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Concrete international / MAY 2003

63 Strut-and-Tie Model for Deep
Beam Design
Jonas Mariano

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 Strut-and-Tie
Model for Deep
Beam Design
A practical exercise using Appendix A of the 2002 ACI Building Code
BY JAMES K. WIGHT AND GUSTAVO J. PARRA-MONTESINOS
ltho ugh the Strut-and-Tie
A Metho d ( STM) has b een used
fo r several years in Euro pe 1,2 and
has b een inc luded in the Canadian
Standard fo r the Design o f Co nc rete
Struc tures 3 sinc e 1984 and the
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Spec ific a-
tio ns 4 sinc e 1994, it is a new c o nc ept
fo r many struc tural engineers in the
U.S. Pro c edures and rec o mmenda-
tio ns fo r the use o f STM to design
reinfo rc ed c o nc rete memb ers were
disc ussed in a State-o f-the-Art
Repo rt fro m Jo int ACI-ASCE Co mmit-
tee 445, Shear and To rsio n,5 b ut
spec ific c o de req uirements were no t
inc o rpo rated into the ACI Building
Co de until the 2002 editio n, 6 as
Appendix A. To help U.S. engineers
impro ve their ab ility to use STM fo r
analysis and design o f c o nc rete
memb ers, Jo int ACI-ASCE Co mmit-
tee 445 and ACI Co mmittee 318-E,
Shear and To rsio n, rec ently c o mpleted
a pub lic atio n that c o ntains a variety
o f STM examples.7 The STM mo del
used here fo r the analysis and
design o f a deep beam is no t unique.
It sho uld be no ted that the STM
pro c edure in Appendix A o f the ACI
Building Co de ( referred to as the
Co de) is a strength limit-state design
appro ac h. Servic eability limit-states
( fo r example, deflec tio ns and
reinfo rc ement distributio n) defined
in the main bo dy o f the Co de must
also be c hec ked.
THE PROBLEM
Figure 1 sho ws the beam to be
analyzed and designed. The Co de
c lassifies the beam in Fig. 1 as a “deep
beam” bec ause the c lear-span-to -to tal-
depth ratio fo r this beam is less than
4.0. The member dimensio ns and
lo ads are the same as tho se used
fo r an example in the PCA No tes.8
Fo r this p ro b lem, ho wever, the
c o nc entrated lo ad is applied
appro ximately at a third-po int o f the
span, instead o f at midspan. The
c o nc entrated lo ad fo r this example
Concrete international / MAY 2 0 0 3 63
was fac to red using the lo ad fac to rs spec ified in Chapter 9
o f the Co de. Thus, the appro priate strength reduc tio n
fac to r φ is 0.75 fo r the STM so lutio n. The beam dead lo ad,
multiplied by the appro priate lo ad fac to r, is assumed to be
inc luded in the c o nc entrated lo ad applied at the to p o f the
beam. In prac tic e, the c o lumns suppo rting the b eam
Fig . 1: The de e p be am dime ns io ns and g e ne ral trus s mo de l
as s ume d fo r the analys is and de s ig n in this article (1 in. =
2 5.4 mm, 1 k = 4 .45 kN)
Fig . 2 : Trus s g e o me try and me mbe r fo rce s afte r the s e co nd trial
o f analys is o f the de e p beam (1 in. = 2 5.4 mm, 1 k = 4 .45 kN)
Fig . 3 : Ge o me try and dime ns io ns o f No de 1 and S trut 1-2 and the
pro ce dure us e d to calculate the width o f S trut 1-2
64 MAY 2 0 0 3 / Concrete international
wo uld o ffer so me resistanc e to b eam end ro tatio ns and
