Experimental Evaluation of Transfer Length in Pretensioned Concrete Beams Using 2,400-MPa Prestressed Strands

Prestressed (PS) strands are widely used to develop prestressed concrete (PSC) and are stronger than other types of structural steel used in the construction industry. Because of their high strength, PS strands are more effective for use in structures than other materials. Recently, high-strength 2,400-MPa PS strands have been developed and are being considered as an alternative to conventional 1,860-MPa PS strands. However, there have been no reports of research or proposed regulations for pretensioned 2,400-MPa strands in PSC. In this study, 28 PSC beams were fabricated by using 2,400-MPa PS strands, and the transfer length of the PSC was measured. Experiments were performed to evaluate several parameters such as the compressive strength of concrete, steel-fiber volume ratio, and stirrup reinforcement along with different de-tensioning methods in order to determine their effects on the transfer length. In addition, the transfer length with the 2,400-MPa PS strands was measured and compared with the transfer length predicted by previously proposed models.