• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.917-933
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• 2016

In a prestressed concrete bridge, the magnitude of the prestress force (PF) decreases with time. This unexpected loss can cause failure of a bridge which makes prestress force identification (PFI) critical to evaluate bridge safety. However, it has been difficult to identify the PF non-destructively. Although some research has shown the feasibility of vibration based methods in PFI, the requirement of having a determinate exciting force in these methods hinders applications onto in-service bridges. Ideally, it will be efficient if the normal traffic could be treated as an excitation, but the load caused by vehicles is difficult to measure. Hence it prompts the need to investigate whether PF and moving load could be identified together. This paper presents a synergic identification method to determine PF and moving load applied on a simply supported prestressed concrete beam via the dynamic responses caused by this unknown moving load. This method consists of three parts: (i) the PF is transformed into an external pseudo-load localized in each beam element via virtual distortion method (VDM); (ii) then these pseudo-loads are identified simultaneously with the moving load via Duhamel Integral; (iii) the time consuming problem during the inversion of Duhamel Integral is overcome by the load-shape function (LSF). The method is examined against different cases of PFs, vehicle speeds and noise levels by means of simulations. Results show that this method attains a good degree of accuracy and efficiency, as well as robustness to noise.

• KCI Concrete Journal
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.99-107
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• 1999

In designing the Prestressed concrete box-girder bridge. dead load, prestressing force, creep and shrinkage of concrete are the main factors which influence the camber and deflection of segmental concrete structure under construction. Among these factors the creep and shrinkage are the functions of the time-dependent property which. therefore, must be considered with time. The prediction model for estimating creep and shrinkage of concrete has been suggested by ACI, CEB/FIP, JSCE and KSCE design code and EMM, AEMM, RCM, IDM and SSM has been suggested for analytical method in consideration of time-dependent characteristics. In this study the creep test was carried out for four different curing ages of concrete which were applied to the Prestressed concrete structure at the construction site, and the results of test were compared with the values of creep prediction proposed by the design code. Also the creep test was performed with step-wise incremental stresses and the results were compared to the analytical values.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.102-107
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• 2000

The extensive use of pretensioned prestressed concrete in the modem construction industry, together with wider application of pretensioned components for structural purposes requires some important consideration on the adequate transfer of prestress force into the concrete, especially around the end zones of pretensioned member. The main objective of this paper is to study the effects of various important parameters on the bond characteristics of prestressing strand around the end zone of high strength pretensioned concrete members. To this end, a comprehensive experimental program has been set up. The principal test variables considered were strand diameter, concrete strength, concrete cover size. The present study provides valuable test data for the realistic and accurate determination of transfer length, which can be efficiently used for improving the design equation of transfer length in pretensioned prestressed concrete members.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.533-543
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• 2014

Currently, composite construction of prestressed Precast Concrete (PC) and Cast-In-Place (CIP) concrete with different concrete strengths are frequently used in the modular construction. However, current design codes do not clearly define shear design methods for such composite beams. In this present study, simply supported prestressed PC-CIP composite beams without vertical shear reinforcement or only with horizontal shear reinforcement were tested to evaluate the effect of prestressing on the shear strength and the shear design method for such composite members. The test variables were the area ratio of PC and CIP concretes, prestressing force, shear span-to-depth ratio, and shear reinforcement ratio. The results showed that the shear strength was increased by the increase of prestressing force and prestressed PC area, and the decrease of shear span-to-depth ratio.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.109-125
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• 2014

The force transfer mechanism in positive moment continuity details for prestressed concrete girder bridges is investigated in this paper using a three-dimensional detailed finite element model. Positive moment reinforcement in the form of hairpin bars as recommended by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report No 519 is incorporated in the model. The cold construction joint that develops at the interface between girder ends and continuity diaphragms is also simulated via contact elements. The model is then subjected to the positive moment and corresponding shear forces that would develop over the service life of the bridge. The stress distribution in the continuity diaphragm and the axial force distribution in the hairpin bars are presented. It was found that due to the asymmetric configuration of the hairpin bars, asymmetric stress distribution develops at the continuity diaphragm, which can be exacerbated by other asymmetric factors such as skewed bridge configurations. It was also observed that when the joint is subjected to a positive moment, the tensile force is transferred from the girder end to the continuity diaphragm only through the hairpin bars due to the lack of contact between the both members at the construction joint. As a result, the stress distribution at girder ends was found to be concentrated around the hairpin bars influence area, rather than be resisted by the entire girder composite section. Finally, the results are used to develop an approach for estimating the cracking moment capacity at girder ends based on a proposed effective moment of inertia.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.255-265
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• 2018

