20020107.doc-ElectronicJournalofStructuralEngineering.docVIP

Non-linear analysis of externally prestressed concrete beams B.K. Diep and H. Umehara Department of Environmental Technology and Urban Planning Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan Email: bui@conc2.ace.nitech.ac.jp ABSTRACT In an external prestressing system, there is no strain compatibility between the cable and the concrete at every cross-section, the increment of cable strain must be evaluated by taking into account the whole structure, rather than performing the calculation at each section, independently. In this study, a method for the calculation of cable strain, which is based on the deformation compatibility of beam and friction at the deviators, was proposed to predict entire response of externally prestressed concrete beams up to the ultimate state. Application of the developed method in numerical analysis of some examples was then performed. The predicted results showed that the structural behavior of externally prestressed concrete beams could be satisfactorily predicted from zero loading stage up to the ultimate loading stage. The proposed analysis reproduced experimental results such as deflection and increase of cable stress responses with remarkable accuracy. KEYWORDS Cable strain; external cable; unbonded; deviator; displacement Introduction External prestressing is defined as prestress introduced by the high strength cable, which is placed outside the cross section and attached to the beam at some deviator points along the beam. The use of external prestressing is gaining popularity in bridge constructions because of its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, the external prestressing is applied not only to new structures, but also to existing structures, which need to be repaired or strengthened. Although various advantages of external prestressing have been reported elsewhere [14], some questions concerning the behavior of externally prestressed concrete beams at ultimate are often arisen in the design practice. One of major probl