Introduction to

REINFORCED CONCRETE DESIGN

Prepared by:

ENGR. DENISE T. LEGASPI, M.Eng.CE, M.ASEP

REINFORCED CONCRETE
Definition:
Reinforced concrete (RC) is a composite material in which
concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are
counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher
tensile strength or ductility.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF

REINFORCED CONCRETE
The disadvantages of reinforced concrete can be summarized as follows:
1. It has a low tensile strength of about one-tenth of its compressive
strength.
2. It needs mixing, casting, and curing, all of which affect the final
strength of concrete.
3. The cost of the forms used to cast concrete is relatively high. The cost of
form material and artisanry may equal the cost of concrete placed in
the forms.
4. It has a low compressive strength as compared to steel (the ratio is about
1:10, depending on materials), which leads to large sections in
columns of multistory buildings.
5. Cracks develop in concrete due to shrinkage and the application of live
loads.

Common Defects in a Reinforced Concrete Structure

Concrete with severe shrinkage cracking due to

shrinkable aggregates
Damaged concrete repaired with
incorrect material.

Common Defects in a Reinforced Concrete Structure

Freezethaw
damaged
underpass
repaired with a
sprayed
polymer
coating.

AAR
repaired
with
polymer
modified
mortar
and a
polymer
coat

Common Defects in a Reinforced Concrete Structure

Structural cracks in a column due to

overloading/inadequate reinforcement
Zero cover provided to a column in a
reinforced concrete car park

Common Defects in a Reinforced Concrete Structure

Pipers Row car park in Wolverhampton, after failure

(photo courtesy of HSE).

Cracks due to the onset of punching shear in a car park deck

slab

Common Defects in a Reinforced Concrete Structure

Low cover and carbonation induced corrosion.

Carbonation and chloride-induced damage on a

seafront structure

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Cement

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Cement

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Cement

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Cement

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Cement

Types of Portland Cement

Type IThe common, all-purpose cement used for general construction
work.
Type IIA modified cement that has a lower heat of hydration than does
Type I cement
and that can withstand some exposure to sulfate attack.
Type IIIA high-early-strength cement that will produce in the first 24 hours
a concrete with a strength about twice that of Type I cement. This
cement does have a much higher heat of hydration.
Type IVA low-heat cement that produces a concrete which generates heat
very slowly. It is used for very large concrete structures.
Type VA cement used for concretes that are to be exposed to high
concentrations of sulfate.

Admixtures
Air-entraining admixtures, conforming to the requirements of ASTM C260 and
C618, are used primarily to increase concretes resistance to freezing
and thawing and provide better resistance to the deteriorating action
of deicing salts. The air-entraining agents cause the mixing water to
foam, with the result that billions of closely spaced air bubbles are
incorporated into the concrete. When concrete freezes, water moves
into the air bubbles, relieving the pressure in the concrete. When the
concrete thaws, the water can move out of the bubbles, with the
result that there is less cracking than if air entrainment had not been
used.
The addition of accelerating admixtures, such as calcium chloride, to concrete
will accelerate its early strength development. The results of such
additions (particularly useful in cold climates) are reduced times
required for curing and protection of the concrete and the earlier
removal of forms. (Section 3.6.3 of the ACI Code states that because
of corrosion problems, calcium chloride may not be added to
concretes with embedded aluminum, concretes cast against stay-inplace galvanized steel forms, or prestressed concretes.) Other
accelerating admixtures that may be used include various soluble
salts as well as some other organic compounds.

Admixtures
Retarding admixtures are used to slow the setting of the concrete and to
retard temperature increases. They consist of various acids or sugars
or sugar derivatives. Some concrete truck drivers keep sacks of
sugar on hand to throw into the concrete in case they get caught in
traffic jams or are otherwise delayed. Retarding admixtures are
particularly useful for large pours where significant temperature
increases may occur. They also prolong the plasticity of the concrete,
enabling better blending or bonding of successive pours. Retarders
can also slow the hydration of cement on exposed concrete surfaces
or formed surfaces to produce attractive exposed aggregate finishes.
Superplasticizers are admixtures made from organic sulfonates. Their use
enables engineers to reduce the water content in concretes
substantially while at the same time increasing their slumps. Although
superplasticizers can also be used to keep watercement ratios
constant while using less cement, they are more commonly used to
produce workable concretes with considerably higher strengths while
using the same amount of cement. (See Section 1.13.) A relatively
new product, self-consolidating concrete, uses superplasticizers
and modifications in mix designs to produce an extremely workable
mix that requires no vibration, even for the most congested
placement situations.

Admixtures
Waterproofing materials usually are applied to hardened concrete surfaces,
but they may be added to concrete mixes. These admixtures
generally consist of some type of soap or petroleum products, as
perhaps asphalt emulsions. They may help retard the penetration of
water into porous concretes but probably dont help dense, wellcured concretes very much.

