STRENGTHENING SYSTEM OF INDUSTRY HALLS

USING POST-TENSIONING
vynechat 2 dky (12pt)

Ing. Ji Chalabala, Ing. Ladislav Klusek, CSc.

vynechat 2 dky (12pt)
SUMMARY
The paper presents the strengthening system of crane beams and columns with corbels using
internal post-tensioning. This method based on drilled cable ducts. The post-tensioning is applied
in it. Cables are pushed into ducts. The existing concrete beams, corbels and columns are partially
prestressed. This method seems to be very effective. The load bearing capacity of existing industry
halls can be increased more than three times. There were repaired several industry halls with
cranes, crane beams and concrete columns with corbels using this system. The article presenst
schemata of the post-tensioning with the pictures from the repair process together.

vynechat 2 dky (12pt)

Starting Situation
The change in the production portfolio brings a requirement to handle ever-heavier
freights/weights/burdens inside the existing production building. This leads to installing heavier
(usually portal) cranes. Increased forces from the new cranes are transferred into the existing hall
structures of reinforced concrete. The method of post-stressing is a well-developed, implemented,
long-term monitored and efficient way of reinforcing production halls and significantly increasing
their load capacity. The reinforcement concerns both the portal crane with its crane-way girders and
the columns with their corbels. The reinforcing work can be performed without interrupting
production. As the existing structure is utilised to its maximum, the reinforcing cost is very
favourable and much lower than in previously applied methods especially if the scope of the
achieved effect is taken into account.
The main structure is usually formed by a reinforced-concrete framework. It consists of reinforced-
concrete columns in a span of 6 to 9 m. Columns are equipped with one-sided or double-sided
corbels on which reinforced-concrete crane-way girders are installed, complete with crane rails for
portal crane travel. Reinforced-concrete trusses with a span of 15 to 24 m are installed on the tops
of columns, together carrying coffered roof sections.
The change of the hall users production portfolio requires handling ever-heavier products. The
requirement for the new portal crane bearing capacity exceeds the original operable load by a factor
of 2 to 3. After the original documentation is assessed, a structure/stress-analysis survey is
performed. Based on this information, the existing reinforced concrete structure is recalculated,
which usually indicates that:
- the existing girders would fail when carrying the new load due to exceeding the ultimate limit
state (ULS) as a result of the increased flexural stress,
- the existing reinforced-concrete corbels would fail in transverse (shear) capacity even with the
original load, let alone the new one, which is significantly higher,
- the existing columns would fail in the ultimate limit state due to the increased flexural stress and
the relatively small addition in the vertical load,
- due to the above facts, the hall as whole narrowly fails the limit deformation state.

Crane-Way Girder Strengthening

The crane-way girder is reinforced with two strands anchored at the supports (Fig.1). The acting of
radial effects is provided by means of steel deviators guiding the strands. The actual installation and
anchoring has been designed to comply with the limited space; the stressing itself is done with
specially manufactured extensions to the jack and can only be performed in the hall interior.
Stressing by means of strands looks very subtle, but the loading capacity increase is very
significant. It can be stated that this method is highly effective.
The implementation of the girder reinforcement was monitored by measuring of all reinforcing

Fig. 1 Cable arrangement of the crane-way girder strengthening

phases: the original girder, the post-stressing process and the final loading with the crane (Fig.2).

Fig. 2 Crane-way girder after strengthening

Before and after the tensioning process, a loading test was performed using a suspended 8-tonne
weight, i.e. the maximum load for the existing crane. The weight
was placed at the limit position to create the maximum possible
crane reaction towards the girder. The camber caused by the
stressing was reduced by 1.8 mm by the weight. This indicates that
only 43% of the girder camber caused by stressing was used. These
were accompanied by significant girder stiffening (deformation
reduction under the same load) by approximately 10%.
It can be stated that more than a twofold reserve was created for
the suspended burdens after the installation of a stronger crane of
the same dead weight.

Column Strengthening
The reinforced-concrete hall column can be strengthened by
vertical post-stressing according to Fig. 3. Apart from vertical
effects, columns also transfer horizontal forces and these are
usually crucial for column dimensioning. It is mainly the flexural
moment out of the M, N forces acting at the point of column
fixation into the foundation structure that decides. The vertical
bearing capacity usually has a reserve. And this is the premise on
which the strengthening of these columns is based: the pair of
forces (Md and Nd) added to the vertical centrally acting post-
stressing force are moved into the acceptable area of the column
transverse section interaction diagram.
In addition to that, the ideal section inertia moment increases as Fig.3 Scheme of column
well as the deformation stiffness in post-stressed columns. strengthening

Strengthening of Corbel
The reinforced-concrete corbel is a structural member subject to extreme stress which transmits a
heavy shearing force acting pointwise as well as the bending moment. The combination of these
two force effects generates a complex stress field with a strongly non-linear behaviour of the
individual components. By omitting the transverse dimension of the wall, the matter can be
simplified to a planar problem and the individual stress components can be linked together into the
principal tensile stress and the principal compression stress.
F F F

