3.

Prestressed Concrete :
Load Balancing and
Deflections
• Variation of stresses along a beam
• Equivalent Load concept and load
balancing
• Deflections of an uncracked beam
• short and long term
• Applications of load balancing in design

University of Western Australia

School of Civil and Resource Engineering 2004
VARIATION OF STRESSES ALONG A BEAM
At any location x along a beam, the bending stress sy at depth y below the
centroidal axis is given by:
sy = P/A + Pexy / I - Mxy / I
We can select ex to minimise Pexy / I - Mxy / I , ie select a tendon profile. e.g. :

Curved tendon Harped tendon

Applicable to
Applicable to internal post-
tensioning • internal post-tensioning, bonded
• external post-tensioning, with membrane
Let’s examine the deflectors; and
draped tendon case • pre-tensioning, where special hold-
downs are available
more closely . . .
 w
Proportionately (UDL)
Draped Tendon -
x ex emax
Parabolic, with UDL: L
R = wL/2 R = wL/2
Mx = wLx/2 - wx2 /2
Mmax = wL2/8 BMD
Mx Mmax parabolic
so
Mx = Mmax{4x/L - 4x2/L2} Stresses at x : sa
Also
ex = emax{4x/L - 4x2/L2}
So : ex y sy
sy = P/A + Pexy/I - Mxy/I
= P/A + y/I {Pex - Mx} sb
= P/A + y/I {Pemax - Mmax } {4x/L - 4x2/L2}
BUT {4x/L - 4x2/L2} never exceeds unity in range 0 < x < L.
SO sy is never more severe than the . . . and a harped
corresponding stress at maximum moment. tendon . . .
Proportionate
Profile: ex
Harped tendon : emax
x
L
RL RR
The same reasoning can be
Mx BMD
applied to this case.
Mmax
Here the shape function
becomes a more general Stresses at x : sa
f(x/L), which has the value
of unity at the point of
ex y sy
maximum moment and
eccentricity.
sb
So again sy = P/A + y/I {Pemax - Mmax } f (x/L ) AND f (x/L ) never
exceeds unity.
SO sy is never more severe than the
corresponding stress at the maximum moment.
Some important conclusions for
proportionate tendon profiles:
Consider this equation:
sy = P/A + y/I { Pemax - Mmax } f (x/L)

1. If P is selected so that Pemax = Mmax, then {Pemax - Mmax } = 0, and

uniform stress occurs over every section for full length of beam. So
there is no deflection of the beam. This is called Load Balancing.

For example, for a parabolically draped tendon, and UDL :

Mmax = w L2/8 = P emax so w = 8 P emax / L2

2. If Pemax differs from Mmax, then stress varies across the section,
and for every section along the beam. So the beam deflects. But
bending stresses will never be more severe than those at maximum
moment, because f ( x/L ) never exceeds unity.

Let’s check this out for Example 2.1 . . .

 Calculate the Balanced Moment Mbal corresponding to the effective
prestress force Pe = 1000 kN :

sa = P/A
+3.33 400

Bending
stresses
750

+3.33
sb = P/A
The Balanced Moment occurs when M = Pe max . The load
causing this moment is called the balanced load wbal .
So M bal = wbal L2/8 = Pe max, and
wbal = 8 Pemax / L2 wbal = 18 kN/m
It follows that, for any prismatic beam, provided that the tendon profile is
proportional to the bending moment diagram, there is a tendon force P for
which the stress in the beam at every location (except very close to supports)
is uniform and of value + P/A.
Since the bending stress is uniform, there is no deflection of the beam at
this load .
Any configuration and intensity of load can be ‘balanced’ in this manner.
If the load varies (usually the case, since live load may or may not be
present, or may be present in part), then further attention is required.
However, if there is a load for which we require the beam to be horizontal,
then this is the load which we ‘balance’ by careful selection of tendon force
P, and tendon profile.

But there is another, more general, method we can

use to reach the same conclusions . . .
 EQUIVALENT LOAD CONCEPT AND
LOAD BALANCING
Prestressing tendons apply loads to the concrete:
• At anchorages (normally at member ends), and
• At changes of direction of a draped tendon

At anchorages :
Psin q Pq
P is force applied by
tendon to concrete =
q
equivalent load Pcos q P

Components for small q

So the ‘equivalent load’ is an axial load P, plus

a vertical load (downwards) Pq
At changes of direction of a draped tendon:
Harped tendon (abrupt change of slope):
Tendon force = P P(q1+q2)

q1 q2 q1 q2

for small q’s

Vertical force P(q1+q2)is the

equivalent load of the tendon force P at
the change of direction q1+q2

Actually we cannot use a sharp kink in the tendon,

since this would cause the tendon to snap, and
would overload the concrete. So we use a smooth
radius of curvature to avoid these problems.

What about a gradual change of slope? . . .

