This report details the design and construction of an AASHTO Type IV prestressed girder and a PCI BT-56 prestressed girder. It also details the shear testing and shear performance of the BT-56 girder. The results are compared with results from previous research dating back to 1986. Finally, all research was compared with the AASHTO Standard (2002), AASHTO LRFD (1998) and AASHTO LRFD (2004) Specifications to examine thier overall accuracy in predicting shear strengths.

An experimental and analytical study was conducted on a BT-63 prestressed concrete girder to investigate the thermal effects on the girder. A 2D finite element heat transfer analysis model was then developed which accounted for heat conduction, convection, radiation, and irradiation. The solar radiation was predicted using the location and geometry of the girder, variations in the solar position, and the shadow from the top flange on other girder surfaces. The girder temperatures obtained from the 2D heat transfer analysis matched well with the measurements. Using the temperatures from the 2D heat transfer analysis, a 3D solid finite element analysis was performed assuming the temperatures constant along the length of the girder. The maximum vertical displacement due to measured environmental conditions was found to be 0.29 inches and the maximum lateral displacement was found to be 0.57 inches. Using the proposed numerical approach, extremes in thermal effects including seasonal variations and bridge orientations were investigated around the United States to propose vertical and transverse thermal gradients which could then be used in the design of I-shaped prestressed concrete bridge girders. A simple beam model was developed to calculate the vertical and lateral thermal deformations which were shown to be within 6% of the 3D finite element analyses results. Finally, equations were developed to predict the maximum thermal vertical and lateral displacements for four AASHTO-PCI standard girders. To analyze the combined effects of thermal response, initial sweep, and bearing support slope on a 100-foot long BT-63 prestressed concrete girder, a 3D finite element sequential analysis procedure was developed which accounted for the changes in the geometry and stress state of the girder in each construction stage. The final construction stage then exposed the girder to thermal effects and performed a geometric nonlinear analysis which also considered the nonlinear behavior of the elastomeric bearing pads. This solution detected an instability under the following conditions: support slope of 5¡Æ and initial sweep of 4.5 inches.

A fully automated computer program is developed for the optimum design of steel space trusses acting compositely with a concrete slab placed on top. The program sizes the truss members to meet the requirements of the load and resistance factor design specification of the American Institute of Steel Construction using the load combinations of ANSI. Earthquake loading is not considered. The optimum size is based on minimum cost, regarding the amount of welding required at the joints and of the member itself. The total cost is based on all steel work in the truss. Once the truss configuration has been defined, and it has been ensured that linear elastic behavior exists, the structure is analyzed for the construction process, to make sure that no overstressing will take place in any structural element at any time during construction and service. The analysis and design principles are presented and an actual design case is solved. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

The high cost of repairing reinforced or prestressed concrete structures due to steel corrosion has driven engineers to look for solutions. Much research has been conducted over the last two decades to evaluate the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) in concrete structures. Structural engineering researchers have been testing FRP to determine their usability instead of steel for strengthening existing reinforced concrete structures, reinforcing new concrete members, and for prestressed concrete applications. The high strength-to-weight ratio of FRP materials, especially Carbon FRP (CFRP), and their non-corrosive nature are probably the most attractive features of FRPs. In this study, an experimental program was conducted to investigate the flexural behavior of prestressed concrete beams pre-tensioned with CFRP strands. The bond characteristics were examined by means of experimentally measuring transfer length, flexural bond length, and bond stress profiles. A total of four rectangular beams pre-tensioned with one 0.5-in. diameter CFRP strand were fabricated and tested under cyclic loading for five cycles, followed by a monotonically increasing load until failure. In investigating bond properties, the experimental results were compared to the equations available in the literature. The results from the four flexural tests showed that the main problem of CFRP strands, in addition to their liner-elastic tensile behavior, was lack of adequate bonding between FRP and concrete. Poor bonding resulted in early failure due to slippage between FRPs and concrete. As a result, a new technique was developed in order to solve the bonding issues and improve the flexural response of CFRP prestressed concrete beams. The new technique involved anchoring the CFRP strands at the ends of the concrete beams using a new "steel tube" anchorage system. It was concluded that the new technique solved the bond problem and improved the flexural capacity by about 46%. A computer model was created to predict the behavior of prestressed beams pre-tensioned with CFRP. The predicted behavior was compared to the experimental results. Finally, the experimental results were compared to the behavior of prestressed concrete beams pre-tensioned with steel strands as generated by the computer model. The CFRP beams showed higher strength but lower ductility.