Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

CHAPTER TWO : COLUMNS

A column is structural member (commonly vertical) subjected to axial compressive force,

with or without bending moment and transmitting the load to the ground through the
foundation. The cross-sectional dimensions of a column are generally considerably less
than its height. (h>3lD).
2.1 Types of columns
. Tied columns – main longitudinal reinforcement are held in position by separate ties
spaced at equal intervals along the length.
. Spiral columns - Main bars are wrapped by closely spaced spiral
. Composite columns – consist of steel or cost iron structural member enclosed in
concrete. Nominal main reinforcement positioned with ties or spirals are placed around
the structural member.
. In filled columns - those having steel pipe filled with plain concrete or lightly
reinforced concrete.

tie pitch

spiral

Composite In filled
column column
Tied columns Spiral columns

 Tied and spiral columns are by far the most common than other types of columns.
 On the basis of slenderness ratio, columns may be further classified as short or long
columns.
 If the moments induced by slenderness effects weaken a column appreciably it is
referred to as a slender (long) column otherwise it is a short column.

 The slenderness ratio ‘  ’ of columns is defined as the ratio of the effective buckling
Ii
length (lei) to the radius of gyration (ri = ) , where ‘i ‘ refers to the axes x and y
Ai
of the cross section.
The effective length (lei) of a column is the distance between two consecutive points of
contra flexure or zero bending moments. For this consider the following.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

Le = L Le = 0.5 L Le = 0.7 L Le = 2.0 L

- According to EBCS-2, 1995, the effective buckling length, Le, of a column is given
by:
Le  m  0.4
a) Non-sway mode   0.7
L  m  0.8
Le 7.5  4( 1   2 )  1.6 1 2
b) Sway mode   1.15
L 7.5   1   2
Le
Or  1  0.8 m  1.15
L
K  Kc K  Kc 1   2
Where  1  1 ; 2  2 ; m 
K11  K12 K 21  K 22 2

Fig. Model for computation of stiffness

K1,K2 – are column stiffness coefficients (EI/L).
Kc – is the stiffness coefficient (EI/L) of the column being designed.
Kij – is the effective beam stiffness coefficient (EI/L)
= 1.0 when opposite end restrained.
= 0.5 When opposite end free to rotate
= 0 for a cantilever beam.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

- A frame may be classified as non-sway if its response to horizontal forces is sufficiently

stiff enough to neglect any additional internal forces or moments arising from
horizontal displacements of its nodes. For a given load case a non-sway frame
satisfies the criterion:
N sd
 0.1, where
N cr
Nsd – total design vertical load
Ncr – the critical axial load, given by

 2 EI e
N cr  2
Le
EIe = 0.2EcIc+EsIs >= 0.4EcIc (C – concrete, S-steel)
2.2 Reinforcement arrangement and minimum requirement
1) Longitudinal reinforcement
- The area of longitudinal reinforcement shall not be less than 0.008 Ac nor more
than 0.08 Ac.
- The minimum number of longitudinal bars shall be 6 for circular columns and 4
for rectangular columns.
- The minimum cross sectional size of rectangular column is 150mm and for
circular, diameter = 200mm
- The diameter of longitudinal bars shall not be less than 12mm.
2) Lateral reinforcement
- The diameter of ties or spirals shall not be less than 6mm or one quarter of
diameter or longitudinal bars.
- The center-to-center spacing of lateral reinforcement shall not exceed: -
o 12* diameter of the longitudinal bars
o b (least dimension)
o 300mm
- The pitch of spirals shall not exceed 100 mm.
Axial compression

The ultimate capacity of an axially loaded short column can be computed from;
Pdu = fcd(Ag-Ast) +Astfyd
= fcd Ag[1-ρg]+ ρg Agfyd
= Ag [fcd(1- ρg)+ ρg fyd]
where Ag and Ast are gross concrete area and total area of main reinforcement. A
column may be classified as long when the slenderness factor g, defined as
Le
g  12 , where le is the height and b is the least dimension of the column. For
b
such columns a load reduction factor Cr is introduced in such a way that the
concentric design axial load capacity may be given by.
Le
Pduc = CrPdu where Cr = 1.25 -
48 * b
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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

