Analysis & Design of

Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

Design Methods

1- Working Stress Design Method or elastic method or alternative design method

or allowable stress design method : This method was the principal one used since
1900s to 1960s.
The working stress design method maybe expressed by the following:
Load = service (unfactored) load
f  fa
Where:
M .c
f = an elastically computed stress, such as by using flexural stress = for
I
beams.
fa = a limiting allowable stress prescribed by ACI code , as a percentage of f c for
concrete and as a percentage of fy for steel.

2- Ultimate Strength Design Method:

In this method, service loads are increased by factors to obtain the load at which
the failure is considered to be " imminent". Also, the section strengths are reduced
by a safety reduction factors.
The ultimate strength design method maybe expressed by the following:
Strength provided ≥ Strength required to carry factored loads

Types of Beams:

1- Types of beams according to section reinforcement:

a- Singly Reinforced concrete beams : main steel reinforcement used at tension
zone only.
b- Doubly reinforced concrete beams: main steel reinforcement used at tension
zone and compression zone.

A's
h d d
As As

b b
Singly Reinforced Beam Doubly Reinforced Beam

2- Types of beams according to section Shape:

a- Beams of rectangular section.
b- Beams of ( T, L & I ) section.

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

c- Beams of irregular sections.

Working Stress Design Methods

Assumptions:
1- Plain section before bending remains plain after bending.

2- Both concrete and steel obey to Hook's law. E 

3- Strain and stress are proportional to the distance from neutral axis.

εc fc

d
As
εs fs
εt ft
b

4- Concrete strength in tension is negligible.

5- Perfect bond must be maintained between steel and concrete.
6- Allowable stress:

For concrete: f ca  0.45 f c

For steel : f sa  140 for fy = 300 and 350 MPa.
f sa  170 for fy = 420 MPa

Structural Behavior of R.C. Beams:

crushing

cracks

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

Three stages maybe noticed for concrete beam tested in laboratory to failure:

1- Uncracked concrete stage: Full concrete section still works.

εc fc < fca

d N.A
As
εs fs< fsa
εt
ft < fr
b

2- Cracked concrete stage.

εc fc ≤ fca
kd
N.A
d
As
εs fs≤ fsa
εt
b f t  f r  0.7 f c

Where : fr = Modulus of rupture of concrete.

3- Ultimate concrete stage.
f c
εc

d
As
εs
εt fs
b

Transformed Section Method:

From Hook's law:
f c   c Ec
f s   s Es
The basic concept of transformed section is that the section of steel and concrete is
transformed into a homogenous section of concrete by replacing the actual steel
area to an equivalent concrete area.
Two conditions must be satisfies:
1- Compatibility:

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

c  s (at the same level: same distance from neutral axis)

f f
 c  c and  s  s
Ec Es
f f E
 c  s  f s  s fc
Ec E s Ec
Or f s  nf c
E
Where : n is the modular ratio and n  s
Ec
2- Equilibrium:
Force in transformed concrete section = Force in actual steel section
f c Ac  f s As
f c Ac  nf c As  f c nAs 
 Ac  nAs
There are two cases of transformed section:
1- Uncracked Section: where f t  f r
b b

d
As nAs

b
nAs-As =(n-1)As
2- Cracked Section: where f t  f r

kd Ac)total = b.kd + nAs

d
As

b nAs

For doubly reinforced beams, the cracked section is:

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method
b
(2n-1)A's
A's kd Ac)total = b.kd +(2n-1)A's
d + nAs
As

b nAs

Ex.1)
For the beam section shown below, if the applied moment is 35 kN.m , fr = 3.1
MPa and n = 9.
1- Calculate the maximum flexural stresses in concrete at top fiber and bottom
fiber and in steel reinforcement.
2- Calculate the cracking moment of the section.

265 mm
500 420
mm mm N.A
3Ø28

300 mm
nAs-As =(n-1)As
Sol.)
  282 
As  3   1847mm 2
 4 
 
A  bh  n  1As  300  500  9  11847  164776mm 2
Find N.A. location by taking moment of areas about top fiber.
300  500250  9  11847420
y  265mm
164776
3002653 3002353
I   9  11847420  2652  3.513x109 mm 4
3 3
1- Flexural stresses:

a- Tension stress at bottom fiber of concrete:

Mc 35  10 6 235
ft    2.34 N / mm 2  f r  3.1N / mm 2
I 3.513  10 9

Since tension stress at bottom fiber of concrete < modulus of rupture ( f ct  f r ),

then section is not crack and hence assumption is true.
b- Compression stress at top fiber of concrete:

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

Mc 35  10 6 265
fc    2.64 N / mm 2
I 3.513  10 9

c- Stress in steel:
Mc 35  10 6 155
fs  n   13.9 N / mm 2
I 3.513  10 9

2- Cracking moment ( Mcr ):

M cr  

f r I 3.1 3.513  109   46.34  106 N .mm  46.34kN .m
c 235

Ex.2)
Calculate the maximum flexural stresses for the beam section shown below, if the
applied moment is 95 kN.m , and n = 9. Compare with allowable stresses if fy =
420 MPa and f 'c = 25 MPa.

