3.0.

DESIGN OF RC BEAMS
3.1. INTRODUCTION
The prime purpose of reinforced concrete (RC) beams is to
transfer loads by flexural action to columns.
There are several types of RC beams defined with respect to:
a) Support Conditions
(i) Simply supported beams,
(ii) Continuous beams,

(iii) Cantilever beams

Figure 3.1
b) Reinforcement position
- Singly reinforced - Doubly reinforced

c) Cross-section
Rectangular T-Sections L-Sections

Figure 3.2
3.1.1. Failure of RC beam
Basically, beams may fail due to (i) excessive bending or (ii) shear
(iii) Torsional moment (iv) excessive deflection

3.1.2. Notations in beam design

As’ = Area of compression steel

As = Area of tensile steel
h = Overall depth
d = Effective depth
d’ = Depth of compression steel
b = Width

Figure 3.3: Beam cross-section

3.2. Singly Reinforced Beam Section
RC beam strength is primarily a function of :
(i) width (b), (ii) height (h), (iii) the amount of reinforcing (As).

There is an infinite combination of these three variables that will

result in a beam that exactly satisfies the following flexural strength
requirement:
Mu  M R

Where: M u = Ultimate applied moment and

M R = Ultimate moment of Resistance
NOTE!!!!!!
The effective depth, d is a function of the height, h.
To obtain a particular strength of a beam,
1. As can be increased to allow a decrease in the section size
parameters, b and d, and vice versa.

2. Consequently, the section size (b x h) of a beam can be

determined by an initial sizing of the section (span to ‘d’ ratio is
normally used).

There are three cases that are of particular interest in beam

design, that are the determination of:
1. The maximum As which will minimize b and h
2. The minimum As which will maximize b and h
3. The maximum As which will minimize b and h and for
which deflections are not likely to be a problem.
 Design Steps for a RC Beam
The design of reinforced concrete elements is
carried out in the following steps: -
• Idealization of the structure into various
static systems and loading.
• Dimensional considerations.
• Static analysis to determine bending
moments, shear forces and torsion
moments.
• Design and detail of steel reinforcements.
 Code Assumptions
The ultimate moment of resistance of a section
is based on the assumptions set out in clause
3.4.4.1 of BS 8110. These are:
i) The strains in the materials are derived assuming
that plane section remains plane upon bending

ii) The stress in compression may be derived from

1. The stress-strain curve in figure 2.1 with  m  1.5

or
2. The simplified stress block illustrated in figure 3.3.
• .

0.67 f cu
f cu ( N / mm 2 )
m

5.5( f cu /  m )0.5 kN / m 2

Figure 2.1 in BS 8110 Short-term (no creep effect) design stress-

strain curve for normal weight concrete
 Assumptions……..

Figure 3.3 in BS 8110 Simplified Stress Block for concrete at

Ultimate Limit State
 Stress
Tension
fy
m

200kN / mm 2

200kN / mm 2

fy
Compression m

Figure 2.2 in BS 8110 Short-term design stress-strain curve for

reinforcing steel (no relaxation effects)
 0.1 f cu

F  0.1 f cu bd (13)
Flexural Behaviour in Beams
For the purpose of studying the flexural behaviour of beams, we
consider the figure below. In this figure, a loading pattern is
shown with two equal loads that are applied at equal distances
, a, from each support of a reinforced beam.

Typical crack pattern

of reinforced concrete
beam

Figure: Crack pattern of a reinforced beam

In the marked “zone of interest” in the
figure, the bending moment is constant
while the shear force is zero.

Results from laboratory tests on this loading

have shown that;
within the “zone of interest” area, the cracks
formed are nearly vertical while near the
supports, the cracks are inclined at an angle
of around 45°.
 The Simplified stress-strain
relationship of figure 3.3
• The objective is to derive the expressions
pertaining to the flexural behaviour of singly
reinforced rectangular beams using the
simplified stress-strain relationship known as
“rectangular stress block”.
Consider the loading shown in figure below.

Figure: Equilibrium of external and internal forces

• In figure, it is assumed that the section is
cracked up to the neutral axis level.
• the upper part being in compression while
the bottom part is in tension.

