7.

COLUMNS

Columns in a structure is to act as vertical supports to suspended

members such as beams and roofs and to transmit the loads from these
members to the foundations. Columns are primarily compression members
although they may also have to resist bending moments transmitted by
beams.

Columns may be classified as short or slender, braced or unbraced,

depending on various dimensional and structural factors. Most columns
are termed short columns and fail when the materials reaches its ultimate
capacity under the applied loads and moments. Slender columns buckle
and the additional moments caused by deflection must be taken into
account in design.

The column section is generally square or rectangular, but circular

and polygonal columns are used in special cases. When the section
carries mainly axial load it is symmetrically reinforced with four, six, eight
or more bars held in a cage by links.

In this lecture, the study will be restricted to the design of the most
common type of column found in building structures, namely short-braced
columns.

Short-braced column design

For design purposes, BS 8110 divides short-braced columns into

three categories. These are :
1. columns resisting axial loads only;
2. columns supporting an approximately symmmetrically
arrangement of beams
3. columns resisting axial loads and uniaxial or biaxial bending.

Longitudinal reinforcement

Size and minimum number of bars.

Refer to Cl. 3.12.5.3

Reinforcement areas
Refer to Cl. 3.12.5.
Spacing of reinforcement
Refer to cl 3.12.11.1

Links
Refer to Cl. 3.12.7.

Size and spacing of links

Refer to Cl. 3.12.7.1

Arrangement of links.
Refer to Cl. 3.12.7.2