I I

E
57'

tal

DEFLECTIONS
~126"~
7" I Effective b I t
~ ------9~.lL7"
t" - - t
t
36 "
2;
Concret; '"
centroid / 26'13 "
-i14"~
{bl

FIGURE PS.4 9.1 INTRODUCTION

8.4 A parking garage structure is to be designed using two-span cast-in-place po~t-tcn0
sioned T-beams spaced at 26.9 ft laterally, as shown in Fig. P8.4. T~e monolit~ic slah
is 7 in. in total thickness, and based on trial calculations, a web w1dth of 14 m, all.t!
total depth of 36 in. has been chosen. Post-tensioning will be carried ou~ from t~Ul
two exterior supports to minimize friction losses using a single ~endon w1th 1/2.1~1,
diameter Grade 270 strands in a metal duct, grouted after anchonng. The tendo~ WIll.
be overstressed to compensate for slip losses. Tendon eccentricity will be - 5.17 m" al
the center support, 0 in. at the exterior supports, and + 23.83 in. at ~idspan. ~ervlc~
dead load is 2.78 kips/ft including self-weight, and service live load 1S 0.800 kips/r~
It is specified that effective prestress equivalent load sho.uld ,balance 70 p.ercent of till;!,
total dead load. Concrete strengths are 1/ = 5,000 PS1, lei = 4,000 pSI.. ACI Cod!:!
allowable stresses will be imposed, with a limitation on a flexural tens1le stress III
service loads of 6{l[. Losses due to shrinkage, creep, and relax~tion may
assumed at 17 percent of Pi' (a) Based on the requirement for balancmg 70 perccllt
of dead load, find the required effective prestress force Pe and compute Pi ~ased on
assumed losses. (b) Find the primary, secondary, and total moments resulting fr?m
initial prestress. (c) Calculate stresses at all critical sections of the T-beam r~sultill,a,
from P and total dead load, and from Pe plus full service load. Compare w1th AO
Code limits and revise the design if necessary. (d) Calculate the required
strength at all critical sections at factored loads, including secondary moments willi
load factor of 1.0 and compare with strength provided. Non-prestressed Gradc
Prestressed concrete beams typically are more slender than
reinforced concrete beams. Because of the high span-to-depth
ratios that are characteristic of prestressed concrete, the predic-
tion of deflections demands special attention. Failure to give
proper consideration to deformations may cause several types of problems.
For many members, particularly those designed for full rather than partial
prestressing, the problem may be upward deflection, or camber, which may
iIIrrcase with time as a result of concrete creep. Camber of bridge girders, for
!'~lImple, may result in an uneven road profile, producing uncomfortable or even
dilllgerous ride characteristics. Excessive camber of roof decks may interfere with
proper drainage. For floors, excessive upward or downward displacement may
nlllse cracking of partitions or other non structural elements, ill-fitting window;,>
ill doors, or misalignment of sensitive equipment. In some cases, differential
Vt'nical displacement between adjacent precast floor units, caused by uninten-
liollal variation of material properties, prestress force, or tendon placement, may
I /lIISt; difficulty.
For a typical beam, application of prestress force will produce upward
'limber. The effect of concrete shrinkage, creep, and steel relaxation is gradually
ill reduce the camber produced by the initial force as that force is diminished.

rebars may be added if necessary to increase Mil' (e) Calculate the re.quired spaciJltlt
of No.4 Grade 60 U stirrups along the span. (f) Calculate the deflectlOn at m1~S~Ull
resulting from application of full live load, an? comp~re w~th ACI Cod~ li~:t~.
(Note: Although a complete design would reqUlre cons1deratl?n of a loa~m~ eelS,",
with live load on one span only, for present purposes consideratlOn may be hm1ted t{,
dead and live load on both spans.)
lIowever, the creep effect is twofold. Although it produces loss of prestress force,
h'lIding to reduce the camber, creep strains in the concrete usually increase the
liI'p,alive curvature associated with prestress and, hence, increase the camber.
lillher of these time-dependent effects may predominate, depending on the details
nf I he design and the material properties.

