Flexural strength
of
pre-stressed concrete sections
Flexural Strength of Prestressed Concrete
Sections
Types of Flexural Failure
1. Fracture of steel in tension – The sudden failure of a prestressed member
without warning is generally due to the fracture of steel in tension. This is
imminent when percentage of steel provided is lower than design requirement.
This type of failure can also be prevented by providing minimum percentage
steel in the c/s (i.e, IS 1343 recommends min. long. Steel of 0.2% of c/s area)
2. Failure of under reinforced sections – If a c/s is provided with reinforcement
lesser than a balanced section then its called under-reinforced beam. The
failure is characterized by excessive elongation of steel, resulting in excessive
deflection and wide cracks of prestressed concrete members. This type of
failure is generally desirable as it provides ample warning of impending failure.
Types of Flexural Failure (Contd..)
3. Failure of over reinforced sections - If a c/s is provided with reinforcement
higher than a balanced section then its called over-reinforced beam.
Generally, over-reinforced members fail by sudden crushing of concrete.
The failure is characterized by small deflections and narrow cracks. In
structural concrete members, it is undesirable to have sudden failures, and
consequently use of over-reinforced section is discouraged.
4. Other modes of failure – Prestressed concrete members subjected to
transverse loads may fail in shear before their full flexural strength is
attained, if they are not adequately designed for shear. Web shear cracks
may develop if the principal stresses are excessive and thin webs are used
causing web crushing. Failure of bond between steel and surrounding
concrete is likely due to inadequate transmission length at the ends of
members. Anchorage failure may occur in post-tensioned concrete, due to
poor end block design or placement.
Strain compatibility method
The rigorous method of estimating the flexural strength of prestressed
concrete section is based on the compatibility of strains and equilibrium of
forces acting on the section at the stage of failure. Assumptions are listed
below:
1. Stress distribution in the compression zone of concrete can be defined as
coefficients applied to the compressive strength and avg. compressive
stress.
2. Plane section remains plane even after bending
3. The resistance of concrete in tension is neglected
4. The max compressive strain in concrete at failure reaches a particular
value of 0.0035
Flexural Capacity of Flanged Sections
Shear Resistance of PSC Members
Shear and Principal Stresses
ζv = VS / Ib
ζv = Shearing stress due to transverse loads
V = Shearing Force
S = first moment of area
I = Second moment of area of section about the centroid
b = width of the section at given point
Max and Min Principal Stresses
𝑓𝑥 + 𝑓𝑦 1
𝑓𝑚𝑎𝑥,𝑚𝑖𝑛 = ± (𝑓𝑥 −𝑓𝑦 )2 + 4ζ𝑣 2
2 2
Where fx and fy are the direct stresses and ζv is the shear stress acting
at the point.
In general, shear resistance of structural concrete members can
be improved by following ways:
1. Horizontal or axial prestressing
2. Prestressing by inclined or sloping cables
3. Vertical or transverse prestressing
For the Same problem, instead of axial prestressing, a curved cable having an eccentricity of 100
mm at the centre of span and concentric at supports is used. The effective force in the cable
being 180 kN. Let us estimate principal tension and compare
In order to understand the effect of vertical prestressing , let us consider a vertical
prestress by means of vertical cables imparting a stress of 2.5 N/mm2 in the depth
direction of the beam along with the prestress.
Shear Resistance of PSC Members
Ultimate shear resistance of prestressed
concrete members
Type of shear cracks
1. Web-shear crack
2. Flexure-shear crack
Web-shear crack
• Web-shear cracks generally start from an interior point, when the local principal
tensile stress exceeds the tensile strength of concrete.
• Web-shear cracks are likely to develop in highly prestressed beams with thin
webs, particularly when the beam is subjected to large concentrated loads near a
simple support.
Flexure-shear crack
• Flexure-shear cracks develop when combined shear and flexural tensile stresses
produce a principal tensile stress exceeding tensile strength of concrete. In
members without shear reinforcement
• the inclined shear cracks extend to the compression face resulting in sudden
explosive failures. This is also referred as the diagonal tensile mode of failure.
