Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof.

Dr Ng Chee Khoon

FRAME ANALYSIS

1 INTRODUCTION

Cast in-situ reinforced concrete frames behave as rigid frames and therefore the analyses of the
frames are as follows:

(i) Slabs are analyzed as continuous members supported by beams, walls or columns spanning
one or two ways. Beams and columns are analyzed as rigid frames.
(ii) Full 3D frame analysis can be carried out for the “exact” or more accurate solution but too
troublesome to be carried out. Therefore it is a common practice for design engineers to
break down the whole structural frame into a number of 2D substitute frames (sub-frames).

Example
Fig. 1.2 One of the sub-frames detached from the rigid frame
The 6-storey building frame shown in Fig. 1.1 has been modelled down to a 2D sub-frame
shown in Fig. 1.2.
Structural frames are classified into two types:
(i) Braced Frames – building frames that resist no horizontal loads, e.g., no wind loads, which
are transferred to the beam-column frames. The horizontal loads are resisted by bracings or
walls. In short, the structural frames resist only the vertical loads [see Fig. 1.3(a)].
(ii) Unbraced Frames – building frames that resist both horizontal and vertical loads. Therefore
they are designed as such to resist the bending moment, shear force and axial load caused by
both types of loads [see Fig. 1.3(b)].

(a) Braced frames

(b) Unbraced frame

Fig. 1.3 Braces and unbraced frames

Fig. 1.1 Full 3D structural frame of a 6-storey building

Frame Analysis 1 Frame Analysis 2

Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon

2 ANALYSES OF BRACED FRAMES (2) BS8110-1:1997, section 3.2.1.2.3:

The sub-frame as shown in Fig. 1.2 is further simplified as follows: kB

kB 2
(1) BS8110-1:1997, section 3.2.1.2.1:
kC kC
wmax
(i)
(a) Left edge beam

wmax wmax kB kB
wmin
2 kB 2
(ii)
kC kC
wmin wmax wmin
(iii) (b) Middle beam

kB
2 kB

kC kC
(a) Sub-frame for roof

(c) Right edge beam

Fig. 2.2 Sub-frames for the roof the rigid frame shown in Fig. 1.2

kC kC kB
(b) Sub-frame for intermediate floors kB 2
(a) Left edge beam
Fig. 2.1 Sub-frames for the rigid frame shown in Fig. 1.2
kC kC
 The design moment envelopes are based on three cases of loading where
wmax = 1.35Gk + 1.5Qk
wmin = 1.35Gk
kB k kC kB
C
 The design moments for columns are taken from the analyses of intermediate floors. 2 kB 2
(b) Middle beam
kC kC

kB
2 kB
(c) Right edge beam
kC kC

Fig. 2.3 Sub-frames for the intermediate floors of the rigid frame shown in Fig. 1.2

Frame Analysis 3 Frame Analysis 4

Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon

(3) BS8110-1:1997, sections 3.2.1.2.4 and 3.2.1.2.5: Example

Beam: 250  500

(a) Continuous beam 3.5 m IB = 2600  106 mm4
A' B' C'
3.5 m Column: 300  300
kB A B C IC = 675  106 mm4
2
(b) Edge column 3.5 m
A" B" C" Gk = 25 kN/m
kC Qk = 15 kN/m
4.5 m
kB kB wmax = 56.3 kN/m
wmin = 33.8 kN/m
2 2 8.0 m 6.0 m
kC (c) Middle column
BS8110-1:1997, section 3.2.1.2.4 and 3.2.1.2.5:
Fig. 2.4 Continuous beam and sub-frames for the roof of the rigid frame shown in Fig. 1.2
I 56.3 II 56.3 III 56.3
33.8 33.8

(a) Continuous beam

229.8
184.9 212.7 179.5
155.1
kB 102.3
2
(b) Edge column
47.7
kC 125.1 108.0
168.1

265.5 270.9

kB kB 365.7
322.1
2 2 263.1

kC (c) Middle column

33.7
139.0 103.6
154.8 286.1
Fig. 2.5 Continuous beam and sub-frames for the intermediate floors of the rigid frame shown in 303.6
Fig. 1.2
229.8 I
184.9 365.7
II
 Design moments for beams are taken from continuous beam [Figs. 2.4(a) and 2.5(a)].
III
kNm
 Design moments for columns are taken from sub-frames [Figs. 2.4(b) and (c) and Figs. kN
2.5(b) and (c)]. In these analyses, wmax is applied to the longer span beam and wmin is 125.1 139.0
applied to the other. 303.6
270.9
Shear force envelope Bending moment envelope

Frame Analysis 5 Frame Analysis 6

Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon

kB I 2600  10 6 BS8110-1:1997, section 3.2.1.2.3:

 B   1.63  10 5
A' 56.3 kN/m 2 2 LB 2  8000
A
I C 675  10 6 A B C A B C
kC    1.93  10 5
A" LC 3500 k/2 k/2

k = 1.93 + 1.93 + 1.63 = 5.49

110.6 Sub-frame for finding Sub-frame for finding
221.2
Distribution factor for both columns = 1.93/5.49 = 0.35 moment within AB moment within BC
110.6
wl 2 56.3  8 2 I
M    300.3 kNm
12 12 56.3 kN/m 33.8 kN/m
A B C
1.93 k/2
MC   300.3  105.6 kNm
5.49
II
33.8 kN/m 56.3 kN/m
k B  right IB 2600  10 6 D. F.:
B'    2.17  10 5
56.3 kN/m 2 2 LB 2  6000
33.8 kN/m III 0.27 0.21 0.23
56.3 kN/m
k = 1.93 + 1.93 + 1.63 +2.17 = 7.66 0.27 0.46 0.35 0.21
B
B" FEM for 56.3 kN/m load: 300.3 kNm

FEM for 33.8 kN/m load: 101.4 kNm I

F.E.M.: After moment distribution:
Nett moment: 198.9 kNm
+
1.93
MC   198.9  50.1 kNm -300.3 300.3 -101.4 101.4 94.2 -188.3 282.6 -58.6
7.66
94.2 -58.6 -165.4

C' FEM: 168.9 kNm

56.3 kN/m
k = 1.93 + 1.93 + 2.17 = 6.03 II III
C
After moment distribution: +
1.93
C" MC   168.9  54.1 kNm
6.03
51.2 -102.4 204.7 -11.6 90.8 -181.6 304.4 -43.8
51.2 -11.6 -181.5 90.8 -43.8 -216.8

Frame Analysis 7 Frame Analysis 8

Reinforced Concrete Design © Prof. Dr Ng Chee Khoon

BS8110-1:1997, section 3.2.1.2.1:

56.3 kN/m 33.8 kN/m

A B C

II

33.8 kN/m 56.3 kN/m

A B C

III

56.3 kN/m

A B C

Frame Analysis 9