INTRODUCTION 337
336 CONTINUOUS BEAMS AND FRAMES
 Dead and live loads usually produce downward deflections that ~l1T,prllfY1fll
on the upward deflection due to prestress. In the case of sustained loads,
too are time-dependent because of concrete creep.
By prestressing, it is possible to control deflections to a remarkable
In fact, it is only through deflection control that the high span-to-depth
typical of prestressed concrete can be achieved. A prestressed beam of a
cross section is considerably stiffer than a reinforced concrete beam of the
section, because cracking is reduced or eliminated by prestressing. Thus, all
nearly all of the cross section contributes to the moment of inertia and
flexural rigidity. Even more important, the net deflection in service can
minimized or even eliminated altogether using the load-balancing approach
Section 1.3 and 4.6). In considering the effect of creep on deflections, it
noted that if load balancing is achieved under the combined action of
prestress and long-term gravity loads, then uniform compression stress
through the depth of the beam and the effects of creep are minimized.
deflection can be obtained for the balanced load stage.
Although prediction of deflection of prestressed concrete members is
plicated by such factors as the gradual reduction of prestress force due
time-dependent losses, the direct effect of concrete creep, and (for
prestressed beams) the influence of concrete cracking, relatively simple
dures can be followed that. permit calculation of deflections within
limits of accuracy. The calculation can be done at any of several levels,
ing on the nature and importance of the work. In many cases, it would
sufficient to place limitations on span-to-depth ratio, based on experience,
using values such as found in Table 4.1 of Section 4.3. For calculation
deflections, the approximate methods described in Section 9.3 will be SUlnClleu
accurate for most ordinary designs. In special cases where it is important
obtain the best possible estimate of deflections at all load stages, as for long
bridges, for example, the most satisfactory approach is to use a .
summation procedure, as described in Section 9.4. By this method, the
dependent changes of prestress force, material properties, and loading can
accounted for with the needed accuracy. The time-step method also provides
best means for estimating losses in prestress force, as suggested in Section
In some cases, limitations are placed on the total deflection resulting
the combined effects of prestress, dead load, and service live load. More
limitations are set on the immediate deflection due to full service live load and
the deflection component that will occur after nonstructural elements such
walls (which could be damaged by large deflections) are in place. In the
case, ·the deflection of interest is the sum of the long-term deflection
from all sustained loads (including prestress) and the immediate
resulting from any additional live load. The ACI Code includes restrictions
these deflection components.
It should be emphasized that all deflection calculations for
concrete members are merely estimates and are affected by uncertainties
338 DEFLECTIONS
(a) (b) (c)
fUmRE 9.1 Stresses and strains resulting from initial prestress force Fl. (a) Cross
Zl¥H;tion, (b) Stresses. (c) Strains.
IIImaterial properties, which are time-dependent and affected by influences such
temperature and humidity, and by uncertainties relating to the time of
ijpplication and duration of the loads that may act.
BASIS FOR THE CALCULATIONS
II the prestress force is accurately known, if the materials are stressed only within
clastic ranges, and if the concrete remains uncracked, then the calculation of
drlkction of a prestressed flexural member presents no special difficulty. Camber
iI,t,lIlting from prestressing can be calculated either on the basis of curvatures, or
!!iH'Clly from the prestress moment diagram, using familiar tools such as the
IllOlIlcnt-area method. Alternately, the effect of prestressing may be considered in
if'llllS of equivalent loads. Deflections resulting from dead and live loads are then
;·jilnllated as for any other flexural member and are superimposed on prestress
,h'lkctions to obtain net values at the load stages of interest.
The concrete strains and stresses in a typical beam, resulting from the
dpplication of initial prestress force Pi' may appear as shown in Fig. 9.1.
'!\llerete stresses are found from the equations of Chapter 3, after which the
i!/wins are easily obtained by the relation E!c = fjEc. If the total depth of the
!;l'ctioll is h, then the curvature at a particular section due to Pi is
(9.1)
With due regard for sign. If tensile strain is taken pOSItive, as usual, then a
Ilegative sign will indicate concave-downward curvature and upward camber for
',lInple span.
Concrete stresses and strains in the member after losses are shown in Fig.
Stresses decrease, compared with those of Fig. 9.1, because of the loss of
lilt'stress force. However, because of the combined effects of shrinkage and creep,
BASIS FOR THE CALCULATIONS 339
 1----+----1
~parabolic tendon

1<
(a)

(a) (b) (c)

FIGURE 9.2 Stresses and strains resulting from effective prestress force F:, after
losses. (a) Cross section. (b) Stresses. (c) Strains.
~ EI

(b)

there is an increase of strains in the compressive sense. After losses, the curvature
is

