The Viability of Partially Post-tensioned Concrete: Durability, Corrosion, and Fatigue in Aggressive Environments

Partially prestressed concrete offers several advantages over fully prestressed designs. However, design codes have been slow to adopt provisions for the design of partially prestressed concrete because of concerns over fatigue and corrosion. The overall objective of this study was to determine the viability of partially post-tensioned concrete members in an aggressive environment, including the impact of cyclic loading. This objective was investigated through an experimental program, which included both individual strand testing and full- scale, post-tensioned beam specimens. The strand testing phase consisted of corroding samples to different amounts of section loss, and then testing them under cyclic loading until failure. The beam testing phase included 12 full-scale, post-tensioned beam specimens combining long-term static exposure testing with fatigue testing. The results of this study will be helpful to structural engineers designing new partially post-tensioned concrete structures or evaluating existing post-tensioned concrete structures that have suffered deterioration and/or damage.