DESIGN OF MEMBERS

Introduction

The design of prestressed concrete members can be

done by the limit states method as given in Section 4 of IS:1343 -
1980.

First, the force demand in a member under the design

loads is determined from a structural analysis. A preliminary size
of the member is assumed for analysis. Next, the member is
designed to meet the demand. If necessary, another cycle of
analysis and design is performed.
 Calculation of Demand:
In the limit states method, the design loads are
calculated from the characteristics loads by multiplying them
with load factors ( γf). Several types of loads are considered to
act together under the selected load combinations.

The load factors are included in the load

combinations as weightage factors.

The demand in a member for a particular type of

load is obtained from the analysis of the structure subjected to
the characteristic value of the load. The demands for the several
load types are then combined under the load combinations,
based on the principle of superposition.
characteristic load

For a particular type of load, a characteristic load

is defined as a value which has 95% probability of not being
exceeded during the life of the structure. This concept assumes a
normal distribution of the values of the type of load.

(95% of the time the load

will not be exceeded)

Idealised normal distribution

 The characteristic loads can be obtained from IS:
875-1987 (which is the Code of Practice for Design Loads for
Buildings and Structures) and IS: 1893-2002 (which is the Criteria
for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures) as follows.

There is a subtle difference between live load and imposed load.

If a part of dead load does not act throughout the life of the
member, if it acts only at certain periods, then that part of the
dead load can also be included as imposed load.
For special loads, there are some guidelines in IS: 875 - 1987,
Part 5. In addition, specialised literature may be referred to for
these loads. The special loads are listed below.
Temperature Accidental load
Hydrostatic Impact and collision
Soil pressure Explosions
Fatigue Fire

For special situations, the loads are determined from testing of

prototype specimens. Dynamic load tests, wind tunnel tests,
shake table tests are some types of tests to determine the loads
on a structure.

Finite element analysis is used to determine the stresses due to

concentrated forces and dynamic loads.
Load Factors and Load Combinations

The load factors and the combination of the various types

of loads are given in Table 5 of IS: 1343-1980. The following are
the load combinations for the ultimate loads:

• 1.5 (DL + LL)

• 1.2 (DL + LL ± WL)
• 1.2 (DL + LL ± EL)
• 1.5 (DL ± EL)
• 1.5 (DL ± WL)
• 0.9 DL ± 1.5 EL.
The load combinations for service loads are as follows:

• DL + LL
• DL + 0.8 (LL ± EL)
• DL ± EL
• DL ± WL
Analysis of structures

Regarding analysis of structures, IS: 1343-1980

recommends the same procedure as stated in IS: 456-2000. A
structure can be analyzed by the linear elastic theory to calculate
the internal forces in a member subjected to a particular type of
load.

Thus, the code allows us to use the linear elastic

theory for the analysis, even if we do the design based on the
limit states method.
 The member can be designed either for the
service loads or for the ultimate loads. The procedure given here
for a particular type of design, is one of the possible procedures.
The design is based on satisfying the allowable stresses under
service loads and at transfer.

The section is then analyzed for the ultimate

capacity. The capacity should be greater than the demand under
ultimate loads to satisfy the limit state of collapse. This
procedure is different from what we have studied for reinforced
concrete.

For reinforced concrete, the design is based on

the ultimate strength being greater than the demand under
ultimate loads.
Calculation of moment demand

For simply supported prestressed beams, the

maximum moment at the span is given by the beam theory. For
continuous prestressed beams, the analysis can be done by the
moment distribution method.

The moment coefficients in Table 12 of IS: 456-2000 can be used

under conditions of uniform cross-section of the beams, uniform
loads and similar lengths of span.

The design is done for the critical section, that is the section
which has the highest positive moment or negative moment. For
a simply supported beam, the critical section is at the mid-span
when there is a uniform load throughout the beam.
 For a continuous beam, there are two critical
sections at the faces of the supports and one critical section at
the mid-span. Usually the higher of the two moments at the two
supports is taken for the design of both the ends.

For design under the service loads, the following

quantities are known:
MDL = moment due to dead load excluding the self-
weight, and
MLL = moment due to the live load.

The material properties are selected before the design.

The following quantities are unknown.

• The member cross-section and its geometric properties,

• Msw = moment due to self-weight,
• Ap = amount of prestressing steel,
• Pe= the effective prestress,
• e = the eccentricity.
There are two stages of design.

• Preliminary: In this stage the cross-section is defined and Pe

and Ap are estimated.

• Final: The values of e (at the critical section), Pe, Ap and the
stresses in concrete at transfer and under service loads are
calculated. The stresses are checked with the allowable
values. The section is modified if required.
Preliminary Design:

For a preliminary design, the steps are as follows,

1. Select the material properties fck and fpk, which are the
characteristic strengths for the concrete and the prestressing
steel.

2. Determine the depth of a beam, which is represented as h.

The total depth can be based on architectural requirement or,

the following empirical equation can be used.
h = 0.03 √M to 0.04 √M
Here, h is in meters and M is in kNm.
M is the total moment excluding self-weight.
3. Select the type of section. For a rectangular section, assume
the breadth, b = h/2.

4. Calculate the self-weight or, estimate the self-weight to be

10% to 20% of the load carried.

5. Calculate the total moment MT including self-weight. The

moment due to self-weight is denoted as Msw.
6. Estimate the lever arm (z).
z ≈ 0.65h, if Msw is large (Msw > 0.3 MT).
z ≈ 0.5h, if Msw is small.

7. Estimate the effective prestress (Pe)

Pe = MT / z, if Msw is large.
Pe = MIL / z, if Msw is small.
If Msw is small, the design is governed by the moment due to
imposed load (MIL = MT – Msw).
8. Considering fpe= 0.7 fpk,
calculate area of prestressing steel Ap = Pe / fpe.

9. Check the area of the cross-section (A).

The average stress in concrete at service C/A (= Pe /A) should not
be too high as compared to 50% of the allowable compressive
stress fcc,all . If it is so, increase the area of the section to
A = Pe /(0.5fcc,all).
Final Design

The code IS:1343 - 1980 defines three types of prestressed

members.

• Type 1: In this type of members, no tensile stress is allowed in

concrete at transfer or under service loads.

• Type 2: In these members, tensile stress is within the cracking

stress of concrete.

• Type 3: Here, the tensile stress is such that the crack width is
within the allowable limit.
 The final design involves the checking of the stresses in
concrete at transfer and under service loads with respect to the
allowable stresses.

Since the allowable stresses depend on the type of

member (Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3), the equations vary for the
different types.

The properties of the gross section instead of the net or

transformed sections for simplification of calculations.

The steps for Type 3 members are similar to Type 2, the

only difference being the value of the allowable tensile stress in
concrete.
Final design of Type 1 members

For Type 1 members, there is no tensile stress is allowed

at transfer or under service loads.

For small moment due to self-weight, say Msw less than

30% of the total moment
1) calculate the eccentricity (e) to locate the centroid of the
prestressing steel, which is denoted as CGS.

We had learnt earlier that with increasing load, the

compressive force C moves upward from the location of the
tension T at CGS. At transfer, under the self-weight, C should
lie within the kern zone to avoid tensile stress at the top.

The lowest permissible location of C due to self-weight is at

the bottom kern point, which is at a depth kb below the CGC,
to avoid tensile stress at the top.

The design procedure based on the extreme location of C

gives an economical section.
The following sketch explains the lowest permissible location of
C due to self-weight moment (Msw) at transfer.

Stress in concrete due to compression at bottom kern point

From the previous sketch, the shift of C due to self-weight gives
an expression of e.
e = (Msw/P0) + kb
Here, the magnitude of C or T is equal to P0, the prestress at
transfer after initial losses.

The value of P0 can be estimated as follows.

1. For a pre-tensioned member, after the losses due to elastic
shortening, P0 is equal to 90% of the initial prestressing force
which has been applied by the jacks.
2. For a post-tensioned member, we can neglect any loss due to
elastic shortening, if there is a simultaneous stretching of all
the tendons. Even if the tendons are stressed sequentially,
the elastic shortening can be neglected at this point. Hence,
we can equate the value of P0 to Pi.
The value of Pi can be estimated from the amount of
prestressing steel determined in the preliminary design.

Pi = Ap(0.8 fpk)

Here, the permissible prestress in the steel is 0.8fpk, where fpk is

the characteristic tensile strength. (more relaxation loss and also
because of the safety reasons)
2. Recompute the effective prestress Pe and the area of
prestressing steel Ap.
With increasing load, C further moves up. Under the service
loads, C should lie within the kern zone to avoid tensile stress at the bottom.
The highest permissible location of C due to the total load is at the top kern
point, which is at a height kt above CGC to avoid tensile stress at the bottom.

The following sketch explains the highest possible location of C due to the
total moment (MT).

Stress in concrete due to compression at top kern point

From the previous figure, the shift of C due to the total moment
gives an expression of Pe.

Pe = MT /(e + kt)

Considering fpe = 0.7fpk , the area of prestressing steel is

recomputed as follows.

Ap = Pe / fpe
3) Recompute eccentricity e

First the value of P0 is updated. The eccentricity e is

recomputed with the updated value of P0.

If the variation of e from the previous value is large,

another cycle of computation of the prestressing variables can
be undertaken.

We converge to a set of results which gives the maximum

possible e, the lowest possible Pe and simultaneously satisfying
the allowable tensile stress in the concrete (which is zero for
Type 1 member).
4) check the compressive stresses in concrete

The maximum stress in concrete should be limited

to the allowable values.

At transfer, the stress at the bottom should be

limited to fcc,all, where fcc,all is the allowable compressive stress at
transfer and this is available from Figure 8 of IS: 1343-1980.

At service the stress at the top should be limited

to fcc,all, where fcc,all is the allowable compressive stress in
concrete under service loads, which is available from Figure 7 of
IS: 1343-1980.
a) At Transfer
The stress at the bottom can be calculated from the
average stress –P0/A.
To satisfy,

the area of the section (A) is checked as follows,

If A is not adequate then the section has to be redesigned.

b) At Service
The stress at the top can be calculated from the average stress –
Pe/A.
To satisfy,

the area of the section (A) is checked as follows,

If A is not adequate then the section has to be redesigned.

Special cases

-------------------------
Problem:

Design a simply supported Type 1 prestressed beam with MT =

435 kNm (including an estimated MSW = 55 kNm). The height of
the beam is restricted to 920 mm. The prestress at transfer fp0 =
1035 N/mm2 and the prestress at service fpe = 860 N/mm2.

Based on the grade of concrete, the allowable compressive

stresses are 12.5 N/mm2 at transfer and 11.0 N/mm2 at service.

The properties of the prestressing strands are given below.

• Type of prestressing tendon : 7-wire strand
• Nominal diameter = 12.8 mm
• Nominal area = 99.3 mm2
Solution:
• A) Preliminary design The values of h and MSW are given.
B) Calculation of geometric properties
Summary after preliminary design
C) Final design
The governing value of A is 158,976 mm2. The section needs to be revised. The
width of the flange is increased to 435 mm. The area of the revised section is
159,000 mm2.

Another set of calculations can be done to calculate the geometric properties

precisely.
Final Design of Type 2 Section
For Type 2 members, the tensile stresses under
service loads and at transfer are within the cracking stress of
concrete.

The allowable tensile stress in concrete (fct,all) as

per IS: 1343-1980 is same for transfer and service load
conditions. The value is 3.0 N/mm2, which can be increased to
4.5 N/mm2 for temporary loads.

However, the allowable tensile stress at transfer

can be different from that at service, for international codes.
1. calculate the eccentricity (e) to locate the centroid of
prestressing steel, which is the CGS.

Under the self-weight, C may lie outside the kern

region for Type 2 members. The lowest possible location of C
due to self-weight is determined by the allowable tensile stress
at the top.
The following sketch explains the extreme location of C due to self-
weight moment (Msw) at transfer.

Stress in concrete due to compression outside bottom kern point

The lowest permissible location of C is governed by how much tensile

stress we are allowing at the top of the section (fct,all) at transfer.
 From the previous figure, the shift of C due to
self-weight gives an expression of e2. It is evident that if C is
further shifted upwards by a distance e1 to the bottom kern
point, there will be no tensile stress at the top.

The value of e1 is calculated from the expression of stress

corresponding to the moment due to the shift in C by e1.
The distance of the CGS below the bottom kern point is given as
follows.

The eccentricity e is calculated from the following equation.

The above expression can be compared with the expression of

Type 1 member e = (Msw / P0) + kb. Note that the eccentricity has
increased for a Type 2 member due to the allowable tensile stress
fct,all.
2. Recompute the effective prestress Pe and the area of
prestressing steel Ap.

Once we have calculated the eccentricity, we are

recomputing the effective prestress Pe and the area of
prestressing steel Ap.
Under the total load, C may lie outside the kern
region which is unlike Type 1 members. The highest permissible
location of C due to the total load is determined by the allowable
tensile stress at the bottom.
The following sketch explains the highest possible location of C
due to the total moment MT.

Stress in concrete due to compression outside top kern point

From the previous figure, the expression of e3 is obtained by the
tensile stress generated due to the shift of C beyond the upper
kern point.
The shift of C due to the total moment gives an expression of Pe.

The above expression can be compared with the expression of

Type 1 member Pe = MT /(e + kt). Note that the prestressing force
has decreased for a Type 2 member due to the allowable tensile
stress fct,all. This will lead to a decrease in the area of prestressing
steel (Ap). Considering fpe = 0.7fpk, Ap is recomputed as follows.
Ap = Pe/ fpe
3) Recompute eccentricity e

First the value of P0 is updated. The

eccentricity e is recomputed with the updated value of P0.

If the variation of e from the previous value is

large, another cycle of computation of the prestressing variables
can be undertaken.
4. check the compressive stresses in concrete

The maximum compressive stress in concrete

should be limited to the allowable values.

At transfer, the stress at the bottom should be

limited to fcc,all, where fcc,all is the allowable compressive
stress in concrete at transfer. This is available from Fig. 8 of IS:
1343-1980.

At service, the stress at the top should be limited

to fcc,all, where fcc,all is the allowable compressive stress in
concrete under service loads. This is available from Fig. 7 of IS:
1343-1980.
a) At Transfer
The stress at the bottom can be calculated from the
stress diagram.
b) At Service
The stress at the top can be calculated from the stress diagram.
Comparison of equations for Type 1 and Type 2 members
Problem

Design a simply supported Type 2 prestressed beam with MT =

435 kNm (including an estimated MSW = 55 kNm). The height of
the beam is restricted to 920 mm. The prestress at transfer fp0 =
1035 N/mm2 and the prestress at service fpe = 860 N/mm2.
Based on the grade of concrete, the allowable compressive
stresses are 12.5 N/mm2 at transfer and 11.0 N/mm2 at service.
The allowable tensile stresses are 2.1 N/mm2 at transfer and
1.6 N/mm2 at service.
The properties of the prestressing strands are given below.
Type of prestressing tendon : 7-wire strand
Nominal diameter = 12.8 mm
Nominal area = 99.3 mm2
A) Preliminary design
The values of h and MSW are given.
The following trial section has the required depth and area.
Trial cross-section
B) Calculation of geometric properties
The section is symmetric about the horizontal axis. Hence, the
CGC lies at mid depth. The section is divided into three
rectangles for the computation of the geometric properties.
C) Final design
• The governing value of A is 138,352 mm2. The section can be
revised. The width of the flange is reduced to 335 mm. The
area of the revised section is 139,000 mm2.
• Another set of calculations can be done to calculate the
geometric properties precisely.