Application of external prestressing on the rehabilitation of reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

Concrete structure experiencing any form of distress due to multiple reasons; need remedial, strengthening, and rehabilitation measures, if the structure is to attain serviceability and strength requirements of different elements. Further, the external welding reinforcement and prestressing of the reinforced concrete members have been proven to provide an effective strengthening approach. The prestressed concrete describes a type of concrete where internal stresses are instituted to counteract the multiple tensile stresses that are characteristics of service loading. In these concrete structures, cables, hard-drawn wires or bars of high strength alloy steel are employed as tendons to generate the counteracting stresses. The prestressed concrete is made up of an active combination of steel and concrete as these materials are traditionally stressed before the application of external loads. The prestressing technique has been comprehensively reviewed in numerous articles showing that it is more effective than the RCC structures. External prestressing is emerging as an essential component of prestressing as it is structurally attractive and economical. In external prestressing, the tendons are placed outside the member to improve the load-bearing capacity of the structures and their members. In this study, a beam exposed to various loading condition and distress is strengthened using external prestressing. The ultimate deflection and failure characteristics were evaluated using different loading scenarios; beam weight, live weight, and dead weight. The results for the prestressing analysis was provided for 10 and 20 strands.