ho rizo ntal displac ements. To be c o nsistent with the
examp le p resented in the PCA No tes, ho wever, we d o
no t assume the c o lumn sup p o rts resist these d efo rma-
tio ns; instead , we assume they ac t as a
c o mb inatio n o f p in- and ro ller-typ e sup p o rts. The
sp ec ified c o nc rete c o mp ressive strength ƒ′c is
4000 p si ( 28 MPa) and the reinfo rc ing steel is assumed
to have a yield strength ƒ y o f 60 ksi ( 410 MPa) . The
transverse d imensio n o f the c o lumns and d eep b eam
is 20 in. ( 510 mm) .
INITIAL STRUT-AND-TIE MODEL
Figure 1 sho ws the initial strut-and -tie mo d el
( o r truss) assumed fo r analysis and d esign o f this
d eep b eam. The b ro ken lines rep resent c o mp ressio n
memb ers ( struts) and the so lid lines rep resent
tensio n memb ers ( ties) . Fo r simp lic ity, the no d es
( no d al zo nes, o r intersec tio n o f the struts and ties)
are sho wn as d imensio nless p o ints. A trial value must
b e selec ted fo r the d ep th o f the truss dv to so lve fo r
the truss memb er fo rc es. With these fo rc es, the
d imensio ns o f the struts, ties, and no d al zo nes c an
b e estab lished , and the value fo r dv c an b e verified o r
mo d ified with a sec o nd iteratio n. Bec ause o f the small
sp an-to -d ep th ratio ( ap p ro ximately 1) fo r the left
p o rtio n o f the b eam, o nly a single strut is used
b etween the c o nc entrated lo ad and the sup p o rt.
The right p o rtio n o f the b eam req uires mo re truss
memb ers b ec ause a single strut ac ting at a shallo w
angle wo uld no t b e safe o r p rac tic al. To c o ntro l the
use o f shallo w angle struts, the Co d e req uires a
minimum angle o f 25 d egrees b etween struts and ties.
SOLUTION OF LEFT PORTION OF BEAM
It is c o nvenient fo r the analysis o f No de 2 to b reak
the c o nc entrated lo ad at the to p o f the b eam into two
parts and so lve the left po rtio n o f the b eam to estab lish
values fo r dv and α1 ( Fig. 2) . Fo r eq uilib rium, 2/ 3 o f the
c o nc entrated lo ad and thus 2/ 3 o f the no de dimensio n
( that is, the to p c o lumn dimensio n) will b e assigned to
the left part o f No de 2. Similarly, 1/ 3 o f the lo ad and
no de dimensio n are assigned to the right part o f No de 2.
The two no de “po ints” sho wn fo r No de 2 are b o th part
o f a single “no dal zo ne.” The fo llo wing gives an iterative
pro c edure to find dv , α1, and the truss memb er fo rc es,
while Fig. 2 gives the sec o nd iteratio n values.
Step 1: Establish truss geometry and truss
member forces
Assume
dv = 60 in. – 2( 7.5 in.) = 45 in. ( 1140 mm)
tan α1 = ( 45 in./ 49.7 in.) implies that α1 = 42.2 degrees
 Fro m equilibrium at No de 1
Σ( Fy) = 428 k – F12 ( sin α1) = 0 implies F12 = 637 k ( 2830 kN)
Σ( Fx ) = F14 – F12 ( c o s α1) = 0 implies F14 = 472 k ( 2100 kN)
Figure 3 gives the geo metry o f No de 1. Bec ause
different effec tive c o mpressive strengths will b e used in
No de 1 and Strut 1-2, and b ec ause the strut’s stress
must b e c hec ked o n a plane perpendic ular to its axis,
the geo metry o f the no d e is a little c o mp lic ated .
Figure 3 sho ws the pro c edure to c alc ulate the width o f
Strut 1-2.
The effec tive c o mpressive strength fo r a no de is
