Chapter 9

Design of Columns

9.1. Introduction
Columns are members used primarily to support axial compressive loads and have a ratio of height to the least lateral
dimension of 3 or greater. They transmit loads from the upper floors to the lower levels and then to the soil through the
foundations.

Three types of reinforced cocnrete compression members are in use:

a) Members reinforced with longitudinal bars and lateral ties.
b) Menbers reinforced with longitudinal bars and continuous spirals.
c) Composite compression members reinforced longitudinally with structural steel shapes, pipes, or tubing,
with or without additional bars, and variuos types of lateral reinforcement.

9.2. Types:
 Based on Length
1. Short column
- The height of an upright compression member is less than three times its least lateral dimensions. Its failure
is due to the crushing of concrete or the yielding of the steel bars under the full load capacity.
a) Short compression blocks or pedestals
b) Short reinforced concrete columns
2. Long column
- where buckling effect and slenderness ratio must be taken into consideration in the design, thus reducing
the load capacity of the column relative to that of a short column.

 Based on Loading
1. Axially loaded columns
- Where loads are assumed acting at the center of the column section
2. Eccentrically loaded colums
- Where loads are acting at a distance e from the center of the column section. The distance e could be along
the x- or y-axis, casing moments about either about the x- or y-axis.
3. Biaxially loaded columns
- Where the load is applied at any point on the column sectiln, causing moments about both the x- and y-axes
simultaneously.

 Based on the shape of the cross-section

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 - square, rectangular, round, L-shaped, octagonal, or any desired shape with an adequate side width or
dimensions.
 Based on column ties
1. Tied columns
- containing steel ties to confine the main longitudinal bars in thecolumns. Ties are normally spaced
uniformly along the height of the column.
2. Spiral columns
- containing spirals (spring-type reinforcement) to hold the main longitudinal reinforcement and to help
increase the column ductility before failure. In general, ties and spirals prevent the slender, highly
stressed longitudinal bars from buckling and bursting the concrete cover.

 Based on frame bracing

- columns may be part of a frame that is braced against sidesway or unbraced against sidesway. Bracing
may be achieved by using shear walls or bracings in the building frame. In braced frames, columns resist
mainly gravity loads, and shear walls resist lateral loads and wind loads. In unbraced frames, columns
resist both gravity and lateral loads, which reduce the load capacity of the columns.

 Based on materials
- columns may be reinforced, prestressed, composite (containing rolled steel sections such as -sections), or a
combination of rolled steel sections and reinforcing bars. Concrete columns reinforced with longitudinal
reinforcing bars are the most common type used in concrete buildings.

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9.3. Axial Load Capacity of Columns
The theoretical ultimate strenght or nominal strength of an axially loaded short column considering the non-linear
response of concrete and steel is

Pn  0.85 f c'  Ag  Ast   f y Ast Where:

Pn  theoretical ultimate or nominal strength of column

Ag  gross concrete area

Ast  total cross-sectional area of longitudinal

reinforcement including bars and steel shapes

To allow for accidental eccentricities of loading considered in the analysis, the Code imposes an upper limit on the axial
load that is less than the calculated design strenght. This upper limit is taken as 0.85 times the design strength for spirally
reinforced columns and 0.80 times the calculated strength for tied columns. Thus, the axial load capacity of columns
may not be greater the following values:

For tied columns (   0.65 ) Note:

 Pn  0.80 0.85 fc'  Ag  Ast   f y Ast  The equations presented are to

be used only when the momet is
For spiral columns ( quite small so that e  0.10h for
  0.75 ) tied columns or e  0.05h or
 Pn  0.85 0.85 fc'  Ag  Ast   f y Ast  when there is no calculated
moment.

For composite tied columns Where:

(   0.65 )  Pn  0.80 0.85 f c' Ac  f y Ast  Fy Ass  Ast  area of longitudinal

reinforcement steel of
For composite spiral columns
strength fy
(   0.75 )  Pn  0.85 0.85 f Ac  f y Ast  Fy Ass 
'
c
Ass  area of structural steel
shape of strength Fy

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 Ac  net concrete area

9.4. Limit of Reinforcement

a. For tied columns
1. The minimum longitudinal steel percentage is 1%, and the maximum percentage is 8% of the gross area of the
section.
Ast
0.01   g   0.08
Ag
2. At least four bars are required for tied circular and rectangular members. For other shapes, one bar should be
provided at each corner, and proper lateral reinforcement must be provided. For tied triangular columns, at least
three bars are required.
3. The ties shall be arranged that every corner and alternate longitudinal bar shall have lateral support provided
by the corner of the tie having an included angle of not more than 135 and no bar shall be farther than 150 mm
clear on either side from such a laterally supported bar. The figures below show the arrangement of longitudinal
bars in tied columns and the distribution of ties. The minimum concrete cover in columns is 40 mm.

4. Ties for columns must have a minimum diameter of 10 mm to enclose longitudinal bars of 32 mm or smaller
and a minimum diameter of 12 mm for larger bar diameters.
5. Clear distnce between longitudinal bars shall be not less than 1.5d b nor 40 mm
6. Spacing of ties shall not exceed the smallest of:
 48 times the tie diameter,
 16 times the longitudinal bar diameter, or
 the least dimension of the column.

b. For spiral columns

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 1. The minimum longitudinal steel percentage is 1%, and the maximum percentage is 8% of the gross area of the
section.

0.01   s  0.08 Where:

volume of spiral in one loop

s 
volume of concrete core for a pitch s
4as  Dc  db 

sDc 2

Where:

as  cross-sectional area of spiral bar

Dc  diameter of the core out-to-out of the spiral

db  diameter of the spiral bar

2. The minimum ratio of spiral reinforcement,  s , according to the Code is

 Ag  f c' Where:
 s  0.45   1
 Ac  f yt
Ag  gross area of section

Ac  area of core of spirally reinforced column measured to the

outside diameter of spiral

f yt  yield strength of spiral reinforcement

3. The minimum number of longitudinal bars is 6.

4. The minimum diameter of spirals is 10 mm, and their clear spacing should not be more than 75 mm
nor less than 25 mm, according to the Code. Anchorage of spiral reinforcement shall be provided by 1 ½
extra turns of spiral bar or wire at each end of a spiral unit.

Problem Set No. 10:

1. Design an axially loaded short square tied column for Pu  2600 kN if fc  28 MPa and f y  350 MPa . Initially assume
'

  0.02 . Use D10 lateral ties.

2. Design a round spiral column to support an axial dead load of 1068 kN and an axial live load of 1334 kN. Initially
assume that approximately 2% longitudinal steel is desired, fc  27.6 MPa , and f y  414 MPa
'