PREFACE

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable

Development (www.wbcsd.org), concrete is the most widely used
material on earth (apart from water), with nearly three tons being
used annually for each human being. Concrete is a construction
material composed primarily of coarse and fine aggregates, cement,
and water. Nowadays, various chemical and mineral admixtures are
also added to concrete to achieve the required properties. It is also
one of the oldest materials known to humansthe 43.3 m diameter
Pantheon dome in Rome, which remains the largest coffered dome
in the world, is nearly 1900 years old. Since concrete is weak in
tension and strong in compression, reinforcements are added to
make it a composite material called reinforced concrete (RC),
which can resist both tensile and compressive stresses. The wide
popularity of RC is due to its many advantages over other materials
such as structural steel or wood.
The behaviour of RC structural elements is difficult to
predict; one of my professors (late) Dr S.R. Srinivasan used to
quip, the behaviour of RC is comparable to that of a drunken
monkey bitten by a scorpion! The design rules for RC structures
developed in the past were mostly empirical in nature and were
based on extensive tests conducted on scaled specimens (which
also introduced size effects). Design of an RC structure involves
the proportioning of different elements of the structure and
detailing them in such a way that the structure will be able to
resist all the loads that are likely to act on it during its service life,
without excessive deformation or collapse. Such designs should
also be aesthetic, economical, durable, stable, and sustainable.
RC design is often considered as much an art as a science. It
must balance theoretical analysis with practical considerations
such as the probability of loads acting on it, the actual behaviour
of the structure as distinguished from the idealized analytical and
design model, the actual properties of materials used compared
to the assumed ones, and the actual behaviour of the material
compared to the assumed elastic behaviour.
Structural knowledge is increasing continuously and rapidly
as techniques for analysis, design, fabrication, and erection of
structures are being improved constantly and new types of
structures are being introduced. Hence, designers need to have a
sound knowledge of the behaviourboth material behaviour of
the reinforced concrete and structural behaviour of the individual
elements as well as the complete structure. Unless the structural
engineers are abreast of the recent developments and understand
the relationship between the structural behaviour and design
criteria implied by the rules of the design codes, they will be
following the codal rules rigidly and blindly and may even apply
them incorrectly in situations beyond their scope.
This text attempts to guide students and practising structural
engineers in understanding and using the design codes correctly
and wisely. It also strives to make them aware of the recent
developments and the latest technologies and methods in use in the
area of reinforced concrete.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures is designed to meet
the requirements of undergraduate students of civil and structural
engineering. This book will also be an invaluable reference to
postgraduate students, practising engineers, and researchers.
This text is based on the latest Indian Standard code of practice
for plain and reinforced concrete (IS 456:2000) released in July
2000 (reaffirmed 2005) and the three amendments released in
June 2001, September 2005, and August 2007. Even though this
fourth revision of the code gives greater emphasis to the limit
states method of design, it also provides working stress method
in Annex B as an alternative method. SI units have been used
throughout the book.
Focusing on the modern limit states design, the book covers
topics such as the properties of concrete, structural forms,
loadings, behaviour of various structural elements (compression
and tension members, beams, slabs, foundations, walls, and
joints) and design and detailing for flexure, shear, torsion, bond,
tension, compression, and compression with uniaxial and biaxial
bending. It also discusses the design of flat plates, footing and
pile caps, shear walls, staircases, RC joints, and multi-storey
buildings.
The following features in the book make it stand out among
the other books in this area:
Even though IS 456 was revised in 2000, most of the design
provisions remain unchanged from the previous 1978 edition
of the code. Hence, IS 456 code provisions are compared
with the provisions of other recent codes, especially with the
provisions of ACI 318:2011(in the global economy, many
engineers are required to design structures using codes of
other countries also).
As per the seismic zone map of India (as given in IS 1893),
more than 60 per cent of the land area in India is susceptible to
seismic damage. Hence, seismic design and ductile detailing
are given equal importance in this book. The behaviour of
various elements of structures and the basis for the codal rules
are also explained.
Several topics that are usually not found in other books
such as high-strength concrete, high-strength reinforcement,
structural forms, sustainable design, integrity reinforcement,
various shear design procedures, various shear and punching
shear reinforcement, bond of coated and headed bars, space
truss model of torsion design, size effect in beams and slabs,
yield line analysis of slabs, design of flat slabs, pile caps,
staircases, joints, shear walls, and strut-and-tie model design
are discussed in this book.
Detailed case studies of structural failures and innovations are
provided in most of the chapters to help students relate to the
concepts learnt through the book.

Oxford University Press 2013. All rights reserved.

viii

Preface

A rich pedagogy provides the required rigour for students to

excel in this subject in the examinations: over 160 examples
with step-by-step solutions, over 850 review questions, 160
numerical problems, and over 750 illustrative figures and 200
tables. An exhaustive reference list at the end of each chapter
helps interested readers to pursue topics further.
Last but not the least, this book provides the most updated
information in this subject covering the state-of-the-art trends
and developments.