Shear Resistance of Uncracked Section
Vc = Vco = 0.67bD 𝑓𝑡 2 + 0.8𝑓𝑐𝑝𝑓𝑡
Pg 32, IS:1343
Where,
b = breadth of the member for which T, I and L beams should be
replaced by the breadth of the rib, bw
D = Overall depth of member
ft = max principal tensile stress given by 0.24 𝑓𝑐𝑘
fck = compressive strength of concrete
fcp = compressive stress at the centroidal axis due to the prestress
Sections cracked in Flexure
Pg 33, IS:1343
Where,
fpe = effective prestress after all losses have occurred, which shall not be put greater
than 0.6 fp
fp = characteristic strength of prestressing steel,
ζc = ultimate shear stress capacity of concrete obtained from Table 6
b = breadth of the member, which, for flanged sections, shall be taken as the breadth
of the web bw
d = distance from the extreme compression-fibre to the centroid of the tendons at
the section considered
Mo = moment necessary to produce zero stress in the concrete at the
depth, given by:
Mo = 0.8 fpt (I/Y)
where fpt is the stress due to prestress only at depth d and distance y
from the centroid of the concrete section which has second moment of
area I
V and M = shear force and bending moment respectively, at the
section considered due to ultimate loads.
Vcr should not be less than 0.1 bd 𝒇𝒄
Shear Resistance of Prestressed Beams
Design of Shear Reinforcements (IS:1343)
Design of Shear Reinforcements (pg 48 – IS:1343)
Design of Shear Reinforcements (IS:1343)
A prestressed girder of rectangular section 150mm x 300 mm deep, is to be
designed to support an ultimate shear force of 130 kN. The uniform prestress
across section is 5 N/mm2. Given the characteristic cube strength of concrete
as 45 N/mm2 and Fe-415 HYSD bars of 8mm diameter, design suitable
spacing for the stirrups conforming to the Indian standard code IS:1343
recommendations. Assume cover to the reinforcement as 50 mm.
Soln:
d = 300-50 = 250mm and fc = 45 Mpa, and fcp = 5 Mpa
ft = 0.24 𝑓𝑐 = 1.61 N/mm2
Vc = 0.67bD 𝑓𝑡 2 + 0.8𝑓𝑐𝑝𝑓𝑡 = 90611 N or 90.61 kN
V (130 kN) > Vc (90.61 kN)
Sv = 212.3 mm (for 2L 8mm dia stirrups)
Max permissible spacing = 0.75 d = 187.5 mm
So use 180 mm c/c spacing for 8mm dia Fe-415 stirrups
The cross-section of a prestressed concrete beam is a T section with an
over all depth of 1300 mm. Thickness of web = 150 mm. Distances of
top and bottom fibers from the centroid are 545 mm and 755 mm
respectively. At a particular section, the beam is subjected to an
ultimate moment, M = 2130 kNm and shear force, V = 237 kN. Effective
depth, d = 1100 mm. Cube strength = 45 N/mm2. Effective prestress at
the extreme tensile face of the beam, fpt = 19.3 N/mm2, I = 665x108
mm4, area of steel in the section, Ap = 2310 mm2, tensile strength of
tendons, fp = 1500 N/mm2, effective stress in tendons after all losses,
fpe = 890 N/mm2, Estimate the flexure-shear resistance of the section.
Soln: Mo = 0.8 fpt (I/Y) = 136x107 N-mm
(100Ap) / (bwd) = 1.40
From Table 6 (pg 47, IS:1343), ζc = 0.77 N/mm2
The flexure-shear resistance of the section is,
Vc = 238 kN
V (237 kN)< Vc (238 kN), so provide minimum shear reinforcement per
IS:1343 Section 22.4.3.1, use 2L stirrups of 8mm diameter,
Sv = 605mm (IS:1343 Section 22.4.3.1)
Max permissible spacing, Sv = 4*bw = 600 mm. or 0.75d
So use 2L - 8mm dia stirrups at 600 mm c/c
