Analytical study of composite steel-concrete beams with external prestressing

Prestressed composite steel-concrete beams are still a technology restricted to repair sites of large-scale structures and spans. One of the reasons for that is the absence of standard frameworks and publications regarding their design and implementation. In addition, the primary normative codes do not address this subject directly, which might be related to a scarcity of papers indicating methods of design that would align the two technics, composite beams and external prestressing. In this context, this paper proposes methods to analyze the sizing of prestressed composite beams submitted to pre-tension and post-tension with a straight or polynomial layout cable. This inquiry inspected a hundred and twenty models of prestressed composite beams according to its prestressing technology and the eccentricity and value of the prestressing force. The evaluation also included the ratio between span and height of the steel profile, thickness and typology of the concrete slab, and layout of the prestressing cables. As for the results, it was observed that the eccentricity of the prestressing force doesn???t significantly influence the bending resistance. In prestressed composite beams subjected to a sagging moment, the ratio L/d can reach 35 and 30 for steel-concrete composite slabs and solid concrete slabs, respectively. Considering the negative bending moment resistance, the value of the L/d ratio must be less than or equal to 25, regardless of the type of slab. When it comes to the value of the prestressing force, a variation greater than 10% causes a 2.6% increase in the positive bending moment resistance and a 4% decrease in the negative bending moment resistance. The pre-tensioned composite beams showed a superior response to flexural-compression and excessive compression limit states than the post-tensioned ones.