Ultimate bearing capacity of two prestressed continuous beams. Experimental and theoretical results

Abstract

In this paper the results of tests carried out to evaluate the ultimate bearing capacity of two prestressed concrete beams are presented. These tests are the last phase of a theoretical and experimental programme whose first phase was the study under serviceability conditions during a period of 3 years of this type of structure. Such a study is of interest because its results can be applied to the design of prestressed concrete bridges. The main conclusion of the tests is that this type of structure shows great ductility and that, as a consequence of this fact, a plastic estimation of the bearing capacity is fully justified. The tests have also allowed the testing of a non linear sectional model for the simulation of the behaviour of generic cross sections made from material with generic constitutive laws, developed as part of the works described in reference.