Prestress Loss and Bending Capacity of Pre-cracked 40 Year-Old PC Beams Exposed to Marine Environment

¹ Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, 819-0395 Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
² Civil Engineering Department, Hasanuddin University, Perintis Kemerdekaan KM. 10 Makassar, 90245 South Sulawesi, Indonesia
³ Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, 819-0395 Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

^a Corresponding author : amrydasar@doc.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Abstract

Six prestressed concrete beams (PC beam) were used for evaluation, consist of four post-tension beams (PC-O) and two pre-tension beams (PC-R). In order to investigate the effect of crack on prestress loss and bending capacity after long-term exposed, prestressed concrete beams were pre-crack and then exposed to marine environment. Experimental work was carried out to evaluate PC beams performance after long-term exposed. In addition, visual observations and load bearing capacity test was carried out. Furthermore, evaluation of prestress loss conducted using three-point loading bending test and the remaining tendon forces in the beam were determined using Crack Re-opening Method. The experimental results revealed that prestress loss was increased due to corrosion of strand/wire which affected by the pre-crack on the prestressed beams. Approximately a prestress loss around 26% and 30% was recorded for post-tension and pre-tension beams respectively.