defined as
ƒcu = ( 0.85) βn ƒ′c
No de 1 is a c o mpressio n-c o mpressio n-tensio n ( CCT)
no de, so βn = 0.8. Thus, the effec tive c o mpressive
strength fo r No de 1 at no minal c o nditio ns is
ƒcu( 1) = ( 0.85) βn ƒ′c = ( 0.85) ( 0.80) ( 4.0 ksi) =
2.72 ksi ( 18.7 MPa)
Use this no minal strength and φ = 0.75 to c hec k stress
at the base o f the no de
ƒ( base) = 1.34 ksi ( 9.2 MPa) < φ( 2.72 ksi) =
2.04 ksi ( 14.1 MPa) ( o .k.)
Also , find the width o f Tie 1-4, whic h defines the
height o f No de 1
To ease c alc ulatio ns, assume the height o f No de 1
( w14) is equal to 12 in. ( 305 mm) .
The effec tive c o mpressive strength fo r Strut 1-2, ƒcu(1-2),
pro bably c o ntro ls the stress o n the inc lined fac e o f No de 1.
This value is determined using the same expressio n as
given previo usly fo r a no de, with βs substituted fo r βn.
Fo r Strut 1-2, use βs = 0.75, whic h assumes that a minimum
amo unt o f reinfo rc ement will be pro vided ac ro ss the
strut as required in Sec tio n A.3.3 o f the Co de
ƒcu( 1-2) = 0.85 βs ƒ′c = ( 0.85) ( 0.75) ( 4.0 ksi) =
2.55 ksi ( 17.6 MPa)
No w, use the geo metry o f No de 1 sho wn in Fig. 3 to
determine the width o f Strut 1-2
w s ( 1-2) = w 14( c o s α1) + lb1( sin α1) = ( 12 in.) ( 0.741) +
( 16 in.) ( 0.672)
= 8.89 in. + 10.8 in. = 19.7 in. ( 500 mm)
No w c hec k the strut c apac ity
φ Fns( 1-2) = φƒcuw s( 1-2) b w = ( 0.75) ( 2.55 ksi) ( 19.7 in.) ( 20 in.)
= 754 k ( 3360 kN) > 637 k ( 2830 kN) ( o .k.)
Based o n the analysis o f No de 1, assume that the
height o f No de 2, whic h is a c o mpressio n-c o mpressio n-
c o mpressio n ( CCC) no de and thus, βn = 1.0, will be equal
to 10 in. ( 250 mm) . Then, fo r a sec o nd trial, assume that
dv = 60 in. – (12 in. + 10 in.)/2 = 49 in. (1240 mm). Reevaluating
the truss with this value leads to
α1 = 44.6 degrees; F12 = 609 k ( 2710 kN) ;
and F14 = 434 k ( 1930 kN) .
Bec ause the fo rc es in Strut 1-2 and Tie 1-4 are lo wer
than in the first trial, there is no need to make further
c hec ks at No de 1.
Step 2: Check maximum shear force
permitted in a deep beam
Co de Sec tio n 11.8.3 defines an upper limit fo r the shear
fo rc e permitted in a deep beam. With the c entro id o f
Tie 1-4 established, the effec tive flexural depth o f the
beam d is h – ( w 14/ 2) = 54 in. (1370 mm). Thus, the c hec k
o f Co de Sec tio n 11.8.3 requires
Vu ≤ φVn ( max) = φ( 10) √ƒ′c b w d =
( 0.75) ( 10) √4000 psi ( 20 in.) ( 54 in.)
Vu = 428 k ( 1900 kN) ≤ φVn ( max) = 512 k ( 2280 kN) ( o .k.)
Step 3: Make checks at Node 2
A sketc h o f the left side o f No de 2 is given in Fig. 4.
The to p dimensio n is set equal to 2/ 3 o f the c o lumn
dimensio n, that is, 13.3 in. ( 340 mm) . The vertic al
dimensio n o f the no de was assumed in Step 1 to be 10 in.
( 250 mm) . Chec k the stress o n the to p fac e o f No de 2
( CCC no de) using βn = 1.0
ƒcu( 2) = 0.85 βn ƒ′c = 3.40 ksi ( 23.4 MPa) , and φƒcu( 2) =
2.55 ksi ( 17.6 MPa) .
ƒ( to p) = 1.61 ksi ( 11.1 MPa) ≤ 2.55 ksi ( 17.6 MPa) ( o .k.)
Chec k stress o n vertic al fac e o f left part o f No de 2
Concrete international / MAY 2 0 0 3 65
 Chec k c apac ity o f Strut 1-2 at
No de 2 ( c ritic al end)