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Water/Cement Ratio

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Water/Cement Ratio

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE : Water/Cement Ratio

MECHANICAL Properties of Concrete

MECHANICAL Properties of Concrete

MECHANICAL Properties of Concrete

MECHANICAL Properties of Concrete

Stress-Strain Curves for the Compression Tests of Sets of 28-day
old Standard Cylinders of Varying Strengths

0.001

0.002

0.003

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE
1.
2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

The curves are roughly straight while the load is increased from 0 to about
to the concretes ultimate strength.
Beyond this range, the behavior of concrete is non-linear. This lack of
linearity of concrete stress-strain curves at higher stresses causes some
problems in the structural analysis of concrete structures because their
behavior is also non-linear at higher stresses.
Of particular importance is the fact that regardless of strengths, all the
concretes reach their ultimate strength at strains of about 0.002.
Concrete does not have a definite yield strength; rather, the curves run
smoothly on to the point of rupture at strains of from 0.003 to 0.004. It will
be assumed for the purpose of future calculations in this text that concrete
fails at 0.003.
Many tests have clearly shown that he stress-strain curves of concrete
cylinders are almost identical to those for the compression sides of beams.
The weaker grades of concrete are less brittle than the stronger ones-that is,
they will take larger strains before breaking.

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE
High strength concrete concretes with compression strengths exceeding
6000 psi. Also known as High Performance Concrete
Ready Mix Concrete produces up to 9000 psi and even higher than 20,000psi
Super high-strength concrete requires use of equally strong
aggregates but may not be very well available

Increase in strength may be done by:

a. lower cement water ratio
b. admixtures
c. good, clean, and solid aggregate

PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE
Unit Weight, = 23.54 kN/m
Modulus of elasticity, Ec

Where:

(MPa)

for concrete with w c = 1500 to 2500 kg/m

(MPa)

for normal weight concrete

fc = 28 day compressive strength of concrete in MPa.

wc

mass density of concrete in kg/m

Modulus of elasticity of steel

Modulus of Elasticity for

Normal Weight Concrete

Compressive
strength, fc

Ec (Mpa)

20.70

21760

24.10

23503

27.60

25130

31.00

26650

34.50

28030

Types of Concrete
Lightweight Concrete used principally to reduce dead load, for
thermal insulation, nailability or fill. Examples: cinders, shale or
clay, pumice, scoria, perlite, vermiculite, etc.
Normal Weight Concrete ordinary sand and gravel concrete
Heavyweight Concrete concrete made with barite which develops an
optimum density of 36.5 kN/m.
Uses heavier than ordinary aggregate.

STEEL REINFORCEMENT

Mechanical Properties of Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement

Marking

The manufacturer's identifying mark, bar size and grade shall be clearly embossed in each
bar. The system of marking shall be as given below and as shown in fig. 1.
a) Manufacturer's identifying mark - a logo or symbol registered or to be registered
with the Philippine Patent Office and published in the Official Gazette.
b) Bar size - Arabic number reflecting the nominal diameter.
c) Grade - Dash (parallel to the rib) or the grade number itself
No dash - grade 230
1 dash - grade 275
2 dashes - grade 415
No W - non-weldable
W weldable
Color codes painted on the surface of the ends of each bar may also be used in lieu of
sub-clause (about dash) and shall be as follows:
Grade 230 - white
Grade 275 - yellow
Grade 415 - green
Weldable Grade - red (additional color code)
Quenched & tempered- silver

Deformed bar has ribbed projections rolled unto their surfaces to provide
better bonding between the concrete and steel. It is used for
almost all application.
Plain bar used very often except for wrapping longitudinal bars, primarily in
columns.

Introduction to

ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

Prepared by:

ENGR. DENISE T. LEGASPI, M.Eng.CE, M.ASEP

DESIGN OBJECTIVES
For reinforced concrete structures, the design objectives of the structural
engineer typically consist of the following:
1. To configure a workable and economical structural system. This involves the
selection of the appropriate structural types and laying out the
locations and arrangement of structural elements such as columns and
beams.
2. To select structural dimensions, depth and width, of individual members, and
the concrete cover.
3. To determine the required reinforcement, both longitudinal and transverse.
4. Detailing of reinforcement such as development lengths, hooks, and bends.
5. To satisfy serviceability requirements such as deflections and crack widths.

