A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF PRESTRESSED TRANSFER BEAMS IN FLOATING COLUMN SYSTEMS

Abstract

This study discusses the prestressed transfer beam in a floating column system that is widely adopted in contemporary high-rise construction to establish open spaces on lower stories. Although floating columns are beneficial to architectural flexibility, they are problematic in terms of structural design because they are not continuous. Transfer beams that are instrumental in reallocating the loads of floating columns must be able to resist high bending moments, shear forces, and compressive loads. Prestressed concrete considerably enhances the performance of such transfer beams by providing a higher load-bearing capacity, deflections, and controlling cracking. These systems exhibit complex behaviour, and the analysis of their structures is performed using advanced methods such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to capture the dynamic behaviour of the structures when subjected to dynamic forces such as seismic and wind forces. This study also highlights the significance of adequate redistribution of loads within floating column systems because improper redistribution of forces may cause the structures to collapse. The findings highlight the importance of prestressing to improve the performance of transfer beams, particularly under dynamic conditions. High- performance concrete and fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) are advanced modelling and material enhancement features that are suggested to streamline the design and guarantee the stability of the floating column systems of high rises.