By its nature a spliced girder must contain a number of post tensioning tendons throughout its length. The focus of the experimental program described in this dissertation is the evaluation of the strength and serviceability of post-tensioned girders loaded in shear, and, more specifically, how a post-tensioning duct located in the web of a girder affects the shear transfer mechanism of a bulb-tee cross-section. Due to the limited number of tests in the literature conducted on full-scale post-tensioned girders, eleven shear tests were performed on seven prestressed concrete bulb-tee girder specimens. Of these tests, ten were conducted on specimens that contained a post-tensioning duct within their web and additional pretensioning reinforcement in their bottom and top flanges. The remaining shear test was conducted on a control specimen that did not have a post-tensioning tendon but contained the same pretensioning reinforcement as the post-tensioned girder specimens. The behavioral characteristics of these eleven test specimens at service level shear forces and at their ultimate shear strengths were evaluated in regards to five primary experimental variables: (i) the presence of a post-tensioning duct, (ii) post-tensioning duct material (plastic or steel), (iii) web-width, (iv) duct diameter, and (v) the transverse reinforcement ratio. The findings of this experimental study are described in detail within this dissertation, but can be summarized by the following two points. (i) No differences were observed in the ultimate or service level shear behavior in girders containing plastic grouted ducts when compared to those containing steel grouted ducts and (ii) The current procedure of reducing the effective web width to account for the presence of a post-tensioning duct is ineffective because it addresses the incorrect shear transfer mechanism. A method that correctly addresses the reduction in shear strength due to the presence of a post-tensioning duct was developed and verified using the tests performed during this experimental program and tests reported in the literature. / text

An experimental program was carried out to investigate the effect of post-tensioning on timber beams and the performance of timber bridge decks with post-tensioned stringers. The experimental program contains three phases. As part of the first phase, twenty shear tests were performed to determine the ultimate capacity of lag screws that could be used in the post-tensioning process. Results showed that six lag screws with a diameter of 12.7 mm were adequate for the anchorage system. The second phase included testing 22 full scale timber beams. Six beams were control without any reinforcement. The remaining sixteen beams were post-tensioned with either draped or straight carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendons (Groups CD and C) or steel cables (Groups SD with draped cables and S with straight cables).The results revealed that the strength and the stiffness for Group CD were increased on average by 70% and 10%, respectively, while the strength for Group C was increased on average by 56%. In contrast, the strength and the stiffness for Group SD were increased on average by 45% and 4%, respectively, while the strength for Group S was increased on average by 49%. The bending strength of the post-tensioned timber beams was predicted using analytical model. The third phase of the research included the construction of four timber bridge decks: control deck (BD-CO), deck with stringers post-tensioned with draped CFRP tendons (BD-DC), deck with stringers post-tensioned with draped steel tendons (BD-DS), and a deck with stringers strengthened with near-surface mounted glass fibre-reinforced polymer bars (NSM-GFRP) referred to as BD-G. Post-tensioning the stringers of BD-DS and the stringers of BD-DC increased the apparent stiffness on average by 2% and 3%, respectively. In contrast, the apparent stiffness for the stringers of BD-G increased on average by 29%. SECAN program was used to analyze the four timber bridge decks. It was found that SECAN can predict the behaviour of the timber bridge deck based on the experimental stiffness of the individual tests. Cost analysis was done for the three strengthening techniques. It was found that post-tensioning stringers with draped steel cables can be cost effective.

