Long-term lateral deflection of precast, prestressed concrete spandrel beams

Abstract

Slender precast concrete spandrels are used to increase cost effectiveness of precast concrete parking structures. They reduce the number of column lines in building floor plans and the number of elements to transport and erect. However, these spandrels can be prone to larger deflections, as the increased slenderness can reduce sectional stiffness. Design of these structures should also consider vertical and lateral deflections because of the eccentric loading transferred from the deck double-tee beams. In this paper, the authors provide realistic estimates of long-term deflections for the next generation of spandrels. They also examine the sensitivity of long-term deflection to parameters such as spandrel type, span length, creep and load eccentricity. The results of their numerical study included the finding that long-term lateral deflections are less than corresponding lateral deflections.