Influences of Installment Tensioning Technology on Bearing Capacity of Rectangular Prestressed Concrete Beam

To obtain the relationship between use of installment tensioning technology and the bearing capacity of prestressed concrete beams, tensile and cyclic loading tests are conducted on five rectangular prestressed concreted specimens. Two types of prestressed tensioning methods are adopted in the tests, one uses installment tensioning technology to tension beams on days 4, 12, and 8, 12, respectively, and the other adopts the conventional method to tension the beam on day 28 only. The age of concrete, number of times tensioned, and the prestress value of early tensioning are considered in tests. Results show that use of installment tensioning technology has no effect on the bending failure pattern of prestressed concrete beams, but it reduces prestress loss and increases crack and yield loads.