The prestress force effect on the fundamental frequency and deflection shape of Prestressed Concrete I (PCI) beams was studied in this paper. Currently, due to the conflicts among existing theories, the analytical solution for properly considering the structural behavior of these prestressed members is not clear. A series of experiments were conducted on a large-scale PCI beam of high strength concrete with an eccentric straight unbonded tendon. Specifically, the simply supported PCI beam was subjected to free vibration and three-point bending tests with different prestress forces. Subsequently, the experimental data were compared with analytical results based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. It was proved that the fundamental frequency of PCI beams is unaffected by the increasing applied prestress force, if the variation of the initial elastic modulus of concrete with time is considered. Vice versa, the relationship between the deflection shape and prestress force is well described by the magnification factor formula of the compression-softening theory assuming the secant elastic modulus.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.89-100
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• 1994

The current test procedure for transfer length, which determine transfer length by measuring concrete strain, has an actual bond stress state in the prestressed pretensioned member : however, it is difficult to determine the bond properties of maximum bond stress and bond stiffness with this method. It is also difficult for design engineer to understand and select a correct safety criterion from the widely distributed results of such a ransfer test alone. An alternative testing procedure is provided here to determine the bond properties without measuring the concrete strain. In this test the bond stress is measured directly by creating a similar boundary condition within the transfer length in a real beam during the transfer of prestressing force. The prestressing force was released step by step by step from the unloading side. The release of force induces a swelling of the strand at the unloading side of concrete block, bonding force in the block, and a bond slip of the strand toward the other side of the block. Two center-hole load cells are used to record the end loads until the point of general bond slip(maximum bond stress). It is suggested that this test procedure be performed with the ordinary transfer test when determining the transfer length in a prestressed, pretensioned concrete beam.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.287-294
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• 2008

This study proposes a novel method for in service evaluation of tension force of a prestressed 7-wire strand which is frequently employed for retrofitting bridge superstructure. The smart strand is made by replacing the straight king wire of the strand with an instrumented steel tube in which the FBG sensor is embedded. Since the strain of the smart strand can easily be measured using the sensor, it is possible to monitor tension force of the strand during the service. For the sake of demonstrating effectiveness of the proposed strand, we came up with a 7.0m long prototype with 2 FBG sensors, and it is applied as an external tendon to a 6.4m long and 0.6 high RC T-shaped beam. A loading-unloading test has been carried out, and estimated tension forces using the smart strand are compared with measured forces by load cell. The comparison showed that the proposed smart tendon is useful and accurate for monitering tension force of the prestressed tendon.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.5 s.57
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• pp.109-120
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• 2009

This paper introduces a new method to estimate the loss of prestressing force for the externally prestressing tendon. The proposed method that combines of HGA and FEM is able to identify the lost tensile force of a externally prestressed tendon. The identification variables of the proposed method is a exteranlly prestressed tendon of tension, effective nominal diameter, mass per unit length and Rayleigh damping coefficients. First of all, a finite element model system is constructed to consider the effect of damping, and these variables are identified using inverse analysis technique - updating algorithm. Finally, throughout total 3 cases of numerical tests, the numerical propriety of the proposed method is verified. Here, it is seen that the errors in the estimated variables by the proposed method are about 1% except in the case of Rayleigh damping coefficients.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.723-738
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• 2014

Prestressing is the most commonly employed technique in bridges and long span beams in commercial buildings as prestressing results in slender section with higher load carrying capacities. This work is an attempt to study the performance of a minimum weight prestressed concrete beam adopting a non-prismatic section so that there will be a reduction in the volume of concrete which in turn reduces the self-weight of the structure. The effect of adopting a non-prismatic section on parameters like prestressing force, area of prestressing steel, bending stresses, shear stresses and percentage loss of prestress are established theoretically. The analysis of non-prismatic prestressed beams is based on the assumption of pure bending theory. Equations are derived for dead load bending moment, eccentricity, and depth at any required section. Based on these equations an algorithm is developed which does the stress checks for the given section for every 500 mm interval of the span. Limit state method is used for the design of beam and finite difference method is used for finding out the deflection of a non-prismatic beam. All the parameters of nonprismatic prestressed concrete beams are compared with that of the rectangular prestressed concrete members and observed that minimum weight design and economical design are not same. Minimum weight design results in the increase in required area of prestressing steel.