scholarly journals Experimental Technique for Measuring the Long-term Transfer Length in Prestressed Concrete

Strain ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Martí-Vargas ◽  
L. A. Caro ◽  
P. Serna
Author(s):  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Aaron A. Robertson ◽  
Naga Narendra B. Bodapati ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu ◽  
...  

Accurate unbiased assessment of transfer length for prestressed concrete railroad ties requires detailed knowledge of the longitudinal variation of geometrical cross-section parameters responsible for establishing the resulting surface strain profile. This is because the complex cross-sectional shape produces a non-uniform strain plateau region, which makes the accurate evaluation of transfer length more difficult. In particular, human judgment of a “plateau region” for assessment of the average maximum strain becomes subject to large uncertainty, and clearly this procedure cannot be used in any type of automated in-plant transfer length diagnostics. The important geometrical tie parameters include the cross-sectional area, centroid, moment of inertia, and the eccentricity of the prestressing wires. If a CAD drawing is available, this information can be digitally extracted from the CAD model representation of the crosstie. In fact, this digital extraction has been done and has already been in use for some time in assessing transfer length for one of the common crosstie manufacturer designs. However, current research efforts are investigating the characteristics of existing crossties which have been in track for many years, for which CAD drawings of the original designs are unlikely to be available. The objective of the current research is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the material characteristics that have caused splitting failures in prestressed concrete railroad ties, and those characteristics that have resulted in ties that have performed well after many years in track. As part of this effort, a three-dimensional (3D) Optical Scanning System is being used to accurately scan and quantify the surface geometry of previously manufactured ties that have been in service, so as to produce an accurate 3D CAD model for later analysis associated with the above long-term research objectives. For the initial phase of this work, a sample from the CXT crossties of known geometrical characteristics that were subjected to representative long-term loading at the TTCI Facility in Pueblo Colorado, was scanned so as to accurately map out detailed 3D tie surface geometry. These ties were cast using the same concrete materials but with different prestressing wires, and were all subjected to the same extreme in-track loading for a period of several years. A commercially-available 3D Laser-Based Optical Scanning System, having a maximum spatial resolution of approximately 0.1mm, was used to perform the surface scanning operations presented in this paper. The CXT tie provides a useful initial evaluation of the accuracy and general feature capture capability of the scanning procedure, since a 3D CAD model for this tie has been provided by the manufacturer. A detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis is presented which compares the 3D CXT CAD model geometry with the 3D geometry of the experimentally scanned ties. Illustrations as to how this 3D technique can reveal such features as abrasion and wear, along with the longitudinal variation of the above mentioned cross-section parameters associated with longitudinal surface strain and transfer length assessment, are included in this paper.


PCI Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 93-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bulent Mercan ◽  
Arturo E. Schultz ◽  
Henryk K. Stolarski ◽  
Rafael A. Magaña

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 856-864
Author(s):  
Guohui Cao ◽  
Wang Zhang ◽  
Jiaxing Hu ◽  
Xirong Peng

A long-term load test performed for 470 days on two two-span prestressed concrete (PC) continuous box girders is reported in this paper. Load types were selected as the test variates, and structural responses such as support reactions, deflections, and concrete strains were monitored. Simultaneously, affiliated experiments such as material strength, creep, and shrinkage tests were conducted to investigate the time-dependent performances of the materials. Data obtained from these tests showed that deflections, strains, and support reactions develop rapidly in the beginning and stabilize afterward; the reactions of mid- and end-supports decline and rise over time, respectively. Time-dependent patterns of deflections and support reactions were analyzed on the basis of an effective modulus method, and a practical calculation method for long-term deflections considering reaction redistributions was proposed. The effects of the service environment on the performance of PC girders were evaluated through an incremental analysis method.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheheng Chen ◽  
Shanwen Zhang

The prestress level is a key factor of prestressed concrete (PSC) beams, affecting their long-term serviceability and safety. Existing monitoring methods, however, are not effective in obtaining the force or stress of embedded tendons. This paper investigates the feasibility of elastomagnetic (EM) sensors, which have been used for external tendons, in monitoring the long-term prestress loss of bonded tendons. The influence of ambient temperature, water, eccentricity ratio, plastic duct, and cement grouts on the test results of EM sensors is experimentally examined. Based on the calibrated EM sensors, prestress loss of a group of PSC beams was monitored for one year. In order to further consider the high randomness in material, environment, and construction, probabilistic analysis of prestress loss is conducted. Finally, the variation range of prestress loss with a certain confidence level is obtained and is compared with the monitored data, which provides a basis for the determination of prestress level in the design of PSC beams.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Hyun Kim ◽  
Sung Yong Park ◽  
Se-Jin Jeon

The proper distribution of prestressing force (PF) is the basis for the design of prestressed concrete (PSC) structures. However, the PF distribution obtained by predictive equations of prestress losses has not been sufficiently validated by comparison with measured data due to the poor reliability and durability of conventional sensing technologies. Therefore, the Smart Strand with embedded fiber optic sensors was developed and applied to PSC structures to investigate the long-term characteristics of PF distribution as affected by concrete creep and shrinkage. The data measured in a 20 m-long full-scale specimen and a 60 m-long PSC girder bridge were analyzed by comparing them with the theoretical estimation obtained from several design equations. Although the long-term decreasing trend of the PF distribution was similar in the measurement and theory, the equation of Eurocode 2 for estimating the long-term prestress losses showed better agreement with the measurement than ACI 209R and ACI 423.10R did. This can be attributed to the more refined form of the predictive equation of Eurocode 2 in dealing with the time-dependency of the PF. The study results also confirmed the need to compensate for the temperature variation in the long-term monitoring to derive the actual mechanical strain related to the PF. We expect our developed Smart Strand to be applied practically in PF measurement for the reasonable safety assessment and maintenance of PSC structures by improving several of the existing drawbacks of conventional sensors.


2013 ◽  
Vol 438-439 ◽  
pp. 649-653
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Li Hui Li

The prestressed concrete beam with pretensioned bent-up tendons combines many advantages of the straight-line pretensioned prestressed beams and the curvilinear posttensioned beams. To improve its application in bridges, long-term deformation should be exactly predicted and controlled. Three prestressed concrete beams with pretensioned bent-up tendons XPB1,XPB2, XPB3 were fabricated, and XPB1 and XPB3 were put in standard curing room, but XPB2 were put in outdoor environment. All the experimental beams were simple supported under long-term loads. Their deformation such as creep strain and long-term deflection in mid-span section were observed about 600 days. By analyzing the influence factor and time-history law of creep coefficient and long-term coefficient, creep coefficient equation of the test beams was fitted and compared with the code model such as ACI209R-92, CEB-FIP MC90 and 86 model proposed by China Academy of Building Research, and the ±10% margin error of this model was pointed out. All these results may offer the initial value of long-term deformation of the prestressed concrete beams with pretensioned bent-up tendons.


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