Conference Sessions
End-Zone Crack Control in Pre-tensioned Concrete Girders
Date & Time:
Wednesday Feb 11, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Duration:
50 minutes
Location:
Pegasus Room B
Registration:
$50 plus hst
Description
During prestress release, cracks often develop in the web regions of pre-tensioned concrete girder ends due to spalling forces generated as prestressing is transferred to the surrounding concrete. While small hairline cracks may be considered acceptable and can be sealed, larger cracks raise significant concerns for long-term durability, as they provide pathways for corrosive agents to reach the reinforcement. This session will introduce a practical, design-oriented framework that integrates a modified Gergely–Sozen (mG-S) analytical model, validated through nonlinear finite-element analysis and field observations, to identify cracking mechanisms and evaluate crack-control methods.
Presented by
Cancan Yang, Associate Professor, McMaster University
Dr. Cancan Yang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University. She is a bridge engineering researcher whose current projects focus on prefabricated construction, life-cycle assessment, and sustainable infrastructure development through strategic reuse. Her group works to advance the understanding and improvement of the performance of bridges under extreme events such as earthquakes, floods, and vehicular collisions. The group is also dedicated to preparing highway infrastructure for environmental stressors intensified by climate change and to accommodating emerging transportation technologies. Applications of her research include service-life prediction and extension, damage mitigation strategies, and accelerated bridge construction.
Sponsored by:
Canada Structural Engineers Association