One of the trends of technical advance in the field of construction, which
insures a higher level of engineering, is the optimum use of structural materials in
building structures. The principal concept of the present study is to enhance the
efficiency of the framed steel structures by applying the pre-stressing concept to
increase the load carrying capacity. One should not overlook the fact that the
traditional means of pre-stressing often entails additional consumption of high price
materials for auxiliary components (tendons, anchors, …. etc).
The present study will follow untraditional means of pre-stressing which will reduce
both the cost and effort. A proposed method will be applied using the forced elastic
displacement of the bearings of framed steel structures during the erection phase or
even it may be successfully used to reinforce structures already in service through the
redistribution of the pre-stressing moments to obtain stresses of the sign opposite to
that from the dead load. When applying this method it is possible to enhance the load
bearing capacity and to have lesser final strains, which will reduce the final deflection.