HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY

School of the Built Environment

D20SE Structural Element Design

Pre-stressed concrete : Design Test December 2013

A pre- tensioned pre-stressed concrete I beam is to span 22.5 m between supports, and to carry
characteristic permanent and variable loads of 16kN/m and 14kN/m respectively. A cross section
through the beam is shown in Figure 1.
Design data for the beam is as follows:
Concrete :
Grade C50/60, characteristic cylinder compressive strength fck = 50MPa, Modulus of
Elasticity Ec = 42GPa
Tendons:
Characteristic tensile strength fp0.1k=1800MPa. Modulus of Elasticity Ep = 190GPa
Maximum permissible stress in tendon : 1700MPa
Area of tendon 1 : 1900mm2 , Area of tendon 2: 1000mm2
Partial safety factors:
Materials
Concrete
SLS
1.0
ULS
1.5

Steel
1.0
1.15

Loadings
Permanent Variable
1.0
1.0
1.35
1.5

Permissible stresses in concrete for Serviceability Limit States (SLS):

Compressive stress at transfer:
14MPa
Tensile stress at transfer :
0MPa
Compressive stress in service :
15MPa
Tensile stress in service :
(-) 1MPa
Tasks:
1. Initially consider the section with prestress forces in tendons 1 and 2 of 2910kN and
1530kN respectively. Plot the resulting variation in stress in the concrete throughout the
depth of the section at midspan of the beam and at the support. Show values of stress at
top and bottom faces at both transfer and service for each location. Prestress losses should
be taken as 10% of stress at transfer in this task.
2. Check whether the design would satisfy the stress limits given above, and if the limits are
not satisfied suggest how the design might be modified. Calculations are not required to
support your suggestion in this Task.

HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY
School of the Built Environment

D20SE Structural Element Design

3. Using the prestress forces in Task 1, calculate the stress in each tendon immediately after
these prestress forces are transferred to the beam.
4. Calculate the reduction in prestress forces if the concrete undergoes a shrinkage of
0.00015 and the coefficient of creep is 0.3. Use the prestress forces in Task 1 and neglect
elastic losses in this Task.
5. Check whether the section satisfies the ultimate limit state of flexure. If the section is
found to be unsatisfactory, you need not attempt to alter the design in order to make it
satisfy the check. In this Task use the prestress forces in Task 1 and assume 15% losses.
(You need not check shear resistance)

900

250

450

250

900

Tendon 2
300
150

Tendon 1

200

Dimensions in mm

600

Figure 1
All assumptions made in your calculation procedures are to be clearly stated
You are also to send your spreadsheet as an attachment to j.j.cairns@hw.ac.uk by 11:45am on the
day of the test. Please include your surname at the beginning of the filename.

END