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Civil Engineering / Kyle A. Riding / ASTM recently adopted the Standard Test Method for Evaluating Bond of Seven-Wire Steel Prestressing Strand as ASTM A1081, a pull-out test procedure developed for verifying the ability of steel strands to bond to cementitious materials prior to their use as tensile reinforcement in prestressed concrete sections. The required by ASTM International precision and bias statement has not been developed for this test method. In addition, a minimum threshold value that will ensure only adequately bonding strand sources will be accepted has not yet been applied to ASTM A1081. The test method was developed after findings that prestressing steel strand sources of identical type and grade vary significantly as far as their bonding capacity. Bond is a crucial aspect of the prestressing force being transferred into the concrete, and insufficient bonding action can result in the prestressed concrete section lacking in capacity to sustain the loads that it was designed for. After an initial survey of the pull-out strength of North American Strand in mortar, three strands of differing pull-out strengths were selected for inclusion in further testing. A precision and bias statement for ASTM A1081 was developed by first performing ruggedness testing to determine how the results are affected by allowable variations in methods and materials, and followed by an inter-laboratory study to determine the reproducibility of the test method. Once the precision and bias statement for the standard test method was developed, the same strand sources were tested for their performance in concrete beams. Statistical analysis of the flexural beam testing data and correlation with the prestressing strand sources’ ASTM A1081 test results was performed, and the industry was provided with minimum acceptance criteria for prestressing strand tested by ASTM A1081, along with recommendations regarding the standard test method and aspects of prestressed concrete design.

O presente trabalho aborda a utilização da protensão não aderente em edifícios residenciais e comerciais de concreto, focando os aspectos referentes às soluções com protensão aderente e não aderente e em concreto armado, para o consumo de materiais, notadamente: concreto, fôrmas e armaduras. São considerados três diferentes sistemas estruturais, sendo estes: laje plana maciça apoiada sobre pilares; laje plana nervurada apoiada sobre pilares e laje nervurada apoiada em vigas faixa protendidas sobre pilares. São apresentados estudos destes casos com a utilização da ferramenta computacional de análise estrutural TQS, a qual é baseada na análise por grelha. São comparados os índices de consumo de materiais para os dois referidos sistemas de protensão, discutindo os limites de sua utilização. Como resultados, o estudo fornece conclusões satisfatórias para utilização da protensão, tanto aderente quanto não aderente, em relação ao concreto armado. Ainda, o sistema de protensão aderente mostrou-se ligeiramente mais econômico, do ponto de vista de consumo de materiais, porém, é um sistema com produtividade inferior às soluções com protensão não aderente, tornando esta última solução, a mais adotada no cotidiano dos escritórios de cálculo de engenharia civil dentre as citadas / The present work deals the use of the prestressed unbonded tendons in residential and commercial concrete buildings, pointing out aspects to the application with bonded and unbonded prestressing and reinforced concrete, regarding the consumption such as concrete, molds and reinforcing steel. Three different structural systems are considered: flat plate and columns; waffle slab and columns and waffle slab (non prestressed) in prestressed strip beams supported by columns. Case studies are presented with the use of the software of structural analysis TQS, which is based on the grillage analogy method. The consumption of materials is compared for the two referred prestressing systems, discussing the limits of their application. Based on the developed analyses, the study supplies satisfactory conclusions for use of the prestressing systems (bonded and unbonded), compared to reinforced concrete systems. With relation to the consumption of materials, the use of bonded tendons is a bit more cost effective, however, with smaller productivity than tendons with prestressed unbonded tendons, being the last one the more usual prestressing systems. Still, the system of prestressed bonded tendons was shown more economical, of the point of view of materials consumption, however, it is a system with inferior productivity to the solutions with prestressed unbonded tendons adopted in civil engineering offices nowadays