(9.2)
For computational purposes, it is convenient to consider the curvature after
losses, ep t' as the sum of three parts: (1) the instantaneous curvature eppl
occurring immediately upon application of Pi' (2) the change in curvature dept
corresponding to loss of prestress from relaxation, shrinkage, and creep, and (3)
the change in curvature dep2 resulting from the direct effect of concrete creep
under sustained compression (Ref. 9.1). Thus,
A..
't'pt
= A.. .
't'Pl
+ depl + dep2 (9.3)
The curvatures ep i and ep t vary along a span. Values at intervals may be
calculated to establish the ~hape of the curvature diagram, which may then be
treated as an elastic load in deflection calculations.
In many cases, in computing deflections due to prestress force, it is simplel'
to work with moments rather than curvatures. For statically determinate beams,
the prestress moment diagram is directly proportional to the eccentricity dia·.
gram, since M = Pe. Moment ordinates are converted to M / EI ordinates, and
the M / EI diagram considered an elastic load in finding deflections by the
moment-area or conjugate beam method. The equivalence of the two methods is
obvious, since from elementary mechanics
M Pe
ep=-=- (9.4)
EJc EJc
Thus for the beam of Fig. 9.3a, having a parabolic tendon of eccentricity (J
at midsp~n, diminishing to zero at the supports, a parabolic moment diagram
with maximum ordinate Pe is obtained. This is readily converted to the M/EI
------r----- A
FIGURE 9.3 Deflection due to pre-
stressing. (a) Profile. (b) Elastic
(c) loads. (c) Deflection curve.
diagram of Fig. 9.3b. If we apply the moment-area method, the flexural displace-
ment 11 due to prestress P is' found by taking moments of the M / EI area,
between midspan and support, about the support point:
Pe f 2 5 f
Il=-x-x-x-x-
EI 2 3 8 2
5 Pef2
48 EI
This, and other cases that occur frequently, are summarized in Fig. 9.4 for
reference. Figures 9.4b, c, and d give the midspan deflections for tendons harped
at midspan, at the third points, and at the quarter points of the span, respec-
tively, and passing through the concrete centroid at the supports in all cases.
Figure 9.4e gives the midspan deflection produced by a straight tendon having
constant eccentricity e.
Other cases may be obtained by superposition. For example, if the parabolic
tendon of Fig. 9.4/ has eccentricity e l at the supports, plus an incremental
eccentricity e 2 at midspan, the total deflection at midspan due to prestressing is
found by superimposing cases (a) and (e), as shown in Fig. 9.4f.
A third alternative in finding the deflection due to prestressing is to translate
the prestress effect into equivalent loads, which permits use of handbook equa-
tions for deflections such as are available for the usual loadings.

340 DEFLECTIONS BASIS FOR THE CALCULATIONS 341

 Profile Midspan deflection To illustrate that identical results may be obtained by the method of
equivalent loads, it will be recalled that the equivalent upward load produced on
2 II concrete member by a parabolic tendon is
(a) A = ..2 Pel
48 EI
8Pe
Parabola
w= - - (4.27)
12

It may be confirmed in any standard reference that the deflection due to a

uniform load on a simple span is
A = ~ Pel
2
(b)
12 EI 5 wl 4
6..=--
384 EI
k---1/2 --",":>+-1<E---1/2 ~
Substituting the equivalent prestress load:

4
5 X 8 Pel
/'::,.=----
(e) 384 12EI

5 Pe/ 2
k-1/3 :> 1< 1/3 :> 1< 1/3~
48 EI

liS already found by the method of moment areas. Similar confirmation may be
ohtained for the other load cases shown.
If the beam or slab is uncracked, the moment of inertia used in the
(d) calculations may be taken as that of the gross concrete cross section without
~;erious error. If there is an unusually large amount of steel present, accuracy will
he improved by the use of the properties of the transformed section.
k-1/4 ....;.....1...<0---1/2 --....;:>H-ol<E-1/4 ~ If cracking is present, the stiffness of a member may be substantially
I educed. However, even partially prestressed concrete members crack only at
discrete locations. Between cracks, the flexural stiffness is approximately that of
the un cracked concrete section. In such cases, use of an effective moment of inertia
e
I~i recommended, as described in Section 9.6.
(e)

1).3 APPROXIMATE METHOD FOR DEFLECTION CALCULATION

Although deflection at intermediate states may be important in certain cases,
lIormally to be considered are the initial stage, when a beam is acted upon by the
mitial prestress force Pi and its own weight, and one or more combinations of
1 Pe,I 2
5 Pe2J2 I. lad in service, when the prestress force is reduced by losses to Pe and when
A=---+---
8 EI 48 EI dl'llcctions are modified by concrete creep under sustained loads. Initial deflec-
IIOIlS are easily found. Time-dependent effects are estimated using either of two

FIGURE 9.4 Prestress deflections for various tendon profiles. Illet hods, as follows.