2.3 Interaction Diagram

An interaction diagram is a plot of axial load capacity of a column against the bending
moment it sustains.
- Columns, which are concentrically loaded, are rare and hence they are subjected
to bending moment, in addition, which decreases the axial load capacity.
- To illustrate conceptually the interaction between moments and axial load in a
column, an idealized homogenous and linearly elastic column with a compressive
strength, fcu, equal to its tensile strength, ftu, will be considered.
- This type of column fails in compression when: -
P My
  at failure by compression   f cu
A I
P My
f cu  
A I
Dividing both sides by fcu
P My
 1 ---- (*)
f cu A f cu I
f I
But Pmax = fcu A and M max  cu
y
P M
Substituting in (*)   1    (**)
Pmax M max
Equation. (**) Is known as an interaction equation because it shows the interaction
of, or relationship between P and M at failure.

Interaction Diagrams

P
(C )
Pmax
1.0 A

D B
M M
(CCW ) -1.0 1.0 (CW )
M max M max

C
-1.0 P
(T )
Pmax

Interaction diagram for an elastic column, |fcu| = |ftu|

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

P
(C )
Pmax
1.0 A

D 0.5 B

M M
(CCW ) (CW )
M max C M max
-0.5 0.5

P
a) Material with ftu = 0 (T )
Pmax
P
(C )
Pmax
1.0 A

M D 0.25 B
(CCW ) M
(CW )
M max M max
-0.75 0.75
0.5 C
P
(T )
Pmax
f cu
b) Material with f tu 
2
Interaction diagrams for elastic columns /fcu/  /ftu/.

Reinforced concrete is not elastic and has ft much less than fc. An effective tensile
strength is developed, however, by reinforcing bars on the tension face of the
member. For these reasons the calculation of an interaction diagram for an RC
member is more complex than for an elastic material. However the general shape of
the diagram resembles fig. b.

Points on the lines represent combination of P and M corresponding to the resistance

of the section. A point inside the diagram such as E represents a combination of P
and M that will not cause failure. Load combinations falling on the line or outside the
line, such as point F will equal or exceed the resistance of the section and hence will
cause failure

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

Fig. Strain distributions corresponding to points on interaction diagram of a reinforced

concrete column.

- Any combination of loading within the curve is a safe loading.

- Any combination of loading outside the curve represents a failure combination.
- All combinations of Pn and Mn between points A & C will cause the concrete to fail
in compression before the bottom reinforcement, As yields.
- All combinations of Pn and Mn between points C & F will result in tensile yielding of
As before the concrete fails in compression.
- When a member is subjected to combined axial compression Pd and moment Md,
it is more convenient to replace the axial load and the moment with an equivalent
Pd, applied at eccentricity ed.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

Axial Force
Pn A Pure compression

Pb
C

Mb Moment Mn

F
Pure tension

Fig. Strain distributions corresponding to points on interaction diagram of a reinforced

concrete column.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

2.4 Design of columns according to EBCS-2 1995

Design of Isolated columns

1) Total eccentricity.
 The total eccentricity to be used for the design of columns of constant
cross section is given by
etot = ee+ea+e2 ,
where
ee - is equivalent first-order eccentricity of the design axial load.
ea - is additional eccentricity
L
ea  e  20mm (Le - effective length mm)
300
e2 - is the second order eccentricity.
 For first order eccentricity e0 equal at both ends of a column,
e e = e0
 For first order moments varying linearly along the length, the equivalent
eccentricity is the higher of the following two values:
ee = 0.6e02 + 0.4e01 or
ee = 0.4e02
Where e01 and e02 are the first order eccentricities at the ends, e02 being
positive and greater in magnitude than e01.
 For different eccentricities at the ends (negative and positive) the critical
end section shall be checked for first order moments.
etot= e02+ea
2) Second – order eccentricity
 For non-sway frames, the second order eccentricity e2 of an isolated
column may be obtained as
2
K 1 Le 1
e2  ( )
10 r
where Le is the effective buckling length of the column

K1   0.75 for 15 <  < 35
20
K1=1.0 for >35
1
is the curvature at the critical section.
r
1 5
 K 2 ( ) *10 3 , where
r d
d – is the column dimension in the buckling plane less the cover to the center of
the longitudinal reinforcement.
Md
K2 
M bal
Md - is the design moment at the critical section including second order
effects.
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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

Mbal – is the balanced moment capacity of the column.

