Study on Proposed Value of Catanchor Coefficient for Large Prestressed Pier

The Catanchor Coefficient Method is widely adopted because of its simplicity and convenience. However, how to determine the value of catanchor coefficient is still a problem. In this paper, four typical large prestressed piers were analyzed via Finite Element Method (FEM) and the relationship between the catanchor coefficient and the tensile stress occurring inside the controlling part was studied. The results we obtained indicate that the tensile stress decreases nonlinearly when the catanchor coefficient increases. Moreover, it changes quickly when the catanchor coefficient is within the range from 1.10 to 2.00 but slowly when that is from 2.00 to 3.00 in contrast. Based on our conclusions, the range from 1.50 to 2.00 of catanchor coefficient is advised with the data of related prestressed piers.