Curved tendon (gradual change of slope):
Consider an incremental length of tendon dx where the tendon
curvature is kt, and the tendon force is P:
P dF
dF P
kt dx
P
P
kt dx
dx
The change of slope of the tendon is kt.dx

The concrete pushes down on the tendon with a force dF, i.e.
the tendon applies an upwards force dF to the concrete. This
is the equivalent load on the short length dx.
So dF = P kt dx, that is dF/ dx = w equiv = P kt
If we know kt at any point, we can calculate the upwards
distributed load at that point.
Try this for the particular case of a parabolically draped tendon:

ex = eccentricity at x
ex e
e = eccentricity at mid-span,
x i.e. e max
dx

ex = e (4x / L - 4x2 / L2 ) shape of the parabolic drape,

ex’ = 4e / L - 8ex / L2 slope of tendon at x.
ex” = - 8e / L2 curvature of tendon kt

So for a parabolically draped tendon, there is a uniformly

distributed upwards load w equiv = 8 P e / L2 applied by the
tendon to the concrete.

Note that the total upwards load is equilibrated at

each support by the vertical component of the
inclined prestress force at the anchorage.
DEFLECTIONS OF AN UNCRACKED BEAM
D short If w < wequiv , beam deflects
upwards - ‘cambers’ or ‘hogs’:
D short < 0

SHORT TERM DEFLECTION

DEFLECTIONS OF AN UNCRACKED BEAM
If w < wequiv , beam deflects
upwards - ‘cambers’ or ‘hogs’:
Dshort < 0

Dshort
If w > wequiv , beam deflects
downwards - ‘sags’ :
Dshort > 0
DEFLECTIONS OF AN UNCRACKED BEAM
Dshort If w < wequiv, beam deflects
upwards - ‘cambers’ or ‘hogs’:
D short < 0

D short = 0
If w = wequiv , there is no
deflection : D short = 0

Dshort
If w > wequiv, beam deflects
downwards - ‘sags’ :
D short > 0
So the short term mid-span deflection, measured from the original
constructed position, may be estimated from either:
Dshort = C’ (w - wequiv) L4/(Ec I)

or Dshort = C (M max - M bal ) L2/(Ec I)

For UDL: C’ = 5/384 and C = 5/48 (approx. 0.1)

 LONG TERM DEFLECTION
A simple treatment for a fully prestressed beam:

D(0) D(0) = short term mid-span deflection

under sustained load.
x

D (t) D(t) = mid-span deflection under

sustained loading, at time t
x

Elastic Creep
sa

Stress Strain
k(0)
k(t)
Section at x
sb So . .
LONG TERM DEFLECTION
elastic creep
sa

Stress due to
s ece e Strain
sustained cc

moment k(0)
k(t)
Section at x
sb
At any position x, and at any level in the section:
Fcc (t) is
Creep strain at time t ecc = e ci Fcc (t) = ( s / Ec) Fcc (t) creep factor
So total strain at time t = ( sce / Ec) + ( sce / Ec) Fcc (t) at time t
Also k(t) = (1 + Fcc (t) ) . k (0)
And since deflection is obtained by double integration of k :

D(t) = (1 + Fcc(t) ) D(0)

A more refined calculation method : D(t) = (1 + 0.8 Fcc(t) ) D(0)

 So what?
How does this help me
as a designer?

Ah ! . . .
Consider this: So ?

If you estimate the most likely load for

your beam, and drape the tendon
proportionately to the bending
moment it causes, then you can select
the tendon force P required to produce
zero deflection !
APPLICATIONS OF LOAD BALANCING TO DESIGN

Consider a bridge :

We wish the bridge to have zero deflection when there is no traffic. (For
a country road, this is most of its life.) So if the tendon profile, and the
prestress force are selected to achieve balance under total dead load, then
the bridge will be uniformly stressed for most of its life, and deflection
will be very small, except when the occasional vehicle crosses it.

But there is more . . .

If the stress is everywhere uniform for most of the structure’s life, then
the long term effect of creep on deflection is (theoretically) zero, so long
term deflection is limited to that caused by differential shrinkage.

How about that ! ! !

Now consider the floor of a department store :
The dead load is always present , and much of the live load is
nearly always present.

If we balance for the sustained load, then the slab will be uniformly
stressed, and flat, for much of its life.
Further, creep deflection will be minimised, since the stresses are
uniform throughout the floor for much of the time.
So use yL (long term live load factor) of the live load for balancing.

You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

SUMMARY

• If a tendon profile is selected to be proportional to the

bending moment diagram, then a tendon force P for a
maximum eccentricity e can be selected to balance a given
bending moment.
• For distributed loads a draped tendon profile may be
selected. For concentrated loads, a harped tendon profile
may be selected.
• If the equivalent load is set equal to the sustained load,
then very good control of deflections can be achieved.
• The above are true for any beam of prismatic section, and
of course to any slab.