Studies on Tensile Stress and Crack Growth of Steam Cured Prestressed Concrete Members
Koyanagi Wataru; Uchida Yuichi; Loi Nguyen Van; Suzuki Tadashi
Abstract:Longitudinal cracks are found occasionally in the anchorage zone of pretensioned prestressed concrete members with small covering depth. We made an assumption that the crack growth at the time of prestressing was resulted from the flaw in concrete which took place close to the prestressing tendon because of the temperature difference between the tendon and the concrete during steam curing at an early setting period of the concrete. Experimental and analytical studies were made on the effect of temperature difference on the crack growth in hardened concrete and the results approved the above assumption. Key Words:steam curing, prestressed concrete, flaw, crack growth, temperature difference