1

Pre-stressed Beams
From Reinforced Concrete to
Pre-stressed Applications
2
The Disadvantages of
R/C
Reinforced Concrete does
have shortcomings
3
Concrete Beams require a large
amount of formwork
Timber is expensive
The shuttering is
afterwards mostly
thrown away
A lot of material is
wasted for props and
supports
4
R/C Formwork is Time
Consuming
Fabrication takes a long time
Craftsmen are required for formwork
5
Concrete requires long curing
The props cannot
be removed for 3
weeks and
prevent any
progress


6
Large Amount of Steel
for Reinforcement
Mild Steel is used for
Reinforcement bars
The maximum tensile
stress mild steel can
take is 3000kg/cm2
This is quite low and
requires relatively
high amounts of steel
in R/C
3 Tons
One
cm
2
7
Bar cutting,
bending and
tieing is time
consuming
As a result, R/C
beams are rather
expensive
and therefore not
much used for
roof construction
Stirrups
Reinforcement
Bars
8
Pre stressed beams reduce the
cost of concrete slabs
dramatically
You can make a concrete slab for
the cost of an entire roof and
have no trouble with leaks
9
On top of it, you get a
roof top garden free
10
Advantages of Pre-stressed
Concrete

High Tensile steel wire is used instead
of mild steel bars
The cross section area is reduced since
the steel wire can take a much greater
load

11
RC Beam
Pre-stressed
Beam
12
To increase the load capacity, the steel
wire is kept under tension of more than
2000 kg during casting and curing
This results in a reduction of the
number of bars and a substantial
reduction of concrete material and
cost

13
What is more,
The beams can be pre cast on ground
due to their small size which enables
the constructor to lift them on the brick
wall to build a slab in a short period of
time.
14
And
there are no shuttering and props
required. This again results in huge
savings

15
What does a concrete slab
with pre-stressed beams
look like ?
16
Pre cast concrete planks
Pre-stressed beams
Plan
In the following section we will
show you how to make
pre cast beams
and how to stress them
Plan
Then we will show you
how to make a slab
and a slab roof.
19
Steel Formwork
Design,Dimensions,Details
20
Formwork Elements
l
These elements of 2.40m length
are joined serially. As a result, a
number of beams can be cast and
pre-stressed in one stretch.
The wooden blocks
5x5cm are removed after
casting
21
Align the Formwork
Level the floor exactly and align
the wooden blocks horizontally
with the help of guide lines to
bring them in to one level.
Align the formwork with guide
lines.

The wooden blocks
5x5cm are removed after
casting
22
Dimensions
Steel Formwork for Beams
23
The Metal Sheet Forms
3m Beam
Gauge

Side s 10.5 cm
Width-w 10.0 cm


w
s
L= 2.4 m
24
Metal Sheet Form -3.6m Beam
Gauge

Side-s 13.25
Width-w 12.7


w
s
L= 2.4 m
25
Metal Sheet Form -4.2m Beam
Gauge

Side-s 16 cm
Width-w 15 cm


w
s
L= 2.4 m
26
Metal Sheet Form -5.2m Beam
Gauge

Side-s 19 cm
Width-w 18 cm


w
s
L= 2.4 m
27
Frame and End Plate
37mm L
angle
The Forms
are
supported
by welded
frames
Each beam is
separated by a
endplate that
determines the
length of the
beam
28
Plates separate
each beam
within the
Formwork
They
determine the
Length of each
Beam
29
Apply Formwork Oil
Mix Oil and Grease 1:2
30
Tricks
Formwork oil prevents the formwork
from sticking to the concrete. It eases
dismantling

Formwork oil gives the concrete a fine
finish

Never use burnt engine oil. It will blacken
the concrete and spoil the formwork

31
Stressing
Pre-stressing yard

32
Setting up a Pre-stressing yard
Select a flat land in excess of 600m
2
(25
perches)
Level and compact an area of 10mX30m

Put a 5cm thick lean concrete layer and
level it perfectly

33
The Yard
Consists of
a number of rows of steel form work
Two concrete abutment blocks on either
end of the formwork to apply tension
onto the wires


34
The Yard
Moulds
Lean Concrete Layer
Abutment
Anchorage
Jacking Device
35
Build two Abutments with suitable
foundations able to withstand the force
(F) induced by stressed bars
Consider the soil condition of the ground !