342 DEFLECTIONS APPROXIMATE METHOD FOR DEFLECTION CALCULATION 343

A. USE OF CREEP COEFFICIENT AND AVERAGE PRESTRESS FORCE
The short-term deflection 11 pi due to the initial prestress force Pi may be found
based on the variation of curvature along the span, making use of moment-area
principles. The initial curvatures cJ>pi may be calculated from strains (Eq. 9.1), but
it is usually more direct to work from the prestress moment diagram, and the
corresponding variation of Pie/ EJc along the span. For common cases, the
midspan deflection I1pi may be calculated directly by the equations in Fig. 9.4.
Usually I1pi is upward, and for normal conditions, the member self-weight is
superimposed immediately upon prestressing. The immediate downward deflec"
tion 110 due to self-weight, which is usually uniformly distributed, is easily found
by conventional methods. The net deflection upon prestressing is
where negative values indicate upward displacement.
In consideration of long-term effects, reference is made to Eq. (9.3), which
indicates that the curvatures (or deflections) resulting from prestressing force p~
after losses may be computed as the sum of the initial curvatures (or deflections)
plus changes due to reduction of prestress and due to concrete creep. Equation
(9.3) may be restated as follows:
where Cu is the creep coefficient (see Chapter 2). The subscript x used with I'
indicates that the eccentricity varies along the span. The first term in Eq. (9.6) i.s
the initial negative curvature, the second term is the reduction in that initial
curvature because of the loss of prestress, and the third term is the increase in
negative curvature because of concrete creep. Here the important approximation
is made that creep occurs under a constant prestress force, equal to the average oj: .
the initial and final values.
Corresponding to that approximation, the final deflection of the membet'
under the action of Pe is
or simply
344 DEFLECTIONS
where the first term is easily obtained by direct proportion:
(9.8)
The long-term deflection due to self-weight is also modified by creep, and
llIay be obtained applying the creep coefficient to the instantaneous value. Thus,
the total member deflection, after losses and creep deflections when effective
prestress and self-weight act, is given by
(9.9)
The deflection due to superimposed loads may now be added, with creep
coefficient introduced to account for the long-term effect of the sustained dead
loads, to obtain the net deflection at full service loading:
(9.10)
where I1d and 11, are the immediate deflections due to superimposed dead and
live loads, respectively.
Although the value of Ec increases with time, as the concrete gains strength,
III approximate calculations such as just described it is usually adequate to
consider Ec constant, using the ACI Code value given by Eq. (2.3) or, for higher
~trcngth concretes, using the value predicted by Eq. (2.5), in either case with J/
taken as the full specified compressive strength of the concrete. 1 The ultimate
creep coefficient Cu is also usually considered to have a constant value in
approximate calculations, even though it is known to depend on the age of the
concrete at the time of loading. .
B. lONG-TERM DEFLECTION MULTIPLIERS
An alternative approach to the approximate calculation of long-term deflection of
prestressed members under prestress and sustained loads is to apply a simple
Illultiplier to the immediate elastic deflections. This approach is similar to that
'It has been suggested that Ec in Eq. (9.6) be taken equal to Eci , the value of the elastic
lIIodulus at time of release. This is clearly a more reasonable basis for the first term in that
"quation, although the second and third terms represent effects taking place while Ec
"radually increases from ECi to its full value. Recognizing that typically ftfi is about equal to 70
"orcent of t,;, for which ECi = 84 percent of Ec ' it can be concluded that, in an approximate
cillculation based on Eq. (9.6), use of Ec based on the design strength ftf is justified.
APPROXIMATE METHOD FOR DEFLECTION CALCULATION 345
Table 9.1 Multipliers for Estimating Long-Term Cambers and Deflections
for Typical Precast Membersa
Without With
composite composite
topping topping
At erection:
1. Downward deflection-apply to elastic deflection
due to member weight at release of prestress. 1.85 1.85
2. Upward camber-apply to elastic camber due to
prestress at time of release of prestress. 1.80 1.80
Final:
3. Downward deflection-apply to elastic deflection
due to member weight at release of prestress. 2.70 2.40
4. Upward camber-apply to elastic camber due to
