Methods of Post Tensioning

1. Charlie Gupta
B.Arch VIII Sem
Methods of Post
Tensioning

2. What is Post Tensioning?
• Post-tensioning is a method of producing prestressed concrete, masonry and other
structural elements.
• When the steel is tensioned after concrete placement the process is called
posttensioning.
• When a concrete or masonry element is prestressed, it means that the steel is being
tensioned and the concrete or masonry is being compressed. Compression is a force
that squeezes or crushes and tension is a force that pulls something apart.
• Post-tensioning is a form of prestressing. Prestressing simply means that the steel is
stressed (pulled or tensioned) before the concrete has to support the service loads.

5. Freyssinet System
• Freyssinet system was
introduced by the French
Engineer Freyssinet and it was
the first method to be
introduced.
• High strength steel wires of
5mm or 7mm diameter,
numbering 8 or 12 or 16 or 24
are grouped into a cable with a
helical spring inside.
• Spring keeps proper spacing
for the wire. Cable is inserted in
the duct.
• Anchorage device consists of a
concrete cylinder with a
concentric conical hole and
corrugations on its surface, and
a conical plug carrying grooves
on its surface.

6. Magnel Blaton system
• In Freyssinet system several
wires are stretched at a time. In
Magnel Blaton system, two
wires are stretched at a time
• In this system, the anchorage
device consists of sandwich
plate having grooves to hold
the wires and wedges which
are also grooved.
• Each plate carries eight wires.
Between the two ends the
spacing of the wires is
maintained by spacers.
• Wires of 5mm or 7mm are
adopted. Cables consists of
wires in multiples of 8 wires.

7. Gifford Udall System
• This system originated in Great
Britain, is widely used in India.
• This is a single wire system.
Each wire is stressed
independently using a double
acting jack.
• Any number of wires can be
grouped together to form a
cable in this system. There are
two types of anchorage device
in this system.
a) Tube anchorages
b) Plate anchorages

8. Lee McCall System:
• This method is used to
prestress steel bars.
• The diameter of the bar is
between 12 and 28mm. bars
provided with threads at the
ends are inserted in the
performed ducts.
• After stretching the bars to the
required length, they are
tightened using nuts against
bearing plates provided at the
end sections of the member.
• This system has the advantage
over others that stressing can
be done by stages as it is
possible to tighten the nut at
any stage.