The prestressed concrete element represents the concrete cross-section that contains the tendons. This can be a member with the prestressed concrete cross-section (prestressed concrete beam) or a surface with the cross-section thickness (prestressed concrete slab).
Requirements
Member
For modeling as a member, the following requirements apply:
- Member type Beam or Rib
- Cross-section type Thick-walled I, Thick-walled II, or From RSECTION (if “thick-walled” according to FEA)
- Material Concrete
Surface
For modeling as a surface, the following requirements apply:
- Geometry type - Plane or Pipe
- Material - Concrete
Input
When entering a prestressed concrete element, it is necessary to distinguish between the object types – members or surface.
Member
You can model the member of a prestressed concrete cross-section as usual:
- Define a line for the member.
- Assign a member to the line.
- Specify the member type in the “Main” tab of the “New Member” dialog box.
- Define the cross-section with material in the “Cross-Section” tab.
Define the cross-section of the prestressed concrete beam, for example by
- Creating a new cross-section,
- Opening the library in the “New Cross-Section” dialog box using the
button,
- Selecting the cross-section series, and
- Specifying the geometry parameters.
Define the material of the prestressed concrete beam. Also here, the
button is helpful to select the material in the library.
The “Cross-Section and Material” dialog box is described in the chapter Cross-Section of the RFEM manual.
Surface
You can model the surface of a prestressed concrete element as usual:
- Define the boundary lines of the surface.
- Open the New Surface dialog box ("New Surface → Plane" or "New Surface → Pipe").
- Assign the boundary lines.
- Specify the Thickness with Material and the material. You can use the
button to select the concrete grade in the library.
The "Thickness with Material" section is described in the chapter Surfaces of the RFEM manual.