PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Eugene Freyssinet - Father of

Prestressed concrete.
• First prestressed concrete bridge - 1948 -
under the Assam Rail Link Project.
 Pamban Road Bridge at
Rameshwaram, Tamilnadu,
Pre-stressing the metal bands on
wooden barrels
Pre-tensioning the spokes in a
bicycle wheel
Prestressing of concrete beams by
mild steel rods
A prestressed beam under an
external load
Variation of length in a prestressed beam
Linearly prestressed railway
sleepers
Circularly prestressed containment
structure, Kaiga Atomic Power
Station, Karnataka
 Concrete
• Minimum grades of concrete for
prestressed applications are as follows.
– 30 MPa for post-tensioned members
– 40 MPa for pre-tensioned members.

• Maximum grade of concrete is 60 MPa.

 Forms of Prestressing Steel

Wires - single unit made of steel.

Strands – 2,3 or 7 wires wound to form a

prestressing strand.

Tendon - group of strands or wires wound to

form a prestressing tendon.
Cross-section of a typical tendon
Cable - group of tendons form a
prestressing cable.

Bars - A tendon can be made up of a single

steel bar. The diameter of a bar is much
larger than that of a wire.
Forms of reinforcing and
prestressing steel
 Properties of Prestressing Steel
• High strength
• Adequate ductility
• Bendability,
• High bond,
• Low relaxation to reduce losses
• Minimum corrosion.
• High tensile steel bars (IS: 2090) -
minimum tensile strength is 980 N/mm2.
 Nature of Concrete-Steel
Interface
• Bonded tendon
• Unbonded tendon
 Advantages of Prestressing

Section remains uncracked under

service loads
• Reduction of steel corrosion
• Increase in durability.
• Full section is utilised
• Higher moment of inertia (higher stiffness)
• Less deformations (improved
serviceability).
• Increase in shear capacity.
• Suitable for use in pressure vessels, liquid
retaining structures.
• Improved performance (resilience) under
dynamic and fatigue loading.
 High span-to-depth ratios
(bridges, buildings with large column-free
spaces)
Span-to-depth ratios in slabs
• Reduction in self weight
• More aesthetic appeal due to slender
sections
• More economical sections.
Suitable for precast construction
• Rapid construction
• Better quality control
• Reduced maintenance
• Suitable for repetitive construction
• Multiple use of formwork
• Reduction of formwork
• Availability of standard shapes.
Typical precast members
 Limitations of Prestressing

• Prestressing needs skilled technology. •

• use of high strength materials is costly.
• additional cost in auxiliary equipments.
• need for quality control and inspection.
 Pre-tensioning or Post-
tensioning
Pre-tensioning
• The tension is applied to the tendons
before casting of the concrete.
• The pre-compression is transmitted from
steel to concrete through bond over the
transmission length near the ends.
Pre-tensioned electric poles
Post-tensioning
• The tension is applied to the tendons
(located in a duct) after hardening of the
concrete.
• The pre-compression is transmitted from
steel to concrete by the anchorage device
(at the end blocks).
Post-tensioning of a box girder
 Stages of the pre-tensioning
operation
• Anchoring of tendons against the end
abutments
• Placing of jacks
• Applying tension to the tendons
• Casting of concrete
• Cutting of the tendons.
Applying tension to the tendons
Casting of concrete
Cutting of the tendons.
 Advantages of Pre-tensioning

• Pre-tensioning is suitable for precast

members produced in bulk.

• In pre-tensioning large anchorage device

is not present.
Disadvantages of Pre-tensioning

• prestressing bed required for the pre-

tensioning operation.
• There is a waiting period in the
prestressing bed, before the concrete
attains sufficient strength.
• There should be good bond between
concrete and steel over the transmission
length.
 Devices

• Prestressing bed
• End abutments
• Shuttering / mould
• Jack
• Anchoring device
• Harping device (optional)
Prestressing bed, end abutment
and mould
Chuck assembly for anchoring
tendons
Harping of tendons
Hold-down anchor for harping of
tendons
 various stages of the post-
tensioning operation
• Casting of concrete.
• Placement of the tendons.
• Placement of the anchorage block and
jack.
• Applying tension to the tendons.
• Seating of the wedges.
• Cutting of the tendons.
Casting of concrete
Tensioning of tendons
Anchoring the tendon at the
stretching end
 Advantages of Post-tensioning

• Post-tensioning is suitable for heavy cast-

in-place members.
• The waiting period in the casting bed is
less.
• The transfer of prestress is independent of
transmission length.
Disadvantage of Post-tensioning

• requirement of anchorage device and

grouting equipment.
 Devices

• Casting bed
• Mould/Shuttering
• Ducts
• Anchoring devices
• Jacks
• Couplers (optional)
• Grouting equipment (optional).
Casting bed, mould and duct
 Properties of Grout

Grout = water + cement + sand + (water-

reducing admixtures, expansion agent and
pozzolanas.

w/c = 0.5.
Fine sand - used to avoid segregation.
 Desirable properties of grout

1) Fluidity
2) Minimum bleeding and segregation
3) Low shrinkage
4) Adequate strength after hardening
5) No detrimental compounds
6) Durable.
 Durability

• Prestressing steel is susceptible to stress

corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement in
aggressive environments.

• Hence, prestressing steel needs to be

adequately protected.
• Bonded tendons - alkaline environment of
the grout provides adequate protection.

• Unbonded tendons - corrosion protection

is provided by the following methods:
• Epoxy coating
• Mastic wrap (grease impregnated tape)
• Galvanized bars
• Encasing in tubes.
Various losses in prestress