ABSTRACT
Usually the prestressing steel is placed symmetrically about the centre-line of the beam, and if the prestress is applied at both ends of the cable the prestressing force is also symmetrical. In this case the simplest method of calculation is the moment-area method. If the cables are unsymmetrical, or if the prestress is applied from one end only (leading to frictional losses and a consequent variation in the prestressing force) Macaulay’s method can be employed.