The current knowledge of the performance characteristics of Centrifugal Tensioned Metastable Fluid Detectors is limited. While a theoretical treatment and experience with bubble chambers may be applied with some degree of success, they are no substitute for experimental and operational knowledge of real CTMFD systems. This research, as with other investigations into CTMFD systems in the past, applies theory and simulations. In addition, however, an experiment was conducted that for the first time attempts to determine the threshold energy for triggering a CTMFD system in a controlled manner. A CTMFD system works in a manner similar to classic bubble chambers. A liquid is brought to an unstable state in which it is favorable to form a volume of vapor; using centrifugal techniques similar to those employed in a Briggs apparatus, the pressure in the sensitive region can be brought to extremely low values, placing the liquid in a tensile state. In such states, the energy necessary to cause the formation of macroscopic bubbles can be vanishingly small, depending on the degree of tension. When such bubbles form in a CTMFD, if they have a size bigger than a critical value, they will grow until a large vapor column forms in the sensitive region of the CTMFD. The experiment developed for this research employed a carefully-controlled laser to fire pulses of known energies into the sensitive region of a CTMFD. By varying the laser power, the threshold values for the triggering energy of a CTMFD can be found. The experiment and simulation demonstrated the ability of the facilities to test CTMFD systems and the potential to extract their operational characteristics. The experiment showed a certain viability for the technique of laser-induced cavitation in a seeded fluid, and demonstrated some of the associated limitations as well. In addition, the CFD framework developed here can be used to cross-compare experimental results with computer simulations as well as with the theoretical models developed for this research.

This thesis describes an investigation into the vibration serviceability of long-span and slender in-situ concrete floors, which are typically post-tensioned. The motivation for the research is the present trend towards increased slenderness of post-tensioned floors supporting open-plan high- quality offices where vibration serviceability may easily become the governing design criterion. The vibration serviceability issue in post-tensioned floors is now also recognised by the UK Concrete Society which proposed, for the first time, guidelines for performing a vibration serviceability check when designing office floors. The guidelines were published in Concrete Society Technical Report 43 (CSTR43) in 1994 and its publication prompted the initialisation of this research project. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, problems were reported with the reliability and practical application of these guidelines, and, secondly, the guidelines were not experimentally verified which is unusual for any design provision related to vibration serviceability. In order to improve understanding of the dynamic performance of a rather specific group of office floors which are long-span and made of cast in-situ concrete, a combined experimental and analytical approach has been adopted. A state-of-the-art facility comprising hardware and software suitable for field modal testing and dynamic response measurements of prototype floor structures was commissioned as a part of this research. The facility is built up around the instrumented sledge hammer, which served as the main excitation source in modal testing, and multi-degree-of-freedom vibration parameter estimation procedures utilising measured floor frequency response functions. The main testing programme consisted of modal testing of four prototype floor structures of varying complexity weighing between 13 and 1000 tonnes. All four slab structures were slender and made of in-situ concrete. These tests were complemented by measurements of the floors' acceleration responses to a single person walking excitation tuned to create as large as realistically possible responses. The modal testing experimental data (measured natural frequencies, mode shapes and modal damping ratios) were used to validate numerical finite element (FE) models representing each floor structure. To do this, advanced FE model correlation and manual updating procedures were employed. Results of these exercises highlighted a number of important issues related to the dynamic behaviour of the concrete floors investigated. Firstly, the bending stiffness of in-situ concrete columns and walls contributed significantly to overall floor bending stiffness and must be considered. Secondly, higher modes of vibration which are close to the fundamental frequency appear in concrete floors, and should not be neglected as they can be easily excited by walking leading to dynamic responses greater than those associated with the fundamental mode. Thirdly, the width of band beams contributes significantly to the lateral stiffness of post-tensioned floors, which, in turn, may be very beneficial for their vibration serviceability. The validated numerical FE models were then used to check the performance of three representative walking excitation models available in the literature. It was shown that, in general, all three models overestimated the measured response to the third harmonic of the walking excitation, which is particularly important for low-frequency office floors. Only one of the models did so in a way which is not overly conservative. This model is recommended for use in vibration serviceability assessment of post-tensioned floors. Finally, gross oversimplification of these important issues is identified as the principal reason for the failure of the current CSTR43 vibration serviceability guidelines to predict reliably vibration response of a wide range of post-tensioned in-situ cast concrete floors.

