SKIN REINFORCEMENT

In BS8110, it states that secondary reinforcement should be provided for beams

exceeding 750mm deep at a distance measured 2/3 depth from the tension face.
Experimental works revealed that at or close to mid-depth of deep beams, the
maximum width of cracks arising from flexure may be about two to three times larger
than the width of the same crack at the level of surface where the crack originally
forms.

The presence of crack is undesirable from aesthetic point of view. Moreover, it

poses potential corrosion problems to reinforcement of deep beams. To safeguard
against these crack formation, skin reinforcement is designed on the sides of deep
beams to limit the formation of flexural crack widths. Though the principal function of
skin reinforcement is to control crack width, it may be employed for providing
bending resistance of the section.

Another purpose is to prevent the shear reinforcement a.k.a stirrups from

buckling.
Position of side reinforcement and spacing
• Position:
2
At a distance equal to 𝑥 depth of the beam, measured from tension
3
face.
• Spacing
From BS 8110-1: 1997, cl 3.12.11.2.6 the spacing of side re-bar
should not exceed 250mm, where the actual spacing relates to the
size, steel grade and beam width as follows:
𝑆𝑏 𝑏
∅𝑚𝑖𝑛 = ( ),
𝑓𝑦

where 𝑆𝑏 = 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑠

𝑏 = 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ (𝑖𝑓 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 500𝑚𝑚,
𝑖𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 500𝑚𝑚, 𝑏 = 500𝑚𝑚)
𝑓𝑦 = 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑒