Engineering English
Prestress Force
Civil Engineering · Last updated: July 30, 2026 · How this entry was written
Definition: The deliberately applied compressive force in a prestressed concrete member, induced by tensioned tendons, that counteracts tensile stresses from service loads.
Example in context
“The initial prestress force must account for losses due to creep, shrinkage, and relaxation over the member's lifetime.”
“İlk ön gerilme kuvveti, elemanın ömrü boyunca sünme, büzülme ve gevşemeden kaynaklanan kayıpları hesaba katmalıdır.”
Where engineers use it
Prestress force is designed to balance a portion of the service loads; engineers check that the effective prestress after losses remains adequate for crack control and deflection limits.
Synonyms: prestressing force, initial prestress
Practice: can you use “Prestress Force” at work?
A bridge girder shows excessive camber due to overestimation of prestress force; diagnose the likely cause and propose a correction.
Show a model answer
“What is the effective prestress force after all time-dependent losses?”
“Prestress Force” in 21 languages
| English | Prestress Force |
|---|---|
| Turkish | ön gerilme kuvveti |
| French | force de précontrainte |
| German | Vorspannkraft |
| Spanish | fuerza de pretensado |
| Chinese | 预应力 |
| Arabic | قوة الإجهاد المسبق |
| Portuguese | força de protensão |
| Russian | сила предварительного напряжения |
| Japanese | プレストレス力 |
| Italian | forza di precompressione |
| Vietnamese | lực ứng suất trước |
| Hindi | प्रीस्ट्रेस बल |
| Thai | แรงอัดก่อน |
| Indonesian | gaya prategang |
| Korean | 프리스트레스 힘 |
| Bengali | প্রিস্ট্রেস বল |
| Dutch | voorspankracht |
| Swedish | förspänningskraft |
| Finnish | esijännitysvoima |
| Ukrainian | сила попереднього напруження |
Frequently asked questions
What does Prestress Force mean in engineering?
The deliberately applied compressive force in a prestressed concrete member, induced by tensioned tendons, that counteracts tensile stresses from service loads. In Civil Engineering, the term carries a usage-frequency rating of 10/10 in the Engineering English library.
How do you pronounce Prestress Force?
Prestress Force is pronounced /priːstrɛs fɔːrs/ (IPA). The Engineering English app plays audio for the term and checks your pronunciation with speech recognition.
How is Prestress Force used in a sentence?
Example from an engineering context: “The initial prestress force must account for losses due to creep, shrinkage, and relaxation over the member's lifetime.”
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