prestress at time of release of prestress. 2.45 2.20
5. Downward deflection-apply to elastic deflection
due to superimposed dead load only. 3.00 3.00
6. Downward deflection-apply to elastic deflection
caused by composite topping. 2.30
BAdapted from Ref. 9.2. Multipliers result in the total initial plus time-dependent
whereas the multipliers found in the ACI Code for long-term effects in non-prestressed beam"
give the additional deflection to be added to the initial deflection.
used, according to ACI Code procedures, for ordinary reinforced concrete beam~~
Multipliers have been derived in Ref. 9.2 for precast prestressed members,2 with
or without composite topping slabs, to estimate the total long-term effects
prestressing, member self-weight, and the composite slab if present, and
shown in Table 9.1. To use these multipliers, which result in the total (immediu
plus time-dependent) deflection components, the upward and downward COlmO,[l*
nents of the initial elastic camber should be separated to take into account
effects of loss of prestress, which affects only the upward component. In Tahl~
9.1, the term "erection" refers to the time the precast member is placed in
structure, assumed to be from 30 to 60 days following casting; thus,
immediate and partial time-dependent effects are included at this stage. The term
"final" refers to the stage at which all loss and creep effects have occurred.
9.4 REFINED CALCULATIONS USING INCREMENTAL TIME STEPS
In calculating the deflection resulting from prestress force, the method presen
in Section 9.3A treated time-dependent changes in a very approximate way.
2Although derived originally for precast pretensioned members, they are often applied
post-tensioned beams in approximate calculations.
346 DEFLECTIONS
load stages were considered: the initial stage, when prestress Pi acts, and the final
stage, after all time-dependent losses, when the prestress force is Pe . With
reference to Eq. (9.6), the initial curvature Piex/EJc was reduced to account for
the prestress loss (Pi - Pe ), then increased to account for the effect of creep
strain in increasing the curvatures along the span. In computing the last compo-
nent, we made the approximation that concrete creep occurred under a constant
prestress force, equal to the average value (Pi + PJ/2. Such an approach should
prove sufficiently accurate for all but unusual cases.
For greater refinement, it is necessary to account for time-dependent changes
in prestress force in a way that recognizes the interaction of the effects of creep,
shrinkage, and relaxation. Creep does not proceed under a constant force, but
under a force that is continuously reducing because of the combined effects of
shrinkage, relaxation, and creep itself. This may be accounted for using a
summation procedure, based on the incremental changes occurring in a series of
discrete time steps (Ref. 9.1). This also provides the most accurate means to
predict the time-dependent loss of prestress force due to creep, shrinkage, and
relaxation. Such a step-by-step method, although still approximate, permits
illlProvement in accuracy to any desired degree by reducing the length and
increasing the number of the time steps considered.
The determination of curvatures and deflections by such means requires
i
information not only on the ultimate creep, shrinkage, and relaxation coefficients,
hut on the variation of those quantities with time. The information contained in
('hapter 2 will prove useful in this respect (see also Refs. 9.4 to 9.6).
For the step-by-step method, Eq. (9.6) is replaced, in effect, by the following
[:llInmation, to obtain the curvature cf>PI at any section at time t:
(9.11)
where the subscripts (n - 1) and (n) define the beginning and end of a particular
IlIllC step. It will be recalled that the first term is the instantaneous curvature
occurring upon application of the prestress force Pi' the second term is the
decrease in curvature corresponding to the loss of prestress from creep, shrin-
!\age, and relaxation, and the third term is the increase in curvature resulting
fr om creep.
The prestress force at the end of any time step is equal to the initia1 prestress
/', less the losses caused by shrinkage, creep, and relaxation. Losses caused by
!.hrinkage, and relaxation could easily be obtained by application of the shrin-
Iwge and relaxation coefficients and time functions of Chapter 2. However, the
f'll'ect of creep must be accounted for by summing the curvature changes in all
lillie steps up to the time (t), because the force causing creep is continuously
It'ducing.
REFINED CALCULATIONS USING INCREMENTAL TIME STEPS 347