Prestressed Concrete Design
CIS 702
Lecture 1: Introduction
By:
Assoc. Prof. Ahmed Elansary
Winter 2025
Assoc. Prof. Ahmed Elansary 1/42 CIS 702 Prestressed Concrete Design
Acknowledgement
To
Dr. Ibrahim Lotfy
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Instructors
Assoc. Prof. Ahmed Elansary Eng. Karim Hammad
[Link]@[Link] Room: D1.340
Office hours: TBA [Link]@[Link]
Office hours: TBA
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Biography
• Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt.
• Research Associate at The University of Western Ontario, Canada.
• [Link]. and [Link]. from Cairo University in 2008 and 2011.
• Ph.D. from The University of Western Ontario, Canada in 2016.
• Recipient of Ontario Trillium Scholarship (OTS), Canada in 2011.
• Recipient of Western Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, Canada in 2013.
• 17+ years experience in teaching in national and international universities.
• 17+ years hands on experience in the domain of reinforced concrete.
• Professional Engineer ([Link]), Ontario, Canada in 2018.
• Consulting Engineer in the Egyptian Syndicate in 2024.
• Professional Engineer (P.E), Nevada, USA in 2024.
• 40+ journal and conference papers.
• Supervised 10 Ph.D., 14 [Link]., and 100+ undergraduate students.
• Hold both Canadian and Egyptian citizenships.
• Research interest: Development of Software Applications and Websites for Structural Engineering.
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Outline
• Course Objective, Materials and Evaluation
• Codes and Textbooks
• Progress Sheet
• Review of Traditional Reinforced Concrete
• Introduction to Prestressed Concrete
• Systems of Prestressing
• General Design Principle and Materials
• Losses in Prestressed Concrete
• Summary of Today’s Lecture
• Civil Engineering Program Vision and Mission
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Course Objective
Develop student’s ability to apply basic design theories related to
prestressed concrete members and perform structural design as
per code standards.
Course Materials
Will be uploaded on CMS platform.
Assignment Submission
Solution template should be printed, filled, then dropped in the
appropriate locker by the due date mentioned in the course
progress sheet.
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Course Evaluation
• Final Exam 40%
• Midterm Exam 20%
• Coursework 40%
a. Assignments 10% [Best 2 out of 3]
b. Quizzes 15% [Best 2 out of 3]
c. Project/Report 5%
d. Class Assessment 10% [Assessment in lectures]
Grades distribution might be slightly adjusted to conform with the faculty regulations
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Codes and Textbooks
Design Code:
ECP-203, Egyptian Code for Design and Construction of
Reinforced Concrete Structures, National Research Center for
Housing and Building.
Textbook
Ghoneim & El-Mihilmy, Design of Reinforced Concrete
Structures, Vol 3, Edition 2023.
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Progress Sheet (Tentative)
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Prestressed Concrete Vs Traditional RC (ChatGPT)
Aspect Prestressed Concrete Reinforced Concrete
Pre-applied compression
Rebar resists tension only
Internal Forces (prestressing) to counter
under applied loads
tension
High, due to induced Lower, depends on rebar to
Tensile Strength
compressive forces handle tension
Designed to minimize or Cracks in tension zones are
Cracking Behavior
eliminate cracking common
Requires high-strength Uses lower-strength
Material Usage
concrete and steel concrete and steel
Long-span structures
Buildings, foundations,
Applications (bridges, parking garages,
shorter spans
precast)
More expensive and Less expensive and simpler
Cost & Complexity
complex to construct to build
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Review of Traditional Reinforced Concrete
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Review of Traditional Reinforced Concrete
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Review of Traditional Reinforced Concrete
Steel is activated after concrete cracks. It crosses the cracks but
does not prevent them.
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Introduction to Prestressed Concrete
Watch YouTube Video
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Introduction to Prestressed Concrete
Pre-compression (prestress) + Tension (bending) = Net zero stress
Prestressing is always ACTIVE and can prevent cracks from
forming
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Introduction to Prestressed Concrete
Illustration example using a set
of books
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Introduction to Prestressed Concrete ChatGPT
1. Prestressed concrete introduces internal stresses to counteract expected
stresses from applied loads.
2. Pre-tensioning involves stretching steel tendons before pouring concrete.
3. Post-tensioning involves stressing steel tendons after the concrete hardens.
4. Higher load capacity is achieved compared to conventional reinforced concrete.
5. Reduced cracking is a result of compressive stresses counteracting tensile
forces.
6. Material efficiency allows for slender designs and longer spans.
7. Durability is enhanced with increased resistance to fatigue and environmental
factors.
