Curtailment of Reinforcement in Concrete

Beams and Slabs

To economize the design of a flexural member, the tensile bars are curtailed at the section beyond
which it is no longer required to resist flexure(bending) given that the remaining reinforcement of the
flexural member will be able to resist the bending moment and shear created on the flexural member
safely.

The reinforcement will be provided to a certain length at the supports called the development length.
The extra part that is removed from the reinforcement which forms the curtailed reinforcement.

The curtailed bars in flexural members are extended for a distance equal to 12 times the diameter of
the reinforcement bar or effective depth, whichever is greater, except at simple support or free end of
the cantilever.

Curtailment of Reinforcements in Concrete Beams

The figure below shows the curtailment of reinforcement in a simply supported beam. At simple
support, positive moment tension reinforcement shall be limited to a diameter such that L d computed
for fd does not exceed

where M1= Moment of resistance of the section assuming all reinforcement at the section to be
stressed to fd,
fd = 0.87 fy,
V= Shear force at the section due to design loads,

L0= Sum of anchorage beyond the centre of the support and the equivalent anchorage value of hook,
etc., and
= Diameter of bar.
The value of (M1/V) in the above expression may be increased by 30% when the ends of
reinforcement are confined by a compressive reaction. At least one-third of positive moment
reinforcement in simple member shall extend along the same face of the member into the support, to
a length equal to Ld/3.

Fig.1: Curtailment of Reinforcement in RCC Beams

Curtailment of Reinforcement Bars in Slabs

The bar that is curtailed in reinforced concrete slabs have to be fixed and anchored past the point
where it is supported.

The shear force and bending moment is initially calculated to determine the point where the
curtailment has to be done. In slab design, we divide the member into two, middle and column strips
in each direction as shown in figure

Wherever the moment is less, there is no need for reinforcement that will make curtailment necessary
in those areas.

The curtailment can be provided by cutting the bottom reinforcement meant for positive bending
moment as shown in figure which gives straight bars or it can be bent up which will be extended to
the adjacent bars as shown in the figure-3.
Fig.2.Straight Bars in Flat slabs Detailing
Fig.3: Bent Up bars in Flat slab detailing

Conditions for Curtailment of Flexural Reinforcement

at Tension Zone
Flexural reinforcement shall not be terminated in the tension zone unless one of the following
conditions are fulfilled:

 The shear at the cutoff point does not exceed two-thirds of that permitted.

 The stirrup area in excess of that required for shear and torsion is provided along each
terminated bar over a distance from cutoff point equal to three-fourth the effective depth of
the member. The excess stirrup area shall be not less than 0.4 bs/fy, where b is the breadth of
the beam and s is the spacing. The resulting spacing shall not exceed is the
ratio of the area of bars cutoff to the total area of bars at the section.

 For 36 mm and smaller bars, the continuing bars provide double the area required for flexure
at the cutoff point and the shear does not exceed three-fourths of that permitted.