A PRESENTATION ON

PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

MASOOD KHAN
B. Arch. 4TH YEAR (DAY)
CONTENT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODS OF PRESTRESSING
 CONSTRUCTION OF PRESTRESSED STRUCTURE
 COMPONENT OF POST-TENSION STRUCTURE
 ADVANTAGES OF PRE-TENSIONED CONCRET
 COMPARISON OF RCC AND PSC
 BENDING SYSTEM IN PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM
 APPLICATIONS OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
INTRODUCTION
Prestressing is a method in which compression force is
applied to the concrete section. And the effect of
prestressing is to reduce the tensile stress in the section.

•The concrete can be visualized to have 2 force systems

–Internal Prestressing Forces
–External Forces
•These 2 force systems must counteract each other

HISTORY OF PRESTRESSING
•In 1886,Jackson, P. H.,(USA) was granted patent for tightening steel tie rods in concrete blocks.
•Early attempts were not very successful due to low strength of steel.
– Steel cant be prestressed at high stress level
– Loss due to creep and shrinkage of concrete quickly reduce the effectiveness of prestressing
 METHODS OF PRESTRESSING

1- PRE-TENSIONED CONCRETE
 Pre-tensioned concrete is cast around already tensioned
tendons.
 This method produces a good bond between the tendon and
concrete, which both protects the tendon from corrosion and
allows for direct transfer of tension.
 The cured concrete adheres and bonds to the bars and when
the tension is released it is transferred to the concrete as
compression by static friction.
 However, it requires stout anchoring points between which the
tendon is to be stretched and the tendons are usually in a
straight line.
 Pre-tensioned elements may be balconyelements, lintels , floor
slabs, beams or foundation piles
BENDING SYSTEM IN PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM
 2- POST- TENSIONED CONCRETE
 Post-tensioning- is a method of reinforcing
(strengthening) concrete or other materials with high-
strength steel strands called tendons.
 Post-tensioning allows construction that would
otherwise be impossible due to either site constraints
or architectural requirements.
 Requires specialized knowledge and expertise to
fabricate, assemble and install.
 After adequate curing of concrete, reinforcing tendons
(placed in side the voids of the structure) are
tensioned/stretched by jacks on the sides & grouts
filled with appropriate mix.
Applications – a) Structural members beams, bridge-
deck panels, Roof –Slabs
CONSTRUCTION OF PRESTRESSED STRUCTURE
1.The installation of post tensioning tendons in the concrete and stressing it requires skilled labour and a
personnel who are certified in doing the tensioning works.
2.The tendons are laid down along with the conventional rebars. The position of laying of the tendons is decided
by the engineer. These tendons are encased in plastic or steel ducts so that they do not come in contact with the
water in concrete.
3.One end of the tendons are anchored with the help of anchor and the other end is left open with plastic pocket
former, where the tendons are stressed. Couplers are used in between if any construction joint is formed.

Stressing ofTendons..
 LAYERING OF TENDONS
4. Concrete is poured and the alignment of these tendons are taken
care of so as to let their positions unaltered. Once after the
concrete has achieved its 75% of strength , that is around 20 – 23
days, these tendons are stressed with the help of stressing jacks.

5. The tensioning is done to a force equal to 80% of a strand’s

tensile strength. For a typical ½-inch grade 270 strand, the strand is
tensioned to a force of 33,000 pounds. As the tensioning comes
into effect, the steel gets elongated, and the concrete is
compressed. IN HORIZONTAL PSC

6. When the proper tensioning force is reached, the prestressing

steel is anchored in place. The anchors are designed to provide a
permanent mechanical connection, keeping the steel in tension,
and the concrete in compression.

7. The extra tendons that are left out at one end are trimmed and
non shrink grouting is put in the anchor pocket.

IN VERTICAL PSC
COMPONENTS OF POST TENSIONING SLAB
1. Ducts
Thin sheet metal pipes with claw coupling or welded overlapped
seam supplied in lengths of 5 and 6 m respectively are used as
a standard. Ducts are connected to each other by an external
screw coupling and sealed with PE tape. Plastic ducts are also
available in the market these days which are water tight ,
frictionless and fatigue resistant.

2. Tendons
The basic element of a post-tensioning system is called a
tendon. A post-tensioning tendon is made up of one or more
pieces of prestressing steel, coated with a protective coating,
and housed inside a duct or sheathing.

3. Anchors
Anchors are used to anchor the tendons into the concrete while
terminating or joining two tendons. Main function of anchorage
is to transfer the stressing force to the concrete once the
stressing process is completed
 ADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
 Post-tensioning allows longer clear spans, thinner slabs, fewer beams and more slender, dramatic
elements.
 Thinner slabs mean less concrete is required. It means a lower overall building height for the same floor-to-
floor height.
 Post-tensioning can thus allow a significant reduction in building weight versus a conventional concrete
building with the same number of floors reducing the foundation load and can be a major advantage in
seismic areas.
 A lower building height can also translate to considerable savings in mechanical systems and façade
costs.one end of the building to the other.
 Reduces occurrence of cracks .
 Freezing & thawing durability is higher than non prestressed concrete.
 Another advantage of post-tensioning is that beams and slabs can be continuous, i.e. a single beam can
run continuously from
 In stadiums, post-tensioning allows long clear spans and very creative architecture.
 Post-tensioning can also be used to produce virtually crack-free concrete for water-tanks.
 The high tensile strength & precision of placement gives maximum efficiency in size & weight of structural
members.
 Applications of various prestressed techniques enable quick assembly of standard units such as bridge
members, building frames, bridge decks providing cost-time savings.
LOSSES OF PRESTRESS CONCRETE BEAM.
The reduction is prestress is called loss of prestress . The
losses are due to:
1. Loss due to Elastic Shortening.
The losses of prestress is about 5 to 10% for pre-tensioned and about
3% for post-tensioned beams.
2. Loss due to anchorage slip.
Occurs at jacking and anchorage ends. In general the loss is 1 to 10mm.
3. Loss due Friction.
The actual force in tendon is reduced by friction (Specified by the
manufacturer of jacks).
In additional a further loss occurs due to friction between tendon and
surrounding materials.
4. Loss due to creep.
The sustained compressive stress on the concrete causes long-term
shortening due to creep.
5. Loss due to relaxation.
6. Loss due to shrinkage.
Kathipara flyover – chennai.

Type of Construction:
Voided slab superstructure in PSC and RCC adopted. Span of continuous voided slab is 120 Mts
( Span arrangement of 3* 40 Mts ).
The strands were procured from China got rusted as the bundles of strands were not stored
properly and the location of construction is near to
seashore.Wesought for an experts opinion from a IIT,Madras.They opined not use the
strands and suggested to replace with new procurement.
But, contractor submitted a proposal to wash the strands with lime to remove the rust before
inserting in to the sheathing ducts.After a trial the contractors proposal was accepted.
APPLICATIONS OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

•Water Tank

•Bridges

•Concrete Pile

•Thin Shell Structures •Slabs in buildings •Nuclear Power Plant

REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestressed_concrete
http://www.concretenetwork.com/post-tension/what-is.html
http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-
MADRAS/PreStressed_Concrete_Structures/pdf/1_Introduction/1.2_Advantages_Typ es%20of%20Prestressing.pdf
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22420304/1-3-Pre-Tensioning-Systems
http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT- MADRAS/PreStressed_Concrete Structures/pdf/1_Introduction/1.1_Introduction.pdf
Prestressed Concrete - By N.Krishna Raju.
http://www.diagnostic-beton.com/en/prestressed-concrete.htm