Civil Engineering Association

Prestress Losses in Prestressed Bridge Girders Cast with Self-Consolidating Concrete

The use of prestressed concrete bridges in Arkansas is becoming more common. The increase in steel costs has contributed to the popularity of prestressed bridge girders. Prestressed girders are particularly common in areas that border neighboring states (and these areas are also typically rural). Self Consolidating Concrete (SCC) is a recent advancement in the concrete industry. SCC is a type of concrete that can be placed without consolidation and is beginning to be widely accepted. Some states are allowing the use of SCC bridge girders. SCC is not much different from conventional concrete. The constituent materials are the same, but SCC typically contains more fine aggregate and cement, but less coarse aggregate. This research program examined the prestress losses of beams cast with SCC and compares those to losses of control beams cast with conventional concrete of the same compressive strength. Additionally, the research program examined the transfer and development length of SCC beams.