Name: LUCAS SENA DA CRUZ
Publication date: 30/03/2026
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ELISABETH JUNGES LAURE | Presidente |
| LEANDRO MOUTA TRAUTWEIN | Examinador Externo |
| LORENZO AUGUSTO RUSCHI E LUCHI | Coorientador |
| MARCOS ANTONIO CAMPOS RODRIGUES | Examinador Interno |
Summary: This study aimed to implement and evaluate models for calculating the deflections of
prestressed concrete beams by incorporating procedures based on ABNT NBR 6118 and the fib
Model Code into the AVSer computational program, including both simplified and refined
formulations. The implemented procedures were validated against results available in the technical literature and applied to a parametric study of simply supported beams with different prestressing levels, cross-sectional geometries (rectangular and T-shaped), and bonded and
unbonded prestressing systems. The results showed that the refined ABNT NBR 6118 model provided the most stable deflection predictions, whereas the fib Model Code yielded more conservative estimates, while the simplified ABNT NBR 6118 method presented intermediate behavior. It was also found that T-shaped sections reduce deflections compared with
rectangular sections, that the bonding condition of the prestressing tendons has little influence on the final deflection values, and that, for the cases analyzed, partially prestressed beams may
not satisfy serviceability deflection limits when the prestressing force balances less than
approximately 64% of the applied bending moment for rectangular sections and 74% for Tshaped sections. Finally, the developed tool proved to be suitable for automating the calculation
of deflections in prestressed concrete beams, enabling the systematic comparison of different analytical approaches.
Keywords: Prestressed concrete; deflection; partial prestressing; serviceability limit state; effective stiffness; AVSer.
