Design and Analysis of Incrementally Prestressed Concrete (IPC) Girders

With the introduction of high strength concrete and larger diameter strands, more emphasis is placed on developing new types of prestressing alternatives that would take advantage of these new developments. In comparison with traditional prestressing, incremental prestressing of girders (i.e. prestressing in stages before and after deck slab construction) allows for extended s pan lengths, increased live load carrying capacity, and use of shallow sections. The concept of incremental prestressing, introduced in Korea on more than ten constructed bridges, allows for longer span bridges and shallow girder sections. This is achieve d by pre -tensioning the girder prior to the casting of slab and then post -tensioning the slab -and-girder with unbonded tendons after the slab is cast in place. This paper presents a new procedure for the analysis of girders incrementally prestressed with a combination of bonded and unbonded (hybrid) tendons. The analysis is based on the “trussed beam” analogy used to model girders with hybrid tendons. The model assumes the prestressed concrete girder and the unbonded tendons will act as trussed beam system. To validate the analysis and design procedures, two full -scale specimens (bracket type and coupler type), having a span length of 30m, were designed, manufactured and tested in Korea. Results are presented in terms of the stress at ultimate as well as load versus deflection. Test results show good agreement with theoretical values in terms of stresses, deflections, cracking moment and ultimate strength. The ultimate strength of IPC girder is about 30% higher than the traditional PSC girder. It can be concluded that the IPC girder has full safety and ductility and can be used as longer span bridge girders than conventional girder bridge.