• The main task is to determine the lever arm

between the resultant compression force in
the compression zone and the tension force
in the tension zone.
Further simplification and notations for the
stresses and strains in the beam section is
depicted in figure below

Figure Simplified stress strain curve

 dx d  1   1 n 
s   cu    1  cu    1  cu     cu
x x  n   n 

x
Where;  n  0.5
d

For the purpose of section 3.4.4. in BS 8110 on the design

resistance moment of beams, the following apply: -
As  area of tension reinforcement
As '  area of compression reinforcement
b  width or effective width of the section or flange in
compression zone.
bw  average web width of a flanged beam
d  effective depth of the tension reinforcement
d ' depth of compression reinforcement
hf 

x
z
The Balanced Section
- From figure 2.1 and 3.3 When the depth of neutral axis is limited
to one-half the effective depth, the minimum steel strain is
0.0035. THE SECTION IS BALANCED
- From figure 2.1 (BS 8110), a strain of 0.0035 ensures that the
steel is not yielding at collapse, thus a warning for failure is
given by excessive deflection and visual cracking.

f y Stress Tension
m
Strain

fy
Compression m

Figure 2.2: Idealized stress-strain of reinforcing steel

The section is said to be balanced when it has just enough steel to
cause the neutral axis to be at its maximum depth of d/2.

0.0035 0.447 f cu  0.67 f cu /1.5

b

x  0.5d 0.45d
N.A
h d
As

0.0035

Section Strain Diagram Stress profile

Figure: Section, strain and stress profile for a rectangular section

considering simplified rectangular stress block
General case

x
Where  n  0.5
d
General case…..
Considering equilibrium of forces once again,
we have;
 C  0.447 f cu b(0.9)(d / 2)  Fc

z  d (1  0.9 / 4)  0.775d
 Moment of resistance with respect to steel

Percentage of steel,
 The Under and over-reinforced Sections
Balanced section is not usual, because in most cases the dimensions
are fixed and the problem is to determine the steel area to resist a
given moment. The minimum effective depth for a singly reinforced
beam is that which corresponds to a balanced section.

0.0035 0.67 f cu /1.5 0.447 f cu

b

 cu Fc k2 x Fc
x 0.9x
N . A.
h d
z z
As
f st Fs f st Fs
s
Section Section
Section profile profile

Figure 3.10: Section and stress-strain profile for a singly reinforced

section
 1 
s   cu


d
x
2

d
x  z  zbal  s   cu
2

d
x z  zbal  s   cu
2
The Ultimate Moment of
Resistance
The Ultimate Moment of Resistance
From; M  0.156bd f depend only upon the
RC
2
cu

properties of concrete. This means that, the

concrete dictates the maximum moment
carrying capacity of a section.
Thus M  M RC

If the greater moment capacity is called, it

can only be obtained by increasing (i) the
size of the section, (ii) concrete strength or
alternatively by (iii) adding Reinforcing.
The Ultimate Moment of Resistance….
Area of tension reinforcement
At the limit when M RC  M
f y As
Rearranging and putting M  Fs z 
 ms
z

The solution this problem requires an expression

for

Where is the lever arm,

 M RC  M

0.67 f cu
M  Fc z  0.9bxz  mc  1.5
 mc

fcubd 2
 z
Substituting M
and zo  we have
K d
f cu bd 2
8
K  zo 1  zo  9K
9 or 0  zo2  zo 
8

This is a quadratic equation and can be solved to

give Cls 3.4.4.4 of BS 8110:1
z
zo   0.5  0.25  K / 0.9 from
d
(19)
which can be used to plot a lever arm curve, Figure
3.11.
The upper limit of the lever arm curve, z  0.95d ,
is specified by BS 8110.
The lower limit of is z  0.775d when the depth
of neutral axis , x  d / 2 which is the
maximum allowed by the code for singly
reinforced section in order to provide a ductile
section which have a gradual tension failure.
DOUBLY SECTIONS
 3.3. Doubly Reinforced Beam Section
If the concrete alone in the compression zone can not resist the
applied moment. M  M RC Reinforcement can be added to
strengthen the beam section in compression . Such situation implies
that, for doubly reinforced section M  M RC with K  K '

b  cu  0.0035 067 f cu /1.5

0.447 f cu

F 's F 's
d’  's
A 's Fc 0.9x
Fc
NA
h d
z z
As
s Fs fs Fs

Section Strain Stress - profile Stress profile

Profile Rectangular simplified Stress
parabolic block
Figure 3.13 (a): Doubly reinforced section
 A 's

A 's

As

As1 As 2
(a) Doubly reinforced section
(b) Singly reinforced (c) Steel only section
( As  As1  As 2 ) balanced section

Figure 3.13 (b): Doubly reinforced section

a) Singly reinforced balanced section

b) Steel only section

c) Total moment of resistance of section

But

Hence
Alternatively, since compression steel should be yielding, extra
moment beyond that of singly reinforced section is given by

Hence

Therefore area of tension steel is given by

NB: K ' will correspond to x  0.5d for a value of 0.156

The stress in the compression steel will reach if the strain  cs
is not less than 0.002