With the need to improve corrosion resistance in columns and piles, the innovative idea of Centrally Prestressed Fiber Reinforced Concrete (CPFRC) columns is a promising solution. The first step is to compare if the compressive strength of any mix is affected by the size, geometry, or even the inclusion of polyolefin fibers in a specimen. The results showed that the cylinder size of 4 in. x 8 in., which is the most common size used by the testing labs, has the highest compressive strength. There was no sign on compressive strength improvement with the use of polyolefin fibers, except for reduction in cracking size and concrete spalling. The second step compared the ultimate strength, ductility characteristics and failure mode of CPFRC columns to conventional columns. CPFRC showed adequate axial and flexural resistance, in addition to ductile behavior similar to regular reinforced concrete columns. / by Daniel A. Grijalba. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

A necessidade por aprimorar sistemas e materiais na indústria da construção civil derivou no uso da protensão como uma alternativa de reforço para estruturas de concreto. As vantagens técnicas e econômicas encontradas no projeto e execução de estruturas de concreto fizeram com que este sistema venha ganhando preferência frente ao sistema convencional de concreto armado. Nesse contexto, este trabalho visa contribuir desenvolvendo um modelo computacional no software ANSYS, versão 16.0, por meio da ferramenta de customização UPF (User Performance Features), para o estudo de lajes de concreto armado e protendido, com ou sem aderência. A implementação do modelo computacional, baseado no método dos elementos finitos, tem ênfase na não-linearidade física dos materiais através de um modelo elasto-viscoplástico que inclui dois procedimentos de análise: a resposta instantânea da estrutura considera um comportamento elastoplástico e a resposta diferida da estrutura assume um comportamento viscoelástico. A modelagem das lajes é feita a partir da ideia de elementos reforçados, assim, são utilizados elementos finitos de casca de ordem superior SHELL281 como elementos base de concreto. Enquanto que a armadura passiva é modelada com elementos de reforço REINF264, considerando-as como uma linha de material mais rígido com aderência perfeita no interior dos elementos de casca, ou seja, como armadura incorporada. Por sua vez, para modelar a armadura ativa não-aderente utiliza-se elementos finitos unidimensionais LINK180 que funcionam como armadura discreta, a condição de não-aderência é satisfeita pelo comando CP. Destaca-se que a não-linearidade geométrica é inerente nos elementos finitos utilizados e que os mesmos são compatíveis entre si e com a ferramenta de customização UPF. Para validar a eficiência do modelo computacional, comparam-se resultados numéricos com valores experimentais disponíveis na literatura. A comparação dos resultados mostra que os modelos representam corretamente o comportamento das lajes ensaiadas experimentalmente. O baixo custo computacional de tempo, a boa precisão dos resultados e as ferramentas de processamento do ANSYS tornam-no em uma alternativa eficiente. / The need for improvement of systems and materials of the construction industry resulted in the use of prestressing as an alternative to reinforce concrete structures. The technical and economic advantages found in the design of concrete structures caused that this system has been gaining preference against the conventional system of reinforced concrete. In this sense, this work aims to contribute developing a computational model in ANSYS software, version 16.0, through the customization tool UPF (User Performance Features), to the study of reinforced and, bonded or unbonded, prestressed concrete slabs. The computational model implementation, based on the finite element method, has emphasis on the physical materials nonlinearity with an elasto-viscoplastic model that includes two analysis procedures: the instantaneous response of the structure considers an elastoplastic behavior and the delayed response of the structure assumes a viscoelastic behavior. The slab models are based in reinforcement elements, thus higher order shell finite elements SHELL281 are used as base elements of concrete. The reinforcement is modeled with reinforcing elements REINF264, as a line of more rigid material with perfect bonding inside the concrete elements, it is, as incorporated reinforcement. On the other hand, the finite elements LINK180 that work as discrete reinforcement are used to simulate prestressing tendons, CP command satisfies the absence of non-adherence. It is noteworthy that the geometrical nonlinearity is inherent to the finite element used and that they are compatible between them and with the customization tool UPF. To validate the computational model efficiency, numerical results are compared with experimental values available in the literature. The results comparison shows that the models represent correctly the behavior of experimentally tested slabs. The low computational cost of time, the good precision of results and the ANSYS processing tools make it an efficient alternative.