36
Concrete
Anchoring
Formwork,
Wires
Jacks
37
The Hydraulic Unit
To apply tension on the steel wires, a
hydraulic unit is required
It consists of 2 hydraulic jacks mounted on
a base plate, a pressure plate with wedging
cones to lock the wires

38
Base
Plate
5cm Opening
Tension is applied on the wires
with two 10T jacks
welding
39
A Pressure Plate is added
40
A Pressure Plate is added
41
And mounted on a Abutment
Cast Beam
Abutment
1m
50
cm
Jack
Steel
wire
42
The Wires are Passed Through
43
Two Wedges are inserted and the
Wires Passed trough them as well
Wires
Wedging Cones
44
And tighten the wedge to fix the
Wires
45
46
Pump up the Jacks equally and apply
tension on the wires
47
Pump up the Jacks equally and apply
tension on the wires
48
Mark the Wire to determine the
Tension
Pre-stressing means putting the wire
under a tension of at least 2000 kg
In the process the wire extends and
gets longer
This can be observed by marking and
measuring the extension which is called
elongation
49
Marking
Mark the wires with a scratch of a hacksaw
slightly the number of cm according to the
elongation table before the anchoring block
Stretch the wires with the hydraulic unit until
the mark reaches the block
afterwards
before
Elongation
50
The elongation is



of the entire length of the wire

0.353 %

51
The Wire Length
The wire length is determined by your yard:
the entire distance from anchoring block to
the wedge of the hydraulic unit.
length
52
Elongation Table
Length of Wire Elongation
10m 3.5cm
20m 7.0cm
30m 10.6cm
50m 17.0cm
53
Concreting
54
Concrete Mixture
Cement : Sand : Coarse aggregate

Mixture Grade Beam length
1:1:3 40 < 4m
1:1:2 50 4m< <5m
55
Plan Ahead
Calculate the exact volume of the
beams to be cast in one stretch
Mix the total volume of concrete mixture
to cast the entire length of formwork
56
Without Interruption

Complete Casting within the shortest
time possible
Vibrate while concreting using Form
Vibrators


57
Vibrate until air
bubbles popping
stops
Vibrate evenly
along the
formwork
About Vibration..
58
Over vibration
Over vibration is dangerous to the concrete
Aggregates settle to sediment at the bottom
and only cement and sand would collect at
top
As a result aggregate would not bond and
remain weak and break
See that the aggregates remain visible on the
top!
59
Under Vibration
If the concrete is not sufficiently vibrated
air bubbles remain between the
aggregates and become later visible!
And honeycombs
These honeycombs are specially un
acceptable for fair face concrete
Honeycombing is also the cause for
water leakage
60
Leveling
Use the upper edge of the form work as
the guide to level the concrete
Use a large heavy trowel and floated on
the surface exactly down to formwork
edges until the beams are absolute
straight and even
61
Make yourself a wooden Float
This wooden plank with the handle is ideally
suited for floating, plastering and leveling
(60X15X2cm plank)
The thickness of the handle should be 4cm
62
Removal
The formwork can be removed after one
full day
Do not remove the hydraulic unit.
The beams need to be cured for 4-5
days under tension
Remove the blocks and drop the
formwork on the floor
Set the formwork up for the next cast
63
Curing
Keep the beams covered with bags to
prevent them from heating up. Heat is
harmful to the bonding process of the
cement.
Water the beams every day. Cement
cannot harden without water.
64
Making a Floor Slab
Cast a slab with pre-cast
beams
65
Set The Pre-stressed Beams
66
Add the pre-cast concrete planks
67
Pre-cast Slab Planks !
Pre-cast the slab planks to be ready
when they are needed for the floor slab
Reinforce them with 10X10cm mesh
Cast them on the ground in a matrix of
60X60cm
The thickness should be about 5 ..7cm
68
Casting Concrete Planks for a
Floor Slab
69
Curing
Remove the planks carefully on the next
day and keep them under cover over a
waterbed
The humidity is sufficient to cure the
cement
70
Waterbed with Plastic Sheet
Cover Makes a Curing Chamber
Reapers
71
Method
72
Level the walls with a 10 cm
Screed Concrete
73
Lift the Beams onto the Walls
74
Place them in a 60cm Pitch
75
Fill Up the Spaces with
Brickwork
76
Place the pre-cast concrete
Planks evenly
77
Add a brick frame as formwork
for the rendering
78
Add a wire mesh on spacers
79
Do the rendering section by
section
80
Roof Slab
The pre-cast slab is a very
good roof
81
Concrete does not leak
Usually people think that flat roofs leak.
This is not necessarily true.
For one, concrete does not leak if there is
no honeycombing.
and if the concrete is not exposed to the
sun.
82
It is the exposure
to sun that makes
the concrete slab
crack,
not the water !
83
The best heat insulation
Compacted clay is the perfect insulation
against heat and rain. This property has
been used for roof insulation by the
ancient and even now in Pakistan and
India.