φFns( 1-2) = φƒcu( 1-2) w s( 1-2) ( b w) =

(0.75)(2.55 ksi)(16.5 in.)(20 in.) =
631 k ( 2810 kN) > 609 k ( 2710 kN)

Step 4: Select reinforcement

for Tie 1-4
Determine required area o f
reinfo rc ing steel:

Fig . 4 : Ge o me try, fo rce s , and dime ns io ns fo r the le ft part o f No de 2 (1 in. = 2 5.4 mm,
1 k = 4 .45 kN)

Selec t 13 No . 8 bars [ As = 10.3 in.2 ( 6630 mm 2) ] ,

arranged in three ro ws ( Fig. 5) .
Chec k anc ho rage at No de 1:
Fro m Fig. 6, la = ( 6 in.) / ( tan α1) = ( 6 in.) / ( 0.986) =
6.08 in. ( 155 mm)
Thus, available anc ho rage length = la + lb 1 – 1.5 in.
( c o ver) = 20.6 in. ( 520 mm)
Develo pment length fo r a ho o ked No . 8 bar ( Co de
sec tio n 12.5)
Fig . 5: Re info rce me nt re quire d in Tie 1-4 . Thirte e n No . 8 bars we re
arrang e d in thre e ro ws (1 in. = 25.4 mm)
ldh = ( 0.02βλƒy/ √ƒ′c ) db = [ ( 0.02) ( 1) ( 1) ( 60,000 psi) /
√4000 psi] ( 1.0 in.)

ldh = 19.0 in.( 480 mm)

[ > 8db and > 6 in. ( 150 mm) ]

Altho ugh ldh is less than the availab le length, it

wo uld b e a tight fit if o nly 90 d egree ho o ks were used
fo r all the b ars in eac h o f the three ro ws. In-p lane,
180 d egree ho o ks c o uld b e used fo r so me o f the b ars
to p artially relieve the reinfo rc ement c o ngestio n.
The use o f mec hanic al anc ho rage d evic es, whic h have
b een used suc c essfully in tests o f d eep b eams, 9 c o uld
also b e c o nsid ered .

Step 5: Provide minimum reinforcement in

Strut 1-2
Fig . 6 : Lo catio n o f critical s e ctio n fo r ancho rag e o f re info rce me nt Co d e Sec tio n A.3.3 req uires that a minimum
in No de 1 (1 in. = 25.4 mm) p erc entage o f reinfo rc ement b e d istrib uted ac ro ss
b o ttle-shap ed struts to c o ntro l c rac king alo ng the axis
o f the strut. This reinfo rc ement c an b e p ro vid ed either
in an o rtho go nal mesh o r as vertic al-o nly o r ho rizo ntal-
o nly reinfo rc ement. Fo r this b eam, b o th vertic al and
ho rizo ntal reinfo rc ement will b e used to satisfy the
minimum reinfo rc ement req uirement. Bec ause o f the
Determine width o f Strut 1-2 at No de 2 d ep th o f the b eam, the ho rizo ntal reinfo rc ement in the
lo wer p o rtio n o f the b eam must also satisfy the
w s( 1-2) = w 2 ( c o s α1) + 13.3 in. ( sin α1) = 7.12 in. req uirements fo r skin reinfo rc ement in Co d e Sec tio n
+ 9.36 in. = 16.5 in. ( 420 mm) 10.6.7. Finally, we b elieve it is go o d d etailing p rac tic e