Load testing was performed on a one-third scale model steel fiber reinforced concrete post-tensioned flat plate. The specimen had nine 10ft x 10ft x 3in. bays along with a 2ft-6in. overhang. Distributed loading was applied with a whiffle tree loading system at each bay and overhang section. Throughout the test, crack widths, crack locations, deflections, concrete strains, and reinforcing bar strains were monitored. The post-tensioned flat plate was designed to just meet the maximum allowable stress requirements of ACI 318. Minimal quantities of hairline cracks were observed after stressing the slab, and up through service-level loads, the cracks grew slightly in length and width. The slab behaved elastically through service-level loading. As factored-level loading was approached, the slab began to behave inelastically as indicated by both the load-deflection plots and the load-strain plots. A total ultimate load of 282psf (174psf of applied load) was reached when concrete crushing occurred. A 0.20in. wide full-length crack was observed running on the bottom surface of the slab between column lines 1 and 2, and a full-length crack was observed at column line 2 on the top surface of the slab. These two cracks were the leading contributors to the slab's failure. The performance of the SFRC post-tensioned flat plate indicated that considerations should be made to remove requirements for negative moment reinforcement in post-tensioned flat plates when SFRC is used. Also, the requirements for positive moment reinforcement should be modified. Additionally, the SFRC post-tensioned flat plate exhibited excellent levels of ductility. More experimentation should be conducted to determine if the maximum tensile stress in ACI 318 can be increased for post-tensioned flat plates with SFRC. / Master of Science / Load testing was performed on a one-third scale model steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) post-tensioned flat plate. Post-tensioned flat plates are a type of concrete structural system typically used as flooring. This system typically employs high-strength steel strands, which are stretched to introduce compression into the concrete, which helps prevent the onset of cracking. The specimen had nine 10ft x 10ft x 3in. bays along with a 2ft-6in. overhang. Distributed loading was applied with a whiffle tree loading system at each bay and overhang section. The whiffle tree loading system was used to allow actuators to spread out the vertical loading on the slab. During the test, crack widths, crack locations, deflections, concrete strains, and reinforcing bar strains were monitored. The post-tensioned flat plate was designed to just meet the maximum allowable stress requirements of the governing standard, ACI 318. Minimal quantities of hairline cracks were observed after stressing the slab, and up through service-level loads, the cracks grew slightly in length and width. As larger loads were applied, the cracks grew and the effects of these cracks on the slab were evidenced in the deflection and strain measurements. A total ultimate load of 282psf (174psf of applied load) was reached when concrete crushing occurred. A 0.20in. wide full-length crack was observed running on the bottom surface of the slab between column lines 1 and 2, and a full-length crack was observed at column line 2 on the top surface of the slab. These two cracks were a driving force in the slab’s failure. The performance of the SFRC post-tensioned flat plate indicated that considerations should be made to change the requirements for negative and positive moment reinforcement in post-tensioned flat plates when SFRC is used. Additionally, the SFRC post-tensioned flat plate exhibited great performance after significant cracking was present. More experimentation should be conducted to determine if the maximum allowable tensile stress in ACI 318 can be increased for post-tensioned flat plates with SFRC.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). "February 2009." Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Post-tensioned timber frames have recently been undergoing heavy research and development at the University of Canterbury. The recently developed post-tensioned timber system utilises engineering wood products such as Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and glue laminated timber (Glulam), which are formed into box sections and post-tensioned with high strength steel tendons made from stranded steel wire or solid steel bars. The post-tensioning serves to counteract some of the bending actions imposed on the timber beam from loading through a variety of mechanisms. Previous research has focused on the seismic performance and gravity frame performance of post-tensioned timber, both of which yielded promising results. There is however a commonly perceived increase in fire risk with timber building, particularly multi-storey timber buildings, and the fire performance of post-tensioned timber had not previously been investigated. Therefore, the focus of this research was to investigate the fire performance of post-tensioned timber beams. This was completed through a series of full-scale furnace tests, and the development of a fire resistance design method. Three 4.36m span post-tensioned timber beams were exposed to the ISO 834 standard fire. Each of the test beams were glued box beams made from 63mm LVL and were of varying external dimensions. Each beam was intended to demonstrate a specific failure mechanism at approximately 60 minutes of fire exposure. The failure mechanisms demonstrated were a shear failure in the lower corner of due to corner rounding, and a combined bending and compression failure at the end of the beam. These failure mechanisms are unique to post-tensioned timber in fire. The results of the experimental testing were used to validate and refine the proposed fire resistance calculation. Also tested during the full-scale testing were five different forms of anchorage fire protection. These were tested as a secondary objective, but useful thermal data was collected. Through the full-scale testing and the calculation method development it was found that it is important to consider shear during fire design. The post-tensioning increases the bending capacity of a beam but doesn’t affect its shear capacity, therefore when more loading is applied to utilise the increased bending capacity the shear action is increased which leads to shear governing the design in many cases. It is also important to consider shear not only in the webs at the centroid where the shear flow is greatest but also in the lower corners, which can become much thinner than the webs. Without calculation it is not possible to determine where the shear stress will be greatest and therefore both the web and the lower corners need to be checked. It was also found that as the timber section chars on three sides the post-tensioning eccentricity increases which can lead to the moment at the end of the beam becoming critical. Other failure mechanisms which need to be checked include, combined bending and compression at mid span, and tension in the bottom most fibre at mid span. It was found that the proposed calculation method, when used with a char rate of 0.72mm/min and an additional allowance of 7mm for temperature-affected timber beneath the char layer, provided good predictions of the failure times for the full-scale experiments.