84
The best heat insulation

If the concrete slab is insulated by a
layer of 30cm clay the slab does not
crack and never leaks.
85
Water Proofing
Cement Plaster
Concrete
Planks
Concrete
Slab
Clay
86
A cool house
The clay layer
absorbs heat and
water
This ensures very
good cooling of the
rooms

Instead of cement
plaster clay or
cement tiles can be
laid in cement as
well
A balustrade and
foliage makes it a
rooftop garden
87
After all, you get a roof
top garden free
88
A pre-cast roof slab
does not cost more !
Compare the cost of a roof
construction with a pre-cast
slab
89
Comparison of Rates /sq.m
Roof
construc-
tion with
tiles cover
Roof
constructi
on with
asbestos
sheet
cover
Asbestos
Ceiling
Pre-
stressed
beams
with floor
slab
Rs
1280

Rs
1024
Rs
500
Rs
1382
90
Dimensions of Pre-stressed
Beams
There are standard lengths available for
house construction !

91
Dimensions
Length- l
Height-h
Bottom width 5.04 cm
Top width-w
92
The cross sectional area of beams
depend on their length

The table shows dimensions and loads
permitted

93
Dimensions in Relation to Length
& Load
Length
-l-
Height
-h-
Top
Width
-w-

UDL

concentrated
> 3m 10 cm 10 cm 153kg/
m
2
200 kg
>3.65m 13 cm 13 cm Do Do
>4.25m 15.5cm 15.5cm Do Do
>5.25m 18 cm 18 cm Do Do
Load
94
Introduction to Load
Parameters
In this section we show you
to differentiate between
load parameters

95
Dead Load
The dead load is the weight of the slab
including beams and any other layer like
rendering, tiles etc

96
Live Load
The live load is anything that is placed on
the slab including people, furniture,
machines
97
Concentrated Load
This term denotes the maximum load
allowed on a spot of a slab.
98
The load parameters of slabs

The rated live
load is usually
= 153 kg/m
2



The rated
concentrated
load is usually
= 215 kg

99
Live Load on a Slab=
Area of the slab
x rated live load
1.0 X 0.6 X 153
91.8 kg
100
Calculation of Dead Load
In the next exercises we learn how to
calculate the dead load of a beam, this
is the weight which we must know for
transport and lifting
101
Calculate the Dead Load of
Beams:
The Weight is
= Volume x weight of concrete



102
The Cross Sectional Area

A = c x (a + b)
c
b
a
103
The Volume of a Beam
A
l
V = A x
104
The Weight of a Beam




W = Volume x
2300kg

105

The Weight of Pre-stressed
concrete is 2300kg/m
3

106
Weight of beam =
Sectional Area x length x
wt of concrete
0.0075 X 1 X 2300
17.25 kg

107
Calculate the Weight of a
Concrete Slab

Length x Width x Thickness x Wt of Mass concrete

1
w
t
x x x 2200
108
The Weight of Mass Concrete
2200 kg/m
3
109
Weight of Slab =
Length X Width X Thickness
X Wt of Mass Concrete

1.0 X 0.6 X 0.08 X 2200

105kg
110
Adding a Porch
One does not need any
wood and roof tiles to make
a Porch
111
Pre-stressed Beams in a Porch
Brick
border
Plaster
Clay
Prestressed
Beam
Column
House
Slab
112
House roof slab
Prestressed
beams
Over lapping
Main
wall
Column
113
Insert the
anchor through
the slots.
Provide
slots for the
anchor
while
casting by
inserting
rigid foam
T32
114
Add a
formwork in
the size of
the column.
115
And cast
the entire
corner on
top of the
column
116
An Alternative
Commercially available
Pre-cast beams with soffit
masonry blocks
117
Pre-stressed Beam
3.5 cm
3.96m - 4.87m
4.5cm
110cm
3.5cm
118
Soffit Masonry Block
52.7cm
10.0cm
20.3cm
119
Construction Method
120
Place the Beams on the Wall
(single beam for housing)
57.2cm
121
Insert soffit masonry blocks
122
Double beam (for shop & Office)
57.2cm
11cm
11cm
123
Lay a 10 x10 mesh on spacer
blocks
124
Lay a 10 x10 mesh on spacer
blocks
125
Add the Formwork
126
Lay a 5 cm concrete Layer
127
Lay a 5 cm concrete Layer
(Grade 20)