USING THE BOOK

The text is divided into 20 chapters and completely covers the
undergraduate curriculum of most universities and the postgraduate
(PG) course of several universities. The teacher adopting this book
is requested to exercise discretion in selecting portions of the text
to be presented for a particular course. It is suggested that portions
of Chapters 68, 11, 13, 16, and 1820 may be taught at PG level
and Chapters 14 may be left for self-study.
Although relevant information from the Indian Standard code
of practice has been included in the text, readers are advised
to refer to the latest codes published by the Bureau of Indian
Standards, New DelhiIS 456:2000, codes on design loads
(IS 875 and IS 1893), design aids to IS 456 (SP 16:1980),
handbook on concrete reinforcement and detailing (SP 34:1987),
explanatory handbook on IS 456:1978 (SP 24:1980), and code on
ductile detailing of RC structures (IS 13920:1993).

CONTENTS AND COVERAGE

The book comprises 20 chapters and five appendices.
Chapter 1 provides information about the historical developments,
advantages, ingredients, and proportioning of concrete mixes. It
also covers types of concrete and reinforcing bars and properties of
fresh and hardened concrete, since a designer should have a sound
knowledge of the material that is used for designing.
Chapter 2 discusses the various RC elements and possible
structural forms to resist gravity as well as lateral loads and a
brief discussion on formwork. This information will be useful in
practice to select the structural form.
Many failures are attributed to the lack of determination of the
actual loads acting on structures. Hence the various loads and
their combinations to be considered in the analysis are provided
in Chapter 3.
Chapter 4 introduces the design considerations and the role of the
structural designer in the complete design process. Various design
philosophies are explained with their advantages and drawbacks.
Sampling and acceptance criteria are also discussed. An introduction
to the evolving performance-based design is also provided.
The flexural analysis and design of beams is discussed in Chapter
5. This chapter deals with the analysis and design of singly and
doubly reinforced rectangular beams, flanged beams, deep, wide
and hidden beams, and lintel and plinth beams. Limits on minimum
and maximum reinforcement, slenderness limits, and design using

charts available in SP 16 are also explained. Emphasis is given to

ductility and earthquake resistance.
Chapter 6 deals with the design to resist shear forces. In addition
to explaining the behaviour of beams under shear, factors
affecting the behaviour, design and maximum shear strength,
minimum and maximum shear reinforcement, critical section for
shear as well as design and detailing of various types of shear
reinforcement based on different theories are discussed. Details
on shear in beams with high-strength concrete and steel and shear
strength of members with axial force are also included.
Chapter 7 discusses the bond between steel reinforcement
and concrete as it is necessary for the composite action of RC
members. Local and anchorage bonds are distinguished and
development length provisions for various types of bars are
discussed. Anchoring rebars with hooks/bends and headed bars
are explained and discussions on splicing and curtailment of
reinforcement are included.
IS 456 considers the design of torsion approximately as additional
bending moment and shear force. The plastic space truss model
considered in ACI and other codes is fully explained. The design
method based on this model and graphical methods for torsion
are discussed in Chapter 8. Detailing for torsion is also explained.
Chapters 911 deal with the design of one-way, two-way, and
flat slabs/flat plates respectively. In each of these chapters, the
behaviour of these slabs is explained and considerations for the
design are discussed. The design for concentrated load is considered
and design procedures as well as design using charts are explained.
Topics such as non-rectangular slabs, opening in slabs, ribbed or
voided slabs, slabs on grade, waffle slabs, hollow-core slabs, and
yield-line analysis are also covered. Flat plates are susceptible to
failure in punching shear. Hence, greater emphasis has been given
to the design and detailing to prevent punching shear.
Serviceability checks for deflection and cracking at working
loads are important for the proper functioning of structural
elements during their design life. This aspect is covered in
Chapter 12, with a comparison of the provisions found in other
codes. Vibration and fatigue control are also briefly discussed.
The design of short and slender columns subjected to axial load
as well as combined axial load and bending moment is covered
in Chapters 13 and 14. Different classifications of columns are
provided and the determination of effective length of columns is
explained. The design methods as well as the use of design aids
are illustrated with examples. Biaxially loaded columns as well as
L-, T-, and +-shaped columns are also discussed.
Chapter 15 deals with the design of different types of footings,
piles, and pile caps. Soil as well as structural design and detailing
are explained.
Chapter 16 discusses the design of load-bearing walls, retaining
walls, and shear walls. Behaviour of these walls is discussed
and theories of earth pressures provided. Practical topics such as
opening in walls, construction joints, drainage and compaction of
backfill are also included.

Oxford University Press 2013. All rights reserved.