66 MAY 2 0 0 3 / Concrete international

to have the ho rizo ntal and vertic al steel also satisfy
the minimum p erc entage and maximum sp ac ing
req uirements in Co d e Sec tio ns 11.8.4 and 11.8.5,
resp ec tively. The angle b etween the axis o f Strut 1-2
and the vertic al reinfo rc ement is
γ1( vertic al steel) = 90 – 44.6 = 45.4 degrees
Fo r vertic al steel, use No . 4 ties, with fo ur legs, at a
spac ing o f 10 in. ( 250 mm) ( < d/ 5)
a flexural member, so we assume it is a prismatic strut
with βs = 1.0. Then, the effec tive c o mpressive strength
fo r Strut 2-3 multiplied by φ is
φƒcu( 2-3) = φ( 0.85) βs ƒ′c = ( 0.75) ( 0.85) ( 1.0) ( 4.0 ksi) =
2.55 ksi ( 17.6 MPa)
Therefo re, the ac ting c o mpressive stress o n the
interio r vertic al fac e o f No de 2 go verns fo r c alc ulating
the width o f Strut 2-3

ρv ( sin γ1) = ( 0.00400) ( 0.712) = 0.00285

The angle between the axis o f Strut 1-2 and the

ho rizo ntal reinfo rc ement is

γ2( ho rizo ntal steel) = 44.6 degrees

Fo r ho rizo ntal steel, use two No . 4 b ars p er layer,

with a sp ac ing o f 8 in. ( 200 mm) b etween layers, to
satisfy the skin reinfo rc ement req uirement ( Fig. 7) .
Chec king the perc entage o f ho rizo ntal reinfo rc ement

ρh( sin γ2) = ( 0.00250) ( 0.702) = 0.00176

Finally, c hec king the req uirements o f Co d e

Sec tio n A.3.3

Σ( ρi) ( sin γi) = 0.00461 > 0.003 ( o .k.)

SOLUTION OF RIGHT PORTION OF BEAM

Figure 2 sho ws the truss geo metry and fo rc es fo r the
right po rtio n o f the deep beam.

tan α2 = ( 49 in.) / ( 50.2 in.) implies that α2 = 44.3 degrees

Step 6: Evaluate right side of Node 2 Fig . 7: Be am s e ctio n s ho wing the ho rizo ntal s te e l to s atis fy the
s kin re info rce me nt re quire me nt (1 in. = 25.4 mm)
Fo r c o nsistenc y, the ac ting c o mpressive stress o n the
interio r vertic al fac e o f No de 2 must
be the same fo r bo th the left side
and right side o f the no de ( Fig. 8) . In
Step 3, the ac ting c o mpressive stress
o n the vertic al fac e was c alc ulated to
be 2.17 ksi ( 15.0 MPa) . To c larify
vec to r equilibrium fo r this part o f
No de 2, the ho rizo ntal fo rc e ac ting
o n the interio r vertic al fac e is sho wn
Fig . 8 : Ge o me try, fo rce s , and dime ns io ns fo r the rig ht part o f No de 2 . Fo r co ns is te ncy,
as two c o mpo nents. Strut 2-3 will the co mpre s s ive s tre s s o n the ve rtical face s o f No de 2 mus t be e qual (1 in. = 2 5.4 mm,
behave like the c o mpressio n zo ne in 1 k = 4 .45 kN)