- The appropriate value of K2 may be found iteratively taking an initial value
corresponding to 1st order actions.
- In the amplified sway moments method, the sway moments found by a first-order
analysis shall be increased by multiplying them by the moment magnification
factor:
1
s  , where
N sd
1
N cr
Nsd – is the design value of the total vertical load.
Ncr – is the critical value for failure in a sway mode.
- The second order eccentricity can be neglected when;
 For sway frames
 25

   15 N
 
 d  sd
 d f cd Ac
 For non-sway frames
M1
  50  25 , where M1 & M2 are 1st order moments, M2 being
M2
positive & greater than M1.
M1 + ve if the member is bent in single curvature.
- ve if the member is bent in double curvature.

Design of columns for uniaxial bending

A column is said to be uniaxial if it is loaded with a bending moment about one axis in
addition to axial force. For the design of such a column interaction charts are prepared
using non-dimensional parameters,  and  , in which
Nd Mh
 ,  ------------ (*)
f cd bh f cd bh 2
In using these charts for design, the following procedures may be adopted:
Given Pd, Md = Pded = Pdetot
 Assume a cross section b/h
 Assume d’ and evaluate d’/h to chose appropriate chart No.
 Calculate  and  using (*)
 If the coordinate ( ,  ) is within the boundary of the curve, the assumed
cross section is adequate; otherwise, larger section should be tried.
 The coordinate ( ,  ) gives the value of ‘  ’
bhfcd
Ast 
f yd

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

 As ,min  0.008 Ac
 Check that Ast , prov  
 As ,max  0.08 Ac
Design of column for biaxial bending
A column may receive moments from beams and girders framing to it, in addition to the
axial loads. This situation of a biaxially loaded rectangular section is shown below with
the corresponding interaction curves.

y Uniaxial loading about y - y.

Pdn x

edx

Uniaxial loading about x - x.

y
Pdn
edy
x

y
x' edx

Pdn Biaxial bending about a diagonal axis x’-x’

 edy where
x M dy
e dx
 = arc tan = arc tan
x' e dy M dx

Three-dimensional interaction diagramInteraction surface

 Any combination of Pdn, Mdx & Mdy lying inside surface can be applied
safely.
 Any point lying outside the surface would represent failure.
 Due to the mathematical complication arising from the construction of
interaction surface, in practice a simpler approximation methods are used
of which the one developed by Bresler is satisfactory.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

It is given as reciprocal load equation

1 1 1 1
   , which simplifies to
Pdn Pdnx Pdny Pdo
Pdo Pdnx Pdny
Pdn 
Pdo ( Pdnx  Pdny )  Pdnx Pdny
where: Pdn is the design axial load capacity when applied at edx and edy, simultaneously.
(Biaxial bending)
Pdnx, Pdny – design axial load capacity when edy and edx are only acting (case of uniaxial
loading).

Pdo – Design axial force capacity for concentric load case.

However interaction charts prepared for this purpose can be easily used for actual design
where the following procedures need be followed.
 Given Pd, Mb & Mn
b' h'
 Assume a cross section and evaluate 
b h,
 Clculate v, nb & nh using
Nd Mb Mh
v , nb  & nh 
f cd Ac f cd Ac b f cd Ac h
b' h'
 Select suitable chart, which nearly satisfy the calculated  and v
b h
 Enter the chart for suitable value of v (0.0,0.2, 0.4,…..,1.4)
Note:
 v > 1.4 shows very small concrete cross section
 For intermediate values of v, use interpolation.
 Select w corresponding to v, nh & nb.
wbhf cd
 Compute As ,tot 
f yd
 Check minimum and maximum requirements.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II
 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

Sample Design charts taken from EBCS2 part

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 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

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 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

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 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

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 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

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 Jimma University, Jimma institute of Technology, Civil engineering department.

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Lecture Notes on Reinforced Concrete II