Splitting action of the prestressing strand during the transfer of the prestressing force. l: Experimental results

Abstract

The transmission length in prestressed beams depends on the concrete-steel bond and on the splitting action of the indented wire. This paper shows a novel testing procedure to evaluate the concrete-steel bond and its reaction with the splitting action of the pretensioned indented wire. 27 specimens, combining 3 covers and 3 indentation depths, have been tested. The deeper the indentation the best the concrete-steel bond if no cracking occurs. However, if splitting cracks appear, deeper indentations require a lower splitting load. Moreover, deeper indentations lead to wider crack opening, minor bond stress and longer transmission length.