Design, Construction, and Test of a Postensioned Segmental Beam

Published in: Engineering for a Smarter Planet: Innovation, ITC, and Computational Tools for Sustainable Development: Proceedings of the 9th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: August 3-5, 2011
Location of Conference: Medellin, Colombia
Authors: Jorge A. Tito
Alberto Gomez-Rivas
Refereed Paper: #132

Abstract

This paper describes the construction of a 21’4” postensioned segmental beam and its respective loading test. The segments were two solid end blocks and nine hollow blocks, all of them were cast using high strength lightweight concrete, poured on a metal form. The postensioning was performed according to the design plan so as to control the deflections produced by the postensioning of each strand. Two strands were located along the bottom of the beam, another strand was located along the center, and a fourth half-loaded strand ran along the top of the beam. The segmental beam was tested to failure by applying a load at the center of the beam. The strains, deflections, and the ultimate load obtained during the tests match well with the theoretical predictions.