Prestressed concrete is a civil engineering construction method in which internal steel tendons are tensioned, either before the concrete is poured or after it has cured, so that the concrete is placed under a permanent compressive stress that counteracts the tensile stresses it would otherwise experience under load. Because plain concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, this pre-compression lets a prestressed concrete member span longer distances and carry heavier loads with less material than conventionally reinforced concrete. Developed commercially by French engineer Eugène Freyssinet in the 1920s and 1930s, the technique became widely used for bridges, parking structures and long-span floor systems.
Facts
Core PrincipleConcrete is compressed during production so that it is pre-loaded against the tensile forces it will experience in service, since concrete resists compression far better than tension. 1 FAQs
What do the steel tendons actually do inside prestressed concrete?
The tendons clamp the concrete in compression so that it resists the tension a bending load would otherwise cause.
The tendons are generally high tensile steel cables or rods. They are used to provide a clamping load on the concrete, and that load produces a compressive stress in the member. This compressive stress offsets the tensile stress that the concrete would otherwise experience when a bending load acts on it.
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Source Prestressed concrete (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Concrete, Materials Prestressing pre-compresses concrete with tensioned steel so it resists tension in service.
In Field
Source Prestressed concrete (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Prestressed Concrete (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationlead paragraph, second sentence
It is substantially prestressed (compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service.
lead paragraph, third sentence
It was patented by Eugène Freyssinet in 1928.
View the Source Prestressed concrete (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Concrete, Introduction
Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction.
In Field: Civil Engineering, Categories
Concrete buildings and structures
In Group: Tunnelling, Foundation and Concrete Construction Methods, Introduction
Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction.
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