Concrete international / MAY 2 0 0 3 67


Fig . 9 : Fan-s hape d S truts 2 -4 and 3 -5 in the rig ht s pan o f the
be am e ng ag e s e ve ral s tirrups (1 in. = 25.4 mm)
Fig . 10 : Lo ng itudinal re info rce me nt and s tirrup s pacing fo r the
rig ht po rtio n o f the de e p be am. A total o f 14 s tirrups are pro vide d
at a unifo rm s pacing o f 6 in. (1 in. = 2 5.4 mm)
Fig . 11: Ge ne ral s ke tch o f No de 4 g e o me try, which is co ns ide re d a
CTT node
68 MAY 2 0 0 3 / Concrete international
No w use geo metry to determine width o f Strut 2-4 at
No de 2
w 24 = 5 in. ( c o s α2) + 6.7 in. ( sin α2) = 3.58 in. + 4.66 in. =
8.24 in. ( 210 mm)
Chec k strength o f Strut 2-4 at No de 2, use ƒcu( 2-4) =
ƒcu( 1-2) = 2.55 ksi ( 17.6 MPa)
φFns(2-4) = φƒcu(2-4) w24bw = 0.75(2.55 ksi)(8.24 in.)(20 in.) =
315 k ( 1400 kN) > 304 k ( 1350 kN) ( o .k.)
Step 7: Evaluate reinforcement required in
Tie 3-4
φFnt( 3-4) = φAs( 3-4) ƒy ≥ 212 k ( 945 kN)
Thus,
Selec t No . 4 bars with fo ur legs per stirrup set, Av ( per
set) = 0.80 in.2 ( 520 mm 2) . Thus, we need to use at least
six sets o f No . 4 stirrups with fo ur legs fo r A S( 3-4) = 4.80
in.2 ( 3100 mm 2).
It is reaso nable to assume that the c o mpressio n Strut 2-4
will “fan o ut” and engage several stirrups, as sho wn in
Fig. 9. Strut 3-5 will also fan o ut (Fig. 9). The limiting
dimensio n fo r the wide po rtio n o f the fan-shaped strut c an
be determined by using the minimum angle required
between a strut and tie, defined as 25 degrees in Appendix
A o f the Co de. The dimensio ns sho wn in Fig. 9 satisfy this
minimum angle requirement. So me designers might prefer
to c o nc entrate the stirrup reinfo rc ement at appro ximately
the lo c atio n o f Tie 3-4 in the truss mo del (Fig. 2). The
writers, ho wever, believe that a unifo rm spac ing o f the
transverse reinfo rc ement within the dimensio ns o f the fan-
shaped struts is a mo re reaso nable so lutio n.
The six stirrup sets required fo r Tie 3-4 will need to be
c o mbined with the vertic al reinfo rc ement (stirrups)
required as c rac k-c o ntro l reinfo rc ement c ro ssing the
inc lined struts, as c alc ulated in Step 5. If that reinfo rc ement
is pro vided at a spac ing o f 12 in. (305 mm), all the minimum
reinfo rc ement requirements are satisfied. Thus, a to tal fo r
14 stirrups, six fo r Tie 3-4 and eight fo r c rac k c o ntro l, are
pro vided at a unifo rm spac ing o f 6 in. (150 mm) in the right
po rtio n o f deep beam (Fig. 10).
Step 8: Check of Node 4
Figure 11 is a general sketc h o f No de 4. This c an be
c o nsidered a c o mpressio n-tensio n-tensio n ( CTT) no de
bec ause there is a fo rc e transfer between Tie 1-4 and
Tie 4-5 within the no de. The distributio n o f lo ngitudinal and
vertic al reinfo rc ement already determines the vertic al and
ho rizo ntal dimensio ns o f the no de. As determined by the
distributio n o f lo ngitudinal reinfo rc ement at No de 1 (Fig. 5),
the vertic al dimensio n o f No de 4 is 12 in. (305 mm). Then,
c o nservatively assuming that the no de extends ho rizo n-
tally o ver the spread between the c lo sest six stirrups
required fo r Tie 3-4 (plac ed at a 6 in. [150 mm] spacing), the
horizontal dimension of Node 4 is 30 in. (760 mm).
Fo r this CTT no de, βn = 0.6 and the effec tive c o mpres-
sive strength is
Based o n the c hec k o f No de 1 ( Step 1) , the stress at
the base o f No de 5 is ac c eptable bec ause the reac tio n
fo rc e is appro ximately half o f that at No de 1 while the
base dimensio ns and the effec tive c o mpressive strength
o f this no de are the same.
Reinfo rc ement required in Tie 4-5