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Introduction to Prestressed Concrete ChatGPT
Advantages:
1. Higher Load Capacity: Supports heavier loads than conventional concrete.
2. Reduced Cracking: Minimizes cracks due to lower tensile stress.
3. Longer Spans: Enables longer spans with fewer supports and smaller element
thickness.
4. Material Efficiency: Allows for thinner and lighter structures.
5. Increased Durability: Enhanced resistance to corrosion and environmental
factors.
6. Lower Maintenance Costs: Requires less maintenance over time due to
durability.
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Introduction to Prestressed Concrete ChatGPT
Disadvantages:
1. Materials (high-strength steel tendons) and specialized equipment needed for
prestressing increase the initial cost.
2. Design and construction process is more complex, requiring skilled labor and
precise execution.
3. Pre-tensioning and post-tensioning require specialized jacks, anchors, and
stressing equipment not needed in traditional concrete.
4. Repairs and modifications to prestressed concrete can be more difficult and
costly due to the internal stresses and embedded tendons.
5. Pre-tensioned elements are typically precast, limiting on-site adaptability
compared to traditional concrete.
6. Prestressed concrete is sensitive to prestress losses over time due to creep,
shrinkage, and relaxation of steel, which requires careful long-term management.
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Systems of Prestressing
Pre-tensioning:
1. Tendons are initially tensioned
between fixed rigid walls.
2. With formwork in place, concrete
is cast around stressed tendons
and cured.
3. When concrete reaches required
strength, wires are cut.
4. As tendons contract, concrete is
compressed.
5. Prestress is transmitted through
bond between tendons and
concrete.
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Systems of Prestressing
Pre-tensioning:
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Systems of Prestressing
Pre-tensioning:
Tension strands
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Systems of Prestressing
Pre-tensioning:
Strands after tensioning (straight and harped)
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
1. With formwork in position,
concrete is cast around hollow
ducts which are fixed as desired
profile.
2. Tendons are in place, unstressed
in ducts during concrete pouring.
3. When concrete reaches required
strength, tendons are tensioned
from one or two ends.
4. Tendons are anchored at each
stressing end.
5. Concrete is subjected to
compression during tendon
stressing and after tendon
anchoring with end plates.
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
PT ducts in girders
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
PT ducts in slabs
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
Cast Concrete
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
Mono-Strands
Multiple Strands
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
Anchors
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning:
Anchors
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Systems of Prestressing
Post-tensioning: Strands Anchors
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Systems of Prestressing
Prestressing:
• Steel is held at length longer than it “wants” to be: Tension
• Concrete is compressed shorter than it “wants” to be: Compression
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General Design Principle
Flexural stresses result from
1. Internal prestressing force (P),
2. Internal moment due to eccentric
cable configuration (P.e)
3. External applied moment (M).
Tensile stresses from applied loads
are resisted by compressive stresses
due to prestress.
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Utilized Materials in Prestressed Concrete
Concrete
Advantages of using high-strength
concrete:
1. Speed in gaining strength, shattering
can be removed faster reducing time
and cost.
2. Minimizes losses by reducing creep,
elastic shortening, and shrinkage
3. Reduce size and weight of member.
4. Reduce required shear Rft.
5. Provides high bond strength in
pretensioned construction.
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Utilized Materials in Prestressed Concrete
Non-prestressing Rft
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Utilized Materials in Prestressed Concrete
Prestressing Rft
1. Cold-drawn, cables, and alloyed steel
bars.
2. Most common: seven wire strands
cable.
3. Ultimate strength is 1700-1900 MPa.
4. Young’s modulus is
200,000 MPa → Bars and wires
180,000 MPa → Strands
𝑓𝑝𝑦 = 𝑌𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 1% 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛
𝑓𝑝𝑢 = 𝑈𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙
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Utilized Materials in Prestressed Concrete
Prestressing Rft
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Losses in Prestressed Concrete
Please refer to Prof. Mashour’s book Vol. 3 Page 483 (Example 7.1): a numerical example
on estimation of losses.
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Outline
• Course Objective
• Course Evaluation
• Codes and Textbooks
• Progress Sheet
• Review of Traditional Reinforced Concrete
• Introduction to Prestressed Concrete
• Systems of Prestressing
• General Design Principle and Materials
• Losses in Prestressed Concrete
• Summary of Today’s Lecture
• Civil Engineering Program Vision and Mission
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Thank you for your attention
Any Questions?
Next Lecture:
Flexure -1: Analysis of Prestressed Beams under Service Loads
& Class Assessment 1
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