DESIGN CRITERIA
In achieving the design objectives, there are four general design criteria of SAFE that
must be satisfied:
1. Safety, strength, and stability. Structural systems and member must be designed with
sufficient margin of safety against failure.
2. Aesthetics. Aesthetics include such considerations as shape, geometrical proportions,
symmetry, surface texture, and articulation. These are especially important for structures
of high visibility such as signature buildings and bridges. The structural engineer must
work in close coordination with planners, architects, other design professionals, and the
affected community in guiding them on the structural and construction consequences of
decisions derived from aesthetical considerations.
3. Functional requirements. A structure must always be designed to serve its intended
function as specified by the project requirements. Constructability is a major part of the
functional requirement. A structural design must be practical and economical to build.
4. Economy. Structures must be designed and built within the target budget of the
project. For reinforced concrete structures, economical design is usually not achieved by
minimizing the amount of concrete and reinforcement quantities. A large part of the
construction cost are the costs of labor, formwork, and falsework. Therefore, designs that
replicate member sizes and simplify reinforcement placement to result in easier and
faster construction will usually result in being more economical than a design that
achieves minimum material quantities.

DESIGN CRITERIA
1. Configure the structural system.
2. Determine design data: design loads, design criteria, and specifications. Specify
material properties.
3. Make a first estimate of member sizes, for example, based on rule-of-thumb ratios for
deflection control in addition to functional or aesthetic requirements.
4. Calculate member cross-sectional properties; perform structural analysis to obtain
internal force demands: moment, axial force, shear force, and torsion. Review
magnitudes of deflections.
5. Calculate the required longitudinal reinforcement based on moment and axial force
demands. Calculate the required transverse reinforcement from the shear and
torsional moment demands.
6. If members do not satisfy the SAFE criteria (see previous section), modify the design
and make changes to steps 1 and 3.
7. Complete the detailed evaluation of member design to include additional load cases
and combinations, and strength and serviceability requirements required by
code and specifications.
8. Detail reinforcement. Develop design drawings, notes, and construction specifications.

CODES OF PRACTICE
The design engineer is usually guided by specifications called the codes of
practice. Engineering specifications are set up by various organizations to
represent the minimum requirements necessary
for the safety of the public, although they are not necessarily for the purpose
of restricting engineers.
Most codes specify design loads, allowable stresses, material quality,
construction types, and other requirements for building construction.
NSCP National Structural Code of the Philippines
ACI 318 or the ACI Code American Concrete Institute
NBC National Building Code
ASCE 7 - American Society of Civil Engineers
AASHTO - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Code Safety Philosophy

Load factors and strength reduction factor

Required Strength Design Strength

Required Strength determined from the structural analysis of the load
effects of the factored loads (U)
- increase the ordinary or service loads to reflect the possibility of
overloads or analysis limitations.

Design Strength strength capacity of the structure

Code Safety Philosophy

Methods of Analysis and Design

1. WSD (Working Strength Design)
actual working loads (now called service loads)
a member was designed or analyzed based on allowable compressive
bending stress (0.45fc) and a compressive stress pattern that was
assumed to vary linearly from zero at the N.A.
2. USD (Ultimate Strength Design)
Service loads are amplified using load factors
Members are designed so that their practical strength at failure is
somewhat less than the true strength at failure, is sufficient to resist
the amplified loads.
Ultimate strength = strength at failure
Ultimate load = load at or near failure

Behavior Under Load

Transverse load is placed in RC beam which is gradually increased until it fails.
Before collapse occurs, it will undergo 3 distinct stages:
1. Uncracked Concrete Stage
At small loads when the tensile stresses are less than the modulus of
rupture (the bending tensile stress at which the concrete begins to
crack) the entire cross section of the beam resists bending, with
compression on one side and tension on the other.
at this stage, the gross section of the concrete will resist the bending
which means that the beam will behave like a solid beam made
entirely of concrete.
Actual moment, M < Cracking moment Mcr
No cracking occur
The gross section resists bending The tensile stress of concrete is
below rupture

Behavior Under Load

2. Concrete Cracked-Elastic Stresses Stage
If the modulus of rupture is exceeded, cracks begin to develop in the
bottom. The moment at which these cracks begin to form that is,
when the tensile stress in the bottom of the beam equals the modulus
of rupture is referred to as the cracking moment, Mcr.
As the load increases, cracks quickly spread up to the vicinity of the
neutral axis, and then the N.A begins to move upward. Cracks occur at
those places along the beam where the Mac > Mcr.
Actual moment, M = Cracking moment, Mcr
Crack begins to form
The gross section resists bending The tensile stress of concrete
reached the rupture point

Behavior Under Load

Now the bottom has cracked, obvious concrete itself cannot resist tensile
stresses, hence the steel will do. This stage will continue as long as the
compressive stress in the top fibers is less than about 1/2 fc and as long as
the fs<fy.

3. Beam Failure (Ultimate Strength Stage)

load is increased further so that fc > fc, tensile cracks move further
upward, as does the N.A., and the concrete compressive stresses begin to
change appreciably from a straight line. It is assumed that steel have
yielded.
Actual moment, M > Cracking moment, Mcr
Elastic stress stage Cracks developed at the tension fiber of the beam and
spreads quickly to the neutral axis
The tensile stress of concrete is higher than the rupture strength
Ultimate stress stage can occur at

Assumptions in Strength Design in Flexure

Code Section 5.10.2
Section 410.3