
 BRIEF HISTORY OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

The Roebliong Family

Developed the first stress-relieved wire followed by the first stress-relieved
strand.

Tung-Yen Lin
Once again brought prestressed concrete back into the spotlight when he
organized the First Prestressed Concrete World Conference in 1957.
Lin published a technical paper in the Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI)
Journal that introduced a new Load Balancing technique which allowed most
structural engineers to design prestressed concrete very easily.
 APPLICATIONS OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES
The most common use is in the construction of pre-stressed concrete box
girder bridges, where the concrete is pre-stressed in the factory before being
transported to the bridge site. This type of bridge is very strong and durable
and is often used in the construction of long-span bridges.
 APPLICATIONS OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS
Prestressed concrete is often used for beams and columns, as well as for floor
and roof slabs in prestressed concrete buildings. It is also commonly used for
making precast concrete products such as wall panels and stairs.
 APPLICATIONS OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

CONSTRUCTION OF PARKING STRUCTURES

Prestressed concrete is widely used in the construction of parking structures
because of the benefits it provides. These benefits include the ability to resist
deflection and movement during seismic events, the ability to resist corrosion,
and the ability to resist wind and water damage.
 APPLICATIONS OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

CONCRETE PILES
Prestressed concrete is often used in
concrete piles because it can increase
the load-bearing capacity of the piles.
Prestressing the concrete allows for a
more efficient transfer of loads from the
concrete to the piles, which results in a
higher load-bearing capacity.
Additionally, prestressed concrete can
help to prevent cracking and other types
of damage that can occur in concrete
piles. Precast Pre-stressed Centrifugal
concrete piles (PHC Piles) are made using
prestressed high-performance concrete.
 RESEARCH NO. 1

1.) Identify and explain the Prestressing Systems and Devices.

2.) What are the limitations of Prestressing?

3.) Identify atleast 10 structures/projects (5 local and 5 international) that uses

prestressed concrete.

-Handwritten, Short Bond Paper, Due:

 BASIC CONCEPTS
& PRESTRESSING
SYSTEMS
SRGQ 423 - PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN
WEEK 2

ENGR.CHARLENE M. ORIAN
PROFESSOR
LESSON OUTLINE

Basic Concepts of Prestressing

Prestressing Systems
LEARNING OUTCOMES
To demonstrate the behavior of stresses during
prestressing
To differentiate the prestressing systems used in practice
LEARNING OUTCOMES
To demonstrate the behavior of stresses during
prestressing
To differentiate the prestressing systems used in practice
 PRESTRESSING SYSTEMS
In prestressed concrete structures, prestress is introduced by
stretching steel wire and anchoring them against concrete.
Therefore, the prestressing systems should comprise
essentially a method of stretching the steel and a method of
anchoring it to the concrete.

There are two ways adopted in practice:

1. Pre-tensioning System
2. Post-tensioning System
 PRE-TENSIONING SYSTEM
In this method, prestressing is induced (the
tendons are tensioned) before the concrete
is placed.

The concrete is placed while maintaining

the tension. When concrete is hardened
sufficiently, the tendons are released slowly
or cut.

This type of prestressing method is

commonly used for small sized members
like beams, slabs, piles, sleepers and
electric poles etc. which can be casted
easily in factories.
 PRE-TENSIONING SYSTEM
ADVANTAGES
Suitable for Precast Members that are to be produced in bulk.
Absence of large anchorage device.
Less Expenditure on equipment/materials
Certainty in the prestressing force

DISADVANTAGES
Requirement of pre-stressing bed
Waiting Period in pre-stressing bed, before concrete attains sufficient strength.
Requires good bond between concrete and steel tendons over the
transmission length.
End abutments must be strong.
Prestress loss is greater.
PRE-TENSIONING DEVICES
Prestressing bed with end abutments
Mould/Shuttering
Jack
Anchoring Devices
Harping Device
 POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM
In this method, the prestress is induced or
tendons are tensioned only after the
concrete has hardened.

In this system, the concreting is done first

and a duct is formed in the member with
tube or with a metal sheath.

When concrete has sufficiently hardened

then tendons or cable is transferred from
the tendon to the member through
anchorage wedges. THe space between the
tendon and the duct is filled with cement
grout.
 POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM
ADVANTAGES
Post-tensioning can be done in factories and at the site also.
The loss of prestress is less as compared to pre-tensioning system.
This method is used for large spans and heavily loaded structures.

DISADVANTAGES
Costly
 POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM
ADVANTAGES
Post-tensioning can be done in factories and at the site also.
The loss of prestress is less as compared to pre-tensioning system.
This method is used for large spans and heavily loaded structures.

