PRESTRESSED

CONCRETE

Prestressed Concrete
Definition:
Prestressed concreteis a method for overcomingconcrete's natural
weakness intension. It can be used to
producebeams,floorsorbridgeswith a longerspanthan is practical
with ordinaryreinforced concrete.

History Background
O THE BICYCLE WHEEL

Bicycle wheel as we know it today - each is associated

with an application of prestressing to a structural
system.

Methods of Prestressing:
Pre-tensioned concrete
Bonded post-tensioned concrete
Unbonded post-tensioned
concrete

Pre-tensioned concrete
In pre-tensioning the reinforcement, in the form of tendons or
cables, is stretched across the concrete formwork before the
concrete is placed.

Bonded post-tensioned concrete

Bonded post-tensioned concrete is the descriptive term for a
method of applying reinforced after pouring concrete and the
curing process

Advantages of bonded posttensioned concrete

1)
2)

3)

Tendons are less likely to de-stress in accidents

Tendons can be easily 'weaved' allowing more
efficient designs
Higher ultimate strength due to bond generated
between the strand and concrete

Unbonded post-tensioned concrete

Unbonded post-tensioned concrete differs from bonded post-tensioning by providing
each individual cable permanent freedom of movement relative to the concrete.

Advantages of Unbonded posttensioned concrete

1)
2)
3)
4)

Ability to de-stress the tendons

Economical
Replaceable
Simple stressing equipment

Forms of Prestressing
Steel

1) W I R E S
2) S T R A N D S
3) T E N D O N
4) C A B L E
5) B A R S

Prestressing
wire is a single
unit made of
steel.

Wires

Two, three or
seven wires are
wound to form
a prestressing
strand.

Strands

A group of
strands or wires
are wound to
form a
prestressing
tendon.

Tendon

A group of
tendons form a
prestressing
cable.

Cable

A tendon can be
made up of a
single steel bar.
The diameter of
a bar is much
larger than that
of a wire.

Bars

Common shapes of prestressing tendons.

Among these 7-wire strand is most popular

Difference between RC,PC and PPC

Applications of
prestressed concrete:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Bridges
Slabs in buildings
Water Tank
Concrete Pile
Thin Shell Structures
Offshore Platform
Nuclear Power Plant

Advantages of Prestressing

Prestressing minimizes the effect of cracks in concrete

elements by holding the concrete in compression.

Prestressing allows reduced beam depths to be

achieved for equivalent design strengths.

If the member is subject to overload, cracks, which

may develop, will close up on removal of the overload.

Lighter elements permit the use of longer spanning

members with a high strength to weight characteristic.

Prestressed concrete can provide significant cost

advantages over structural steel sections or ordinary
reinforced concrete.

Limitations of Prestressing
Prestressing

needs skilled technology.

Hence, it is not as common as reinforced
concrete.
There is need for quality control and
inspection.
The use of high strength materials is costly.

May Allah shower His

blessings on us!
Aameen!