No cálculo das perdas progressivas de protensão, decorrentes da retração e da fluência do concreto e da relaxação do aço de protensão, a norma NBR 6118 prescreve dois procedimentos simplificados, indicados para fase única de operação, ou seja, quando se consideram fases únicas de concretagem, de carregamento permanente e de protensão; e o método geral de cálculo, que permite considerar ações permanentes aplicadas em idades diferentes, e tratar a seção transversal constituída de diversas camadas discretas. Neste trabalho será desenvolvido o método dos prismas equivalentes, baseado no conceito das fibras conjugadas, e com a proposta de Trost-Bazant para consideração de fluência e retração dos materiais. Possibilita-se, assim, o cálculo da redistribuição de tensões em qualquer seção, como também da redistribuição de esforços em estruturas hiperestáticas devido a deformações diferidas. Será feita a sistematização do cálculo para o caso usual da seção resultante de laje concretada sobre viga pré-moldada protendida, permitindo considerar as idades diversas de concreto como também as várias camadas de cabos de protensão, e de armaduras passivas. A análise de redistribuição de esforços em estruturas hiperestáticas será baseada nas mudanças de curvatura das seções provocadas pelos efeitos progressivos. Será feita uma aplicação a uma ponte em viga protendida contínua de seção caixão, construída pela anexação de cinco vãos sucessivos. / When calculating prestress time-dependent losses, resulting from concrete shrinkage and creep, as well as from the relaxation of prestress steel, the standard NBR 6118 establishes two simple procedures. They are prescribed when operating in single phase, i.e., when considering single steps for concrete pouring, permanent load and prestress. The general method used in calculations allows that permanent actions be applied to different ages, and that the cross-section constituted by several discrete layers be handled. This work will develop the method of equivalent prisms, based on the concept of creep fibers, using the Trost-Bazant proposal when considering material creep and shrinkage. This method allows calculating the redistribution of tensions in any section, as well as the redistribution of straining in statically indeterminate structures, due to time-dependent deformations. The systematic calculation will be developed for a normal case of the resulting section in cast-inplace slab over precast girder. This allows considering the different ages of the concrete, as well as the multiple layers of cables, and non-prestressed reinforcement. An analysis of the strain redistribution in statically indeterminate structures will be based on the curvature changes in sections, which are provoked by time-dependent effects. An application will be made to a bridge of prestressed continuous box girder, formed by the attachment of five successive spans.

