Chapter 4 - Design of Foundations

Typical Interaction Diagrams for Plain

FIGURE 4.5
and Reinforced Concrete Walls

Residential Structural Design Guide 4-29

 Chapter 4 - Design of Foundations

4.5.1.4 Minimum Concrete Wall Reinforcement

Plain concrete foundation walls provide serviceable structures when they
are adequately designed (see Section 4.5.1.1). However, when reinforcement is
used to provide additional strength in thinner walls or to address more heavily
loaded conditions, tests have shown that horizontal and vertical wall
reinforcement spacing limited to a maximum of 48 inches on center results in
performance that agrees reasonably well with design expectations (Roller, 1996).
ACI-318•22.6.6.5 requires two No. 5 bars around all wall openings. As an
alternative more suitable to residential construction, a minimum of one rebar
should be placed on each side of openings between 2 and 4 feet wide and two
rebars on each side and one on the bottom of openings greater than 4 feet wide.
The rebar should be the same size required by the design of the reinforced wall or
a minimum No. 4 for plain concrete walls. In addition, a lintel (i.e., concrete
beam) is required at the top of wall openings; refer to Section 4.5.1.6 for more
detail on lintels.

4.5.1.5 Concrete Wall Deflection

ACI-318 does not specifically limit wall deflection. Therefore, deflection
is usually not analyzed in residential foundation wall design. Regardless, a
deflection limit of L/240 for unfactored soil loads is not unreasonable for below-
grade walls.
When using the moment magnifier method, the designer is advised to
apply the calculated moment magnification factor to the unfactored load moments
used in conducting the deflection calculations. The calculation of wall deflection
should also use effective section properties based on EcIg for plain concrete walls
and EcIe for reinforced concrete walls; refer to ACI 318•9.5.2.3 to calculate the
effective moment of inertia, Ie.
If unfactored load deflections prove unacceptable, the designer may
increase the wall thickness or the amount of vertical wall reinforcement. For most
residential loading conditions, however, satisfying reasonable deflection
requirements should not be a limiting condition.

4.5.1.6 Concrete Wall Lintels

Openings in concrete walls are constructed with concrete, steel, precast
concrete, cast stone, or reinforced masonry wall lintels. Wood headers are also
used when not supporting concrete construction above and when continuity at the
top of the wall (i.e., bond beam) is not critical, as in high-hazard seismic or
hurricane coastal zones, or is maintained sufficiently by a wood sill plate and
other construction above.
This section focuses on the design of concrete lintels in accordance with
Chapters 10 and 11 of ACI-318. The concrete lintel is often assumed to act as a
simple span with each end pinned. However, the assumption implies no top
reinforcement to transfer the moment developed at the end of the lintel. Under
that condition, the lintel is assumed to be cracked at the ends such that the end

4-30 Residential Structural Design Guide