Preface

The design of different types of staircases is provided in Chapter

17 and design of tension members are covered in Chapter 18. The
design of beam-column joints, and beam-to-beam joints are provided
in Chapter 19. This chapter also discusses the design of corbels and
anchors and detailing of obtuse- and acute-angled corners.
As RC designs are carried out in design offices using standard
computer programs, a typical analysis and design of a multistorey building is carried out using the STAAD.Pro software in
Chapter 20. This chapter gives the students an exposure to how
designs are handled in practice and also guide them to use such
software packages.
Appendices AE provide some useful information such as
properties of soils, strut-and-tie method of design, design aids,
conversion factors, and some rules of thumb and practical tips.
Though care has been taken to present error-free material, some
errors might have crept in inadvertently. I would highly appreciate
if these errors are brought to the attention of publishers. Any
suggestions for improvement are also welcome.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sir Isaac Newton once said, If I have seen farther than others, it
is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants. In the same
way, I have been greatly influenced in the preparation of this
book by the books, papers, and lectures of great professors and
designers. I would like to apologize for any phrase or illustrations
used in this book inadvertently without acknowledgement.
I am grateful to my teachers (late) Prof. P. Purushothaman
of College of Engineering, Guindy (now belonging to Anna
University), and Prof. P. Sabapathy of Thiagarajar College of
Engineering, Madurai, who cultivated great interest in me about
designing RC structures. My understanding of this subject was
greatly influenced by the books and publications of several
authors listed in the Bibliography section at the end of the book.
I have also learnt a lot from the discussions I had on several
occasions with Prof. A.R. Santhakumar (former Dean of Anna
University and Professor at IIT Madras).
I thank the following organizations/publishers for permitting
me to reproduce material from their publications: American
Concrete Institute (ACI), Farmington Hills, Michigan; American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, Virginia; Mr Toru
Kawai, Executive Director of Japan Concrete Institute (JCI);
Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), The
Indian Concrete Journal, Mumbai; Indian Concrete Institute,
Chennai; NBM & CW, New Delhi; Elsevier Ltd; Oxford, UK;
Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany;
NISEE-PEER Library, University of California, Berkeley;
Prof. Durgesh Rai, Coordinator, NICEE, IIT Kanpur; and
Ar. Daniel Safarik, Editor, Council on Tall Buildings and
Urban Habitat(CTBUH), Chicago. I also thank Concrete
Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI), Schaumburg, Illinois;
Portland Cement Association (PCA), Skokie, Illinois; Mr Chris

ix

Shaw of UK; Architects Jesse Reiser and Chad Oppenheim;

Prof. Mir M. Ali of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
Prof. K.S. Moon of Yale University; Prof. C.V.R. Murty
of IIT, Madras; Prof. Mete Sozen of Purdue University;
M/s Tata Steel Ltd; Taylor & Francis; William Palmer
Jr (Editor-in-Chief, Concrete Construction); Er Hanns U.
Baumann of BauTech, California; Mr Stefan Sommerand
of Cobiax, Switzerland; Mr Kate Stevenson of Max Frank
Ltd, UK; C.M. Dordi of M/s Ambuja Cements Ltd; Ar. Jan
Lorant of Gabor Lorant Architets, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona;
Mr Casper lander of Celsa Steel Service, Finland;
Ms Sabrina Bnteau of Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de
Millau, France; Er S.A. Reddi, former Deputy Managing
Director of Gammon India Ltd; Dr V.S. Parameswaran,
Former Director of SERC; Kenaidan Contracting Ltd,
Ontario, Canada; Mr Cary Kopczynski of Cary Kopczynski &
Company, Bellevue, Washington; Insul-Deck, LLC, Villa Rica,
Georgia; Er Cliff Schwinger, Vice-President of The Harman
Group, Inc.; and Er N. Prabhakar, Mumbai and several others
for giving me permission to use photos and figures originated
by them (they are acknowledged below the figures). My special
thanks go to Mrs Anuthama Srisailam for her help in getting
photos of high-rise buildings in Chicago.
I am privileged and grateful to Prof. B. Vijaya Rangan,
Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering, Curtin University of
Technology, Perth, Australia, for his encouraging words and for
writing the foreword to this book.
I also thank all those who assisted me in the preparation of
this book. First and foremost, I thank Er Yogesh Pisal, Senior
Engineer (Civil), Aker Powergas Private Ltd, Mumbai for
writing Chapter 20 on Design of Multi-storey Buildings.
My sincere thanks are due to Prof. P. Suryanarayana, retired
Professor and former Dean (planning and development) of
Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal (MP),
for going through all the chapters patiently and offering useful
comments; Er R.K. Desai, Former Chief Engineer (Civil), ITI
Ltd, Bangalore for providing many tables of Appendix C; Er V.M.
Rajan, Superintending Engineer (Civil) TANGEDCO, Chennai
for providing many tables of Appendix D; Er Rahul Leslie for
his help in providing computer solutions to some problems;
Er Naseef Ummer of IIT Delhi and Er Hemal Mistry for their
help in locating the literature; and Er Pankaj Gupta of Roark
Consulting, Noida, UP, for sharing Australian and New Zealand
codes. I also thank my several friends at www.sefindia.org (in
particular, Er T. Rangarajan, Er Vikramjeet, Er P.K.Mallick,
Er Vivek Abhyankar, and Er E.S. Jayakumar) for sharing their
knowledge, and Er Siddique and Er Ganesh of Nagpur for their
encouragement.
I will be failing in my duty if I do not acknowledge the help
and wonderful assistance I received from Ms S. Chithra at all the
stages of this book. Lastly, I acknowledge the excellent support
and coordination provided by the editorial team of Oxford
University Press, India.
Dr N. Subramanian
Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA

Oxford University Press 2013. All rights reserved.