Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

The main advantages of prestressed concrete (PSC) are:

Smaller Section Sizes

Smaller Deflections
The larger second moment of area greatly reduces deflections for a given section size.

Increased Spans
The smaller section size reduces self weight. Hence a given section can span further with
prestressed concrete than it can with ordinary reinforced concrete.

Durability
Since the entire section remains in compression, no cracking of the concrete can occur and
hence there is little penetration of the cover. This greatly improves the long-term durability of
structures, especially bridges and also means that concrete tanks can be made as watertight as steel
tanks, with far greater durability.

In ordinary reinforced cement concrete, compressive stresses are taken up by concrete and
tensile stresses by steel alone. The concrete below the neutral axis is ignored since it is weak in
tension. Although steel takes up the tensile stresses, the concrete in the tensile zone develops
minute cracks. The load carrying capacity of such concrete sections can be increased if steel and
concrete both are stressed before the applications of external loads. This is the concept of
prestressed concrete. As per ACI committee prestresssed concrete is that concrete in which
internal stresses of suitable magnitude are introduced so that the stresses resulting from the external
loadings can be counteracted to a desired degree.
In R.C.C. members, prestress induced is of compressive nature so that it balances the tensile
stresses produced due to external load. It makes the whole section effective (the concrete area in the
tension zone also) in resisting loads.
 In reinforced concrete, prestress is commonly introduced by tensioning the reinforcement.

So, compression is induced in the zones where external loads would normally cause tensile stresses.

If the prestressed concrete beam of rectangular section subjected to a prestressing force P, at the

centroidal axis.  Due to this force, a uniform compressive stress of ‘P/A’ will be induced in

concrete. Under the action of loads, the stress at any points will be ‘My/I’.

Advantages of prestressed concrete:

 Prestressed concrete sections are thinner and lighter than RCC sections, since high
strength concrete and steel are used prestressed concrete.
 In prestressed concrete, whole concrete area is effective in resisting loads, unlike RCC
where concrete below the neutral axis is neglected.
 Thinner sections in prestressed concrete results in less self weight and hence overall
economy.
 Long span bridges and flyovers are made of prestressed concrete because of lesser self
weight and thinner section. So, prestressed concrete is used for heavily loaded structures.
 Prestressed concrete members show less deflection.
 Since the concrete does not crack in prestressesd concrete, rusting of steel is minimized.
 Prestressed concrete is used in the structures where tension develops or the structure is
subjected to vibrations, impact and shock like girders, bridges, railway sleepers, electric
poles, gravity dams, etc.
 Precast members like electric poles and railway sleepers are produced in factories using
simple pre-stressing methods.

Disadvantages of prestressed concrete:

 Prestressed concrete construction requires very good quality control and supervisions
 Cost of materials used in prestressed is very high (high tensile steel is about three times
costlier than mild steel).
  Prestressed concrete requires specialized tensioning equipment and devices which are
very costly
 Prestressed concrete sections are more brittle because of use of high tension steel.

The comparisons between the RCC and prestressed concrete

 In RCC beam the concrete in the compression side of the neutral side of the axis alone is
effective. The concrete in the tension side of the neutral axis is ineffective. But in the
prestressed concrete beam, the entire section is effective.
 Reinforced concrete beams are generally heavy. They always need shear reinforcements
besides the longitudinal reinforcement for flexure. Prestressed concrete beams are lighter.
By providing the curved tendons and the pre-compression, a considerable part of the
shear is resisted.
 In reinforced concrete beams, high strength concrete is not needed. But in prestressed
concrete beams, high strength concrete and high strength steel are necessary. High
strength concrete is needed to resist high stresses at the anchorages. High strength steel is
needed to transfer large prestressing force.
 Reinforced concrete beams being massive and heavy are more suitable in situations
where the weight is more desired than strength. Prestressed concrete beams are very
suitable for heavy loads and longer spans. They are slender and artistic treatments can be
easily provided. Cracks do not occur under working loads. Even if a minute crack occurs
when overloaded, such crack gets closed when the overload is removed. The deflections
of the prestressed concrete beams are small.
 In reinforced concrete beams, there is no way testing the steel and the concrete. In
prestressed concrete beams, testing of steel and concrete can be made while prestressing.

Advantages of Prestressed Concrete:

1. Prestressed concrete members are free from cracks and the resistance to the effect of
impact, shock, and stresses are higher than rcc structures.
2. Longevity of prestressed structure is greater than rcc structure because the
reinforcement stays unaffected from outer agencies.
3. High compressive strength of concrete and high tensile strength of steel are used for
prestressing that makes it more economical.
4. Smaller sections can be used for longer span by reducing the section of members.
5. Prestressed members are lighter in weight and easily transportable.
6. It requires a smaller amount of construction materials.
7. The shear resistance of members can be increased by using curved tendons.
8. Prestressing also reduces the diagonal tension in concrete.