the structure's predicted response Is reasonable.

A key At regions away from discontinuities and points of

component in the validation of software-generated solu- applied loading, the distribution of stress in a member
tions is the engineering judgment of the designer, who having linear elastic material properties is
must be able to visualize the anticipated response of the
Mc (Exp. C.2-3)
structure and approximate values of the results. To this
I
end, the next objective of this article is to provide the back-
where c is the distance from the member's centroidal axis;
ground to the response of ground-supported slabs under
and f is the stress at distance c from the centroidal axis.
different loading scenarios and conditions. These include
tendons not being at the centroid of a slab; tendons having
C.3 STRESSES UNDER DIFFERENT LOAD
unintentional profile, friction, shrinkage, creep, variations
APPLICATIONS
in slab thickness; and concentrated loads.
Figure C.3-1 shows the ground-supported slab that we
C.2 ENGINEERS' BENDING STRESS ASSUMP- will investigate under different prestressing and support
conditions. The slab is assumed to be long enough to have
TIONS
distinct boundary and interior regions. Points A and C
It is common in engineering practice to use the Euler-
represent points at the slab edge, where the tendon anchor-
Bernoulli beam equation when calculating axial and
ages are located. Point B represents a point away from the
bending stresses in beam/slab type members at regions
slab edge.
away from the point of application of any loads or
When a ground-supported slab is cast, the weight of
discontinuities. The key assumption of this equation is
the wet concrete is transferred directly to the ground. The
that plane sections of the member remain plane under a
slab assumes the profile of its support so the curvature in
bending moment.
the slab will initially be the same as that of the supporting
For elastic linear material, commonly assumed, the
Soil. As long as the slab remains in contact with the soil,
moment M in the member is given by bending stresses will only be generated in the slab if there
El is a change In the profile of the soil support. Ignoring tempo-
M (Exp. C.2-1)
it rarily the effects of shrinkage, creep, temperature, and
where E is the modulus of elasticity of the member; I is the settlement, there will be neither bending nor axial stresses
in the slab prior to the application of post-tensioning.
second moment of area of a member's cross section about
Consider the case of a slab on rigid ground support
its centroidal axis; and it is the change in radius of curva-
ture in the member. without any restraint to shrinkage or expansion; in effect,
A slab that is cast over a non-level surface, having an the slab is on roller support. The slab is loaded at its
centroid by an externally applied force P (Fig. C.3-2(a-I));
initial curvature ( I /Ro), will not be subject to a bending
the force is intended to simulate the application of post-
moment, arising from the initial curvature of its support.
tensioning through an anchorage assembly- At a Point B
However, changes in the loading or support conditions,
away from the slab edge, the entire axial force P will be
such as a change in the profile of the soil, can cause a
available, with the stress distributed uniformly over the
change in the slab curvature and a bending moment. For
small displacements, the moment can be calculated from slab thickness (Fig. C.3-2(a-10).
the slab displacement w accordingto the well-known equation

M Elf_d (Exp. C.2-2) B

dx'aw)

where w is the out-of-plane displacement of the slab.
Note that the rigidity of most PT foundations is such
that the foundation does not strictly follow the soil profile;
therefore, gaps between the foundation and soil are created
by soil movement.
soil
Pig. C.3.1—Configuration of a typical ground-supported slab. Points
A and C represent the end conditions, where the post-tensioning
anchorages an located. Point B represents the interior condition, away
from the anchorages.