A protensão não-aderente caracteriza-se pela liberdade de deslocamento relativo entre o cabo de protensão e a fibra de concreto adjacente. A tensão na armadura de protensão no estado limite último é de difícil obtenção, não sendo dependente apenas das deformações em uma determinada seção transversal, mas sendo função de todas as deformações que ocorrem no concreto adjacente ao perfil de protensão. Para que seja obtida a tensão última, é necessária a integração das curvaturas ao longo de todo o elemento a fim de se obter o alongamento no cabo de protensão, o que se consegue com precisão apenas recorrendo-se a ferramentas numéricas, devido às não-linearidades físicas envolvidas no problema. O método construtivo com protensão não aderente vem sendo cada vez mais utilizado na execução de edifícios no Brasil. O principal sistema de protensão não aderente é o que utiliza a mono-cordoalha engraxada e plastificada, que alia os benefícios da protensão e a simplicidade necessária às obras moldadas no local. Apesar disso, não há no Brasil um volume de pesquisa sobre o comportamento dos elementos com protensão não aderente, compatível com a demanda da indústria da construção civil. Visando contribuir para o desenvolvimento das formulações nacionais de projeto dos elementos com protensão não aderente, o presente trabalho é a continuação de uma pesquisa que vem sendo realizada no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Civil – PPGEC/UFRGS, a qual foi iniciada com a implementação de um modelo numérico capaz de analisar elementos com protensão não aderente e seguida de uma análise paramétrica sobre as principais variáveis que influenciam na tensão última na armadura de protensão. O trabalho que ora se apresenta traçou uma correlação entre os resultados não-aderentes obtidos da análise paramétrica com resultados aderentes, os quais são de mais fácil obtenção, pois se baseiam na compatibilidade de deformações na seção transversal. Foram feitas análises numéricas e analíticas com aderência dos mesmos protótipos estudados anteriormente sem aderência. Os resultados obtidos mostraram incrementos de tensão maiores no caso aderente, bem como maiores capacidades portantes. Estudou-se também uma metodologia capaz de computar a tensão última na armadura não aderente com análises do tipo compatibilidade de deformações, com a utilização de um coeficiente Lo/L redutor de aderência. Os resultados iniciais mostraram-se bons para carregamento nos terços, mas insatisfatórios para carregamentos distribuído e concentrado. Através de um ajuste no coeficiente Lo/L baseando-se nos dados da pesquisa precedente, bons resultados foram obtidos para todos os tipos de carregamento. A metodologia apresentada foi validada pela comparação com diferentes protótipos analisados numericamente, bem como protótipos ensaiados experimentalmente por diversos autores. / Unbonded post-tensioning is characterized for allowing relative displacement between the tendon and the concrete adjacent fiber. The ultimate stress in the unbonded tendon is difficult to be obtained, because it is not only dependent on the deformed shape of a cross section, but on the whole deformations occurring in the tendon profile adjacent concrete. To evaluate this ultimate stress, it is necessary to integrate all curvatures along the whole element, in order to obtain the total tendon elongation. This can only be precisely obtained using numerical tools, due to the non-linear factors involved in the problem. Unbonded post-tensioning is becoming ever more used in Brazilian building construction. The main unbonded post-tensioning system uses the unbonded mono-strand, that joins the benefits of prestressing with the necessary building simplicity. Nevertheless, there is no research effort in Brazil compatible with the construction industry demand. This study seeks to contribute to the development of the national formulations design of unbonded posttensioning elements. This work is a continuation of a research being undertaken at PPGEC/UFRGS. A numerical model able to determine the behavior of unbonded posttensioned elements was first developed, followed by a parametric study about the main parameters influencing the ultimate stress in unbonded tendons. The present work traced a correlation between the results for unbonded elements, obtained from the parametric analysis, with results for bonded elements. The latter are easily obtained, because they are based on the compatibility of strains in the cross section. Numerical and analytical calculations were performed for the same prototypes studied in the previous research, but now considering the existence of bond in the tendons. The results showed greater increments in stress for the bonded cases and also greater ultimate resistance. It was also devised a calculation method able to determine the ultimate stress in the unbonded tendon using an analysis similar to strain compatibility, but with a reduction bond coefficient Lo/L. The initial results obtained for a third-point loading showed a good agreement, but that not happened for the results of distributed and concentrated loads. However, by an adjustment of the Lo/L coefficient, based on the data of the previous research, good agreement was observed for all loading types. The presented methodology was validated by comparing results with other prototypes analyzed by the numerical model, and also results of experimental studies carried out by several authors.