Concept of Pre-stress in problem solving
Article by Anup D Shirhatti Dtd.8/12/2021Whenever there is a problem, it is usually due to difficulty arising from inability for adherence to a constraint. For example a student wants to score a rank. Problem may be lack of books, access to school or if a student wants to cross a stream to cross a stream is absence of bridge. As the width of stream increases the depth of slab/beam goes on increasing. The cost of project goes on increasing in concrete bridges. To solve this problem a concept of prestress is used to increase the load carrying capacity of slab/beams.
What is prestress? In beams the dominant stress is bending stress. This bending stress is reduced by introducing additional stess by compressing the beam by stretching the wires passing through the concrete beam and anchoring the wires at ends. So if bending stress is reduced the same section can be used for increased spans. So, the concept involves introducing the strength by augmenting resources in another dimension.
Such concepts are not limited to civil engineering, for example in milk there is a bacteria which forms lactic acid with lactose of milk which causes spoiling of milk so addition of baking soda reduces detoriration of milk. So in order to solve the comphrension of problem is necessary without the comprehension of problem it is difficult to solve the problem.
Another problem is problem of plenty, for example when resources are ample but duration is short to solve the problem. You are in a library and you want to design a footing , but the footing is having moment in two directions. Although you are having all the resources in the world but struggling to design. So consultation of seniors who have solved the problem previously is essential. As knowledge is the debt that we have to pay to the next generation. So consultation is also an essential part of problem solving.
