Abstract
In the present paper, an extension for the improved applied element method is introduced to develop a numerical simulation analysis of prestressed concrete girders. In the new extension, a new layer has been added to the multi-layered element to represent the properties of prestressing tendon and to consider the transfer of the stresses between the tendon and surrounding concrete. In addition, a new load step has been added to consider the prestressing stage. During this load step, the tendon layer has been exposed to an initial strain to represent the effective prestressing. The reliability of the model has been investigated by comparing its results with existing experimental results. The results may be characterized as satisfactory, despite few differences which are still within an acceptable range.