Technical Notes

From the PTI Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Issue 18 • May 2014

Major Changes in Quality Assurance Requirements for Unbonded PT Construction

Primary Authors: Merrill R. Walstad and Gregory P. Chacos

1—INTRODUCTION The materials aspect is addressed by the requirement for

This Technical Note addresses the use of encapsulated encapsulated systems for all ACI 318 designed structures.
unbonded tendons and expanded inspection requirements that This is important, as it removes the need for subjective judg-
encompass all aspects of tendon finishing. It is directed to ment regarding aggressive or non-aggressive environment as
the licensed design professional (LDP), the field installation it relates to tendon encapsulation. Direct or indirect exposure,
crews, and the field inspector. Initiated by the PTI Technical coastal proximity, deicing salt application, and so on are often
Advisory Board (TAB), the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) difficult to assess in respect to the effect on the durability of the
has adopted the following directive: post-tensioning (PT) system. Also, even in enclosed structures
“All unbonded single strand post-tensioning tendons used protected from the weather, conditions during construction can
for structures designed in accordance with the Building Code lead to long-term problems in non-encapsulated systems.
Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318) must be encap- The focus of this Technical Note is to emphasize the need
sulated, regardless of the exposure conditions.” for encapsulated PT systems including finishing and inspection.
Often in the past, the PT work was considered done once the
The encapsulation of the tendons shall be in accordance
elongations were approved and tendon tails cut off. The finishing
with the material requirements for aggressive environments
operations were considered secondary in nature. Inspection of
in the PTI Specification for Unbonded Single Strand Tendons
the PT work must include the finishing operations.
(PTI M10.2-00) and the ACI Specification for Unbonded Single-
Strand Tendon Materials and Commentary (ACI 423.7-07).
3.1—Installation
2—BACKGROUND Installation of tendons shall be in accordance with the PTI
At their spring 2009 meeting, PTI’s Technical Advisory Field Procedures Manual, latest edition.
Board (TAB) established a Task Group to investigate reported 1. The tendons shall be installed in accordance with PT
cases of strand corrosion in encapsulated tendons. The Task installation drawings that have been reviewed and approved by
Group found that the key issue was improper installation of the LDP.
encapsulation caps, frequently caused by excessive strand pro- 2. Insert the pocket former into the anchor cavity, and
jection (strand tail) that prevented proper seating of the encap- secure the assembly to the edge form (usually by nails).
sulation caps. Cases were also found where improper material, a. Stressing anchorages shall be firmly secured so that
such as stucco, was used to fill the stressing pockets. the pocket former is perpendicular to and in uniform
The Task Group members initiated changes in ACI 301 contact with the edge form.
that now requires installation of the encapsulation caps within b. Reject any pocket former that will allow concrete
8 hours of cutting of the tendon tails, essentially meaning the slurry to enter the anchor cavity.
same day. An effort by the Task Group members and PTI staff c. Do not allow PT coating or any other lubricants on
will continue to include the requirement for inspection of the any part of the pocket former that comes in contact
finishing operations, including the installation of encapsulation with the concrete, as this would prevent the bond
caps in ACI 301, Section 9.3.2. PTI intends to revise their spec- between the concrete and the stressing pocket
ifications to include the requirements stated previously because patching material.
it believes the longevity of encapsulated tendons is dependent, to 3. Thread the strand end through the transition tube,
a large degree, on proper execution of the finishing process. anchor, pocket former, and the edge form.
a. Cut the sheathing immediately behind the anchor but
3—QUALITY ASSURANCE FACTORS leave it temporarily in place.
The quality of construction involves both materials and b. Install the transition tube (unless it is already a part of
execution. Either the materials or the execution alone cannot the anchor encapsulation) to seal the gap between the
guarantee the desired durability. back side of the anchor and the sheathing.
Technical Note No. 18 PTI Technical Note 1
 4. Remove the pocket former after the concrete has 3. Fill the stressing pocket with nonmetallic, nonshrink
reached the designated strength, pull out the pre-cut sheathing grout within 1 day after tendon tail cutting.
from the tendon tail, remove any concrete slurry or dirt from a. The patch material shall be a high-quality premixed
the anchor cavity, insert the wedges, and stress the tendon. cementitious chloride-free nonmetallic, nonshrink
a. Do not proceed with stressing operations if the wedges grout, mixed with limited amount of water per manu-
are restrained from entering the anchor cavity. This facturers’ recommendation for use as repair material.
condition is usually caused by an obstruction in the The material shall be submitted to the LDP for review
anchor cavity, such as dirt or concrete slurry, which and approval prior to use.
shall be removed and the wedges reinstalled. b. The patch material shall not be installed until the
stressing pocket has been cleaned with a wire brush
3.2—Finishing and Inspection or similar to ensure the proper bond of the patch
Tendon finishing shall be in accordance with the PTI Field material; a bonding agent may be applied.
Procedures Manual, latest edition. c. The patch material shall be suitably packed into the
Note: “Finishing” refers to three steps in PTI’s Specifica- stressing pocket and struck-off flush with the outer
tion for Unbonded Single Strand Tendons. They are: 1) cutting face of the member.
the tendon tail; 2) installing the encapsulation cap; and 3) fill- d. Installation of the nonmetallic, nonshrink grout within
ing the stressing pocket with nonmetallic, nonshrink grout. the prescribed period of time shall be inspected by a
1. Cut the tendon tails within 1 working day after accep- qualified inspector.
tance of stressing records by the LDP. 4. The inspector shall submit a report to the LDP con-
a. The stressing records with elongations are to be approved taining data on the three steps of the finishing operation: 1)
or disapproved preferably within the next working cutting the tendon tail; 2) installing the encapsulation cap; and
day after stressing. 3) filling the stressing pocket.
b. The strand tails are to project beyond the wedges no 5. At intermediate anchorages, encapsulation elements
less than 0.50 in., no more than 0.75 in., or as specified shall be installed within 1 working day after acceptance of
by the PT supplier to accommodate proper seating of stressing records by the LDP, and shall be inspected and
the encapsulation caps. reported as described previously.
c. Cutting of the tendon tail shall be done by an approved 6. Tendons with elongations not approved by the LDP
method that results in strand tail length, which does shall be protected from the weather until the deficiency has
not impair seating of the encapsulation cap. been evaluated and corrective actions performed.
d. A qualified inspector shall verify that tendon tail cut- a. Finishing operations shall continue on approved
ting was completed within the specified time frame tendons during evaluation and remediation of the
and that tendon tail lengths are within specified toler- rejected tendons.
ances. b. If cutting or capping is delayed for any reason, ade-
2. Install the encapsulation cap as soon as practical but quate protection shall be provided to prevent moisture
not to exceed 8 hours after cutting off tendon tails. from reaching the anchorages.
a. The encapsulation cap shall be filled with an approved
PT coating material.
b. Installation of the encapsulation cap within the prescribed
period of time shall be inspected by a qualified inspector.

Technical Note, May 2014

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2 PTI Technical Note Technical Note No. 18