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries / Department: Civil Engineering.

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the accuracy of predicting deflections and cambers in partially prestressed suspended slabs. Precision in predicting this behaviour accurately is complex due to the large number of variables which affect the behaviour of suspended prestressed slabs. This level of complexity is particularly relevant for post tensioned slabs due to the numerous on site construction steps. Many of the variables are hard to determine accurately due to their tendency to be unique for each construction site. Variables such as ambient temperatures, concrete material properties, stressing times, applied loads, loading times, prop movement and humidity are all examples of these properties. Hence, when predicting the behaviour of post tensioned suspended slabs of a multi storey building there always remains a degree of uncertainty. The research presented in this thesis addresses crucial areas of this topic and ultimately aims to supply reinforced concrete designers and constructors with additional confidence when predicting this behaviour. The requirement for this project surfaced during the design stages of 151 Pirie, a multistorey building constructed in Adelaide, Australia. The design project for 151 Pirie was particularly complex due to a very ambitious construction timeline. The strict construction timeline was imposed due to the contractual agreement of early occupancy of the top three floors (of a 9 storey building). The client purchasing the top floors required functioning office space within a matter of months. This contract created a construction priority of erecting the bare structural requirements up to and including the top three floors in the shortest possible time. Fittings and services to the top three floors was then the secondary priority. Fitting and services to the lower floors (which would usually be achieved before the upper floors) would be performed at a later date. Excessive deflection limits of the slabs due to the accelerated construction were a major concern for the client. The effect on the deformation performance due to the accelerated construction was difficult to predict for the designer. Therefore, this project was born to help supply confidence to the designer and concrete supplier for this construction scenario. This research project was designed to assist in the close monitoring and recording of the construction process of 151 Pirie. Due to the nature of data collection, data from this construction site would be limited in its benefits for the current construction. However, the data obtained would be vital for future projects by providing a log of onsite slab performance data as well as explanations of delays or other general outcomes with the construction process. Therefore, the aim of this research is to present the issues that were faced, the methods used to overcome these issues as well as displaying the vast amounts of site specific data documented within this project for future reference. In this research a wide range of concrete material properties were collected and monitored closely on site as well as in the laboratory. The experimental testing created large detailed database of concrete material properties as well as other relevant factors such as surveyed deflections and construction timing. Concrete material properties were the primary focus of this research due to their direct effect on member performance. The database was sufficiently large to allow a meaningful statistical data analysis to be performed on the compressive strength (f’[subscript]c), modulus of elasticity (E[subscript]c) and tensile strength (f’[subscript] t) of the concrete samples. This analysis supplied a detailed understanding of the statistical relationship between different concrete material properties. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed, with multiple deflection and camber models, to create a statistical distribution of predicted deflections and cambers from the statistical distribution of concrete material properties. This statistical output is then critically analysed and compared to the surveyed data. Proposed improvements to the process of predicting deflections and cambers have been outlined. These improvements have then been utilised in the construction of a finite element style program. Finally, the multiple predictions of column strip and mid panel deformation are compared to the short term surveyed deflections. It is summarised that the improvements suggested and implemented in the finite style analysis yield results with a higher degree of accuracy. The accuracy and benefits of the suggested improvements has been justified and proven by the application of multiple examples and a parametric study. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1366459 / Thesis (M.Eng.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, 2009