ƒcu( 4) = ( 0.85) ( βn) ( ƒ′c ) = ( 0.85) ( 0.6) ( 4 ksi) =

2.04 ksi ( 14.1 MPa)

The fo rc e transfer at the level o f the lo ngitud inal To pro vide the req uired area o f reinfo rc ement at
steel is 217 kips ( 965 kN) , so the minimum height o f No de 5, assume eight b ars fro m the b o tto m two layers
the No d e w14 is o f No . 8 b ars will b e fully anc ho red at No de 5 ( c enter
b ar in lo west layer will no t b e ho o ked) . Thus

A S( pro vided) = 8( 0.79 in.2) = 6.32 in.2 ( 4080 mm 2) >

4.82 in.2 ( 3110 mm 2) ( o .k.)

A similar c hec k c an be made fo r the ho rizo ntal

The c ritic al sec tio n fo r anc ho rage o f this reinfo rc ement
dimensio n, but bec ause the vertic al fo rc e in Tie 3-4 is 212
is at a distanc e la fro m fac e o f suppo rt ( Fig. 12)
kip (945 kN), the required ho rizo ntal dimensio n will be
close to 7 in. (180 mm), which is significantly less than 30 in.
(760 mm). Bec ause Strut 2-4 will be very wide at this no de,
there is no need to c hec k the effec tive c o mpressive
strength o f the strut. Thus, the dimensio ns o f No de 4 are
Available anc ho rage distanc e = la + lb 5 – 1.5 in. =
ac c eptable. Further, bec ause No de 3 is a CCT no de that
19.1 in. ( 485 mm) .
c arries similar lo ads and has a similar geo metry to No de 4,
Fro m Step 4, ldh( 1) = 19.0 in. ( 480 mm) , but this c an be
there is no need to c hec k No de 3.
reduc ed here bec ause signific antly mo re steel is pro vided
than required
Step 9: Confirm that vertical and horizontal
steel satisfies Code Section A.3.3
The same ho rizo ntal reinfo rc ement is pro vided here as
was used in the left po rtio n o f the beam (Step 5), but the
spac ing fo r the vertic al reinfo rc ement used fo r c rac k
c o ntro l has effec tively been inc reased to 12 in. (305 mm),
as stated in Step 7. Co mbining this c hange with the small
c hange in the angle o f inc linatio n fo r the strut leads to the
fo llo wing results.

ρv = 0.00333, and Σ( ρi) ( sin γi) = 0.00413 > 0.003 ( o .k.) .

Step 10: Check dimensions and anchorage

at Node 5
Set the wid th o f Tie 4-5 eq ual to 9 in. ( 230 mm) , so
the c entro id o f the tie will c o rresp o nd to the c entro id
o f the b o tto m two layers o f lo ngitud inal reinfo rc ement,
no t inc luding the c enter bar o f the bo tto m layer ( Fig. 12) .
The effec tive c o mp ressive strength o f No d e 5 ( CCT
no d e) will b e the same as that fo r No d e 1, that is ƒ cu( 5)
= 2.72 ksi ( 18.7 MPa) . Using this value to c hec k the
minimum wid th o f Tie 4-5 sho ws
Fig . 12 : Ge o me try and dime ns io ns o f No de 5. The critical s e ctio n
fo r ancho rag e o f the re info rce me nt is at a dis tance l a from the
face o f the s uppo rt (1 in. = 2 5.4 mm)