DISADVANTAGES
Costly
COMPARISON OF SYSTEMS
 JACKING SYSTEMS
One of the fundamental components of a
prestressing operation is the jacking
system applied using hydraulic jacks of
capacity 10 to 20 tons and stroke from 6 to
48 inches, depending on whether pre-
tensioning or post tensioning is used and
wheter individual tendons are being
rpestressed or all the tendons are being
stressed simultaneously.
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN | ENGR. CM ORIAN
 MATERIALS FOR
PRESTRESSING &
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE
STRESSES
SRGQ 423 - PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN

ENGR.CHARLENE M. ORIAN
PROFESSOR
LESSON OUTLINE

Properties of Hardened Concrete

Maximum Permissible Stresses of Concrete
Steel for Prestressing
LEARNING OUTCOMES
To describe the properties of concrete
To differentiate the steel materials used for prestressing
 CONCRETE

Concrete, particularly high strength

concrete, is a major constituent of all
prestressed concrete elements. Hence, its
strength and long-term endurance have
to be achieved through proper quality
control and quality assurance at the
production stage.
 PROPERTIES OF HARDENED CONCRETE
The mechanical properties of hardened concrete can be classified into two
categories: short-term or instantaneous properties, and long-term
properties.

SHORT-TERM / INSTANTANEOUS PROPERTIES

Compressive Strength
Tensile Strength
Shear Strength
Stiffness as measured by Modulus of Elasticity

LONG TERM PROPERTIES

CREEP
SHRINKAGE
 SHORT-TERM/INSTANTANEOUS PROPERTIES
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
Depending on the type of mix, the properties of
aggregate, and the time and quality of the
curing, compressive strengths of concrete can
be obtained up to 20,000psi or more.
 SHORT-TERM/INSTANTANEOUS PROPERTIES
TENSILE STRENGTH
The tensile strength of concrete is relatively
low. A good approximation for the tensile
strength is: 0.10f’c < fct < 0.20f’c.

For members subjected to bending, the value

of the modulus of rupture, fr, rather than the
tensile splitting strength. f’t, is used in design.
 SHORT-TERM/INSTANTANEOUS PROPERTIES
SHEAR STRENGTH
Shear strength is more difficult to
determine experimentally than the test
discussed previously because of the
difficulty in isolating shear from other
stresses.

Control of a structural design by shear

strength is significantly only in rare
cases, since shear stresses must
ordinarily be limited to continually lower
values in order to protect the conrete
from failure in diagonal tension.
 SHORT-TERM/INSTANTANEOUS PROPERTIES
MODULUS OF ELASTICITY
 LONG TERM PROPERTIES
CREEP
Known also as material flow, is the increase in strain with time due to a sustained
load. The initial deformation due to load is the elastic strain, while the additional
strain due to the same sustained load is the creep strain.
 LONG TERM PROPERTIES
CREEP
Effects of creep
Increases the deflection of beams and slabs and causes loss of prestress.
The initial eccentricity of a RC column increases with timer esulting to transfer
of compressive load from the concrete to the steel.
 LONG TERM PROPERTIES
RELAXATION (Strain Maintained)
Stress decreases that occur when strain is held constant for some length of time.
 LONG TERM PROPERTIES
SHRINKAGE
Concrete loses moisture with time and decreases in volume. This loss is known as
shrinkage.

The amount of shrinkage depends on:

Composition of conrete
Elapsed Time
Ambient Condition
Volume/Surface Ratio
 LONG TERM PROPERTIES
SHRINKAGE

Types of Shrinkage:
1.) Plastic Shrinkage - occurs during the first
few hours after placing fresh concrete in the
forms.

2.) Drying Shrinkage - occurs after the

concrete has already attained its final set
and a good portion of the chemical hydration
process in the cement gel has been
accomplished.
 MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE STRESSES
CLASSIFICATION OF PRESTRESSED FLEXURAL MEMBERS (SEC. 424.5.2)
 MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE STRESSES
PERMISSIBLE CONCRETE STRESSES AT TRANSFER OF PRESTRESS (SEC. 424.5.3)
 MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE STRESSES
pERMISSIBLE CONCRETE STRESSES AT SERVICE LOADS (Sec. 424.5.4)
 STEELS FOR PRESTRESSING
High-tensile strength is almost the universal material for producing
prestress and supplying the tensile force in prestressed concrete.

High-tensile steel for pretressing usually takes one of three forms:

1. ) Wires
2. ) Strands
3. ) Bars
 STEELS FOR PRESTRESSING
Steel Wires
WIres for prestressing generally conform to ASTM Specification A-421 for “Uncoated
Stress-relieved WIre for Prestressed Concrete”. THey are made from rods produced
by open hearth or electric-furnace process. After cold-drawn to size, wires are
stress relieved by a continuous heat treatment to produce the prescribed
mechanical properties.
 STEELS FOR PRESTRESSING
Steel Strands
Strands for prestressing generally conform to ASTM Specification A-416 for
“Uncoated Seven-wire Stress relieved for Prestressed Concrete”. TWo grades are
available, 250ksi and 270ksi, where the grade indicated minimum guaranteed
breaking stress.
 STEELS FOR PRESTRESSING
Steel Bars
ASTM Specifications A-322 and A-29
are often applied to high-strength
alloy steel bars. It is usually required
that alla such bars be proof-stressed
to 90% of the guaranteed ultimate
strength.
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DESIGN | ENGR. CM ORIAN