P P k.P k.P P P

P P
P P P P

Fig. 4 Post-tensioning of corbels

on the left corbel with 45 ; basic cable arrangement
in the middle corbel with 45 ; using of tie rod to stabilise of lower anchorage
on the right corbel with < 45 ; basic cable arrangement
The original methodology of corbel strengthening was based on the girder theory and stipulated
strengthening by means of vertical stirrups and biaxial bendings. After a series of failures of corbels
strengthened in this way, a number of researches was implemented which have proved a negligable
efficiency of vertical stirrups and a low efficiency of bendings on the one hand and a high effect of
horizontal stirrups on the other hand.
Upon relieving the principal tensile stress (relatively to the magnitude of the acting vertical force)
the collapse of the member is delayed whereby the load bearing capacity increases. The principal
tensile stress can be relieved e.g. by inserting an appropriate prestressing (Fig.4) bringing an
additional compression field into the corbel. The illustrations in Fig. 5 depict a drop of the principal
tensile stress of the corbel loaded by the vertical force of 1000 kN depending on the external

Fig. 5 Reduction of principal tensile stress of an equally loaded corbel without

prestressing (on the left), of that prestressed by 3 x 200 kN (in the middle) and
by 3 x 400 kN (on the right)
(additional) prestressing force inserted through three prestressing units from the corbel face [4].
Stress analysis was performed for a one-sided corbel. As concerns the double-sided corbel,
essentially the same results will be obtained. By virtue of the compression reserve creation, it is
sufficient to make use of the linear analysis. The state of stress and the prestressing design can be
studied from the wall-slab model FEM (Finite Element Method).
design and construction
In compliance with the text mentioned above, the design of prestressing forces, of the arrangement
of prestressing cables and of the location of anchors is based on the previous FEM analysis on the
wall-slab model. In the light of the present level of the problem knowledge, prestressing is designed
high enough so as to prevent its exhausting even after the inclusion of production and operation
prestressing losses while using the safety factor of two point zero at least under the service load
state. That means that the principal tensions are converted to the compression stress and the
favourable effect of the original concrete reinforcement is not included. Nevertheless, it is useful to
determine its location and quantity. One reason why to know the actual strengthening of the corbel
with concrete reinforcement is the necessity to take decision, whether it is necessary to perform
strengthening. The other reason can be the arrangement of the drilled cable ducts so that the failure
of the original reinforcement is as slight as possible. The original reinforcement can be diagnosed
by means of magneto-inductive methods, by radiography or by radar testing. It is also advisable to
diagnose the range of the corbel concrete tensile failure before starting the strengthening by
nonlinear acoustic emission methods see ref. [1].
The corbel concrete remains thus in uncracked condition over a longer utilization time. This
concept takes into account the fact that the ultimate load-bearing capacity tests have not yet been
carried out with a sufficient conclusiveness.
The structural design used commonly by the PEEM company is based on the method of substitude
cable ducts prepared additionally by the diamond technology (Fig. 6), [2]. It makes use of three
short strands led through the drilled ducts horizontally in corbel concrete. The upper strands are

Fig. 6 Structural layout of prestressing cables while strengthening

concentrated into one duct. In some cases it is suitable and useful to implement prestressing by
means of one cable only from the vertical surface of the corbel. The shapes of corbels dating back
to 1925 till 1970 are various and their slope of the lower incline changes. According to its size, for
the lower strand recessing or leaning against an inclined plane with the structural fixing of the
acting force component is used; in case of extremely considerable slopes it is possible to place all
anchors on the corbel face (Fig.4). Technical literature mentions often that by means of a short
prestressing strand it is not possible to insert into the structure a prestressing force effective
sufficiently because it disappears due to the strand sliding in the anchor. A carefully selected
technologic procedure of post-tensioning with a sufficient space for relaxation and subsequent
additional tensioning enabled to insert a sufficiently effective force into the structure even by means
of a short strand or a bar. Measuring of the force in the strand upon anchorage while using a
slideless system demonstrated the insertion of the prestressing force commonly of 180 kN in one
strand.
Acknowledgement
This result was achieved with a financial supporting of the company PEEM s.r.o. within the
framework of the research plan for 2008.
References
[1] JERGA, J., POKORN, M. , Linear and nonlinear acoustic NDT methods. In: Proceedings of
4th International Conference on New Trends in Statics and Dynamics of Buildings. Faculty of
Civil Engineering STU Bratislava, Slovakia.
[2] CHALABALA, J., KLUSEK, L., PNK, J. and SOLAK, M., Zpevnn konzola a
zpsob jejho zpevnn. In: esk pihlka vynlezu pod slem PV 2004-412. PEEM s.r.o.
[3] HOREK. E., nosnost elezobetonovch konzol. In: Inenrsk stavby 5/1962, .
[4] SLEPIKA, P., Vyuit dodatenho pedpt v oboru rekonstrukce a zesilovn betonovch
konstrukc se zamenm na zesilovn konzol. In: Text sttn odborn zkouky, Brno 2007.