300 mm

N.A
kd = 167 mm
500 420
mm mm 420 - kd =
3Ø28 253 mm

nAs = 9(1847) = 16623mm2

300 mm

Sol.)
Assume cracked section. Find kd by taking moments about the N.A.
kd kd
300  kd   nAs d  kd   300  kd   9  1847420  kd 
2 2
150kd 2  6981660  16623kd
kd 2  111kd  46544  0
 111  111 2  446544  111  445
kd    167mm
2 2
300167  3
I  9  1847420  167 2  1.53  109 mm 4
3
a- Tension stress in concrete:

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

Mc 95  10 6 500  167 
ft    20.7 MPa  f r  0.7 f c  0.7 25  3.5MPa
I 1.53  109
 Assumption is true, section is cracked.
b- Compression stress in concrete:

Mc 95  10 6 167 
fc    10.37 MPa  f ca  0.45 f c  0.4525  11 .25MPa
I 1.53  109
OK .
c- Stress in steel:
Mc 95  10 6 253
fs  n 9  141.4MPa  f sa  170MPa OK .
I 1.53  109

Ex.3)
Calculate the maximum flexural stresses in concrete and steel for the T beam
shown below. M = 100 kN.m , n = 10 and f 'c = 25 MPa.
Sol.)
Assume that N.A. lies within the flange.

900 mm
900 mm
kd N.A.
100
680
600-kd
500
3Ø25
nAs
250

As  3491  1473mm 2
Find kd by taking moments about N.A.
kd 2
900  10  1473600  kd   450kd 2  8838000  14730kd
2
kd  32.7kd  19640  0
2

 32.7  32.7 2  419640

kd   125mm  100mm
2

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

 Assumption is false and N.A. lies at the web. 900 mm

Find kd by taking moments about N.A.

kd

900  100kd  50  250kd  100

kd  100  N.A.
250 mm
2
10  1473 600  kd  600-kd

kd 2  638kd  96704  0 nAs

 638  638 2
 496704
kd   126mm  100mm
2
9001263 900  250263
I   10  1473600  1262  3.906  109 mm 4
3 3
a- Tension stress in concrete:
Mc 100  10 6 680  126
ft    14.2MPa  f r  0.7 f c  0.7 25  3.5MPa
I 3.906  109
 Assumption is true, section is cracked.
b- Compression stress in concrete:
Mc 100  10 6 126
fc    3.23MPa
I 3.906  10 9

c- Stress in steel:
Mc 100  10 6 600  126
fs  n  10  121.35MPa
I 3.906  10 9

Ex.4)
Calculate the maximum stresses in concrete and steel for the beam section shown
below. M = 160 kN.m , n = 10 and f 'c = 25 MPa.
350
(2n-1)A's
70 kd
2Ø28 N.A.
500mm 360
4Ø28 430-kd
70 nAs
350 mm

Sol.)
As  4  615.7  2463mm 2

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm
 Analysis & Design of
Reinforced Concrete Structures (1) Lecture.3 Working Stress Design Method

As  2  615.7  1231mm 2

Find kd by taking moment about the N.A.
kd
b  kd  2n  1As kd  d   nAs d  kd 
2

kd
350kd  2  10  11231kd  70  10  2463430  kd 
2
kd 2  134kd  9355  60519  141kd
kd 2  275kd  69874  0
 275  2752  469874
kd   160mm
2
3501603
I  20  11231160  702  10  2463430  1602  2.463  109 mm 4
3
a- Tension stress in concrete:
Mc 160  10 6 500  160
ft    22MPa  f r  0.7 f c  0.7 25  3.5MPa
I 2.463  109
 Assumption is true, section is cracked.
b- Compression stress in concrete:
Mc 160  10 6 160
fc    10.39MPa
I 2.463  109
c- Stress in tension steel:
Mc 160  10 6 430  160
fs  n  10  175.4 MPa
I 2.463  109
d- Stress in compression steel:
Mc 160  10 6 160  70
f s   2n  2  10  116 .93MPa
I 2.463  109

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Dr. Muthanna Adil Najm