Concrete international / MAY 2 0 0 3 69


Step 11: Check strength of Strut 3-5 at Node 5
Bec ause the minimum c rac k-c o ntro l reinfo rc ement
required by Co de Sec tio n A.3.3 (Step 9) c ro sses this strut,
the effec tive c o mpressive strength, ƒcu(3-5), is the same as
that used fo r Strut 1-2 (2.55 ksi [17.6 MPa]). Strut 3-5 must
be c hec ked at its narro wer end, whic h o c c urs at No de 5.
Fro m Fig. 12, this width is
w 35 = lb 5sin α2 + w 45c o s α2 = 17.6 in. ( 447 mm)
Thus, the strength o f this strut at No de 5 is
φFns(3-5) = φƒcu(3-5) w 35 b w = (0.75)(2.55 ksi)(17.6 in.)(20 in.) =
673 k ( 3000 kN) > 304 k ( 1350 kN) ( o .k.)
Step 12: Check straight anchorage of No. 8
bars from Node 4 to Node 5
Assume the top layer of bars and the middle bar in the
bottom row are developed as straight bars from Node 4 to
Node 5 (Fig. 2). The available anchorage to the center of
support at Node 5 is at least 50.2 in. (1280 mm). The required
development length from Section 12.2.2 of the Code is
FINAL DETAILS
Figure 7 and 10 sho w the final reinfo rc ement details. The
anc ho rage o f three layers o f No . 8 bars with 90 degree
ho o ks will c ause so me detailing and c o nstruc tio n pro blems
at No de 1. As disc ussed earlier, the use o f mec hanic al
anc ho rage devic es o r 180 degree ho o ks in the plane o f the
reinfo rc ement layers may be required.
The spac ing o f stirrups in the right span o f the beam
is smaller than that in the left span. Mo st designers
wo uld expec t a wider spac ing in the right span bec ause
the design shear fo rc e is lo wer than in the left span. This
apparent ano maly o c c urs bec ause there is essentially
no c o nc rete c o ntributio n ( fo rmer Vc term) in the right
span, that is, all the design shear is assigned to the web
reinfo rc ement. In the left span, the entire design shear
is essentially c arried b y the c o nc rete strut, with the
additio n o f minimum spec ified amo unts o f vertic al and
ho rizo ntal steel to c o ntro l c rac king in the b o ttle-shaped
Strut 1-2.
As stated in the intro duc tio n, this is no t a unique
so lutio n and o ther designs c o uld be develo ped using STM.
Co mments o n this design and suggested mo dific atio ns
are welc o me.
70 MAY 2 0 0 3 / Concrete international
References
1. Sc hlaic h, J.; Sc häfer, K.; and Jennewein, M., “To ward a
Co nsistent Design o f Struc tural Co nc rete,” PCI Jo urnal, V. 32, No . 3,
1987, pp. 74-150.
2. FIP Co mmissio n 3, “FIP Rec o mmendatio ns, Prac tic al Design o f
Struc tural Co nc rete,” FIP Co ngre ss, SETO, Lo ndo n, England, 1996.
3. Canadian Standards Asso c iatio n, “Design o f Co nc rete
Struc tures, CSA Standard A23.3-94,” Canadian Standards Asso c iatio n,
Ottawa, Canada, 1994.
4. AASHTO, “AASHTO LRFD Bridge Spec ific atio ns fo r Highway
Bridges” (2001 Interim Revisio ns), Americ an Asso c iatio n o f Highway
and Transpo rtatio n Offic ials, Washingto n, D.C., 1998.
5. ACI-ASCE Co mmittee 445, “Rec ent Appro ac hes to Shear Design
o f Struc tural Co nc rete,” ASCE Jo urnal o f Structural Engine e ring,
V. 124, No . 12, 1998, pp. 1375-1417.
6. ACI Co mmittee 318, “Building Co de Requirements fo r Structural
Co ncrete (ACI 318-02),” American Co ncrete Institute, Farmingto n Hills,
MI, 2002, 443 pp.
7. Reinec k, K.-H., ed., Example s fo r the De sign o f Structural
Co ncre te with Strut-and-Tie Mo de ls, SP-208, Americ an Co nc rete
Institute, Farmingto n Hills, MI, 2002, 242 pp.
8. Fanella, D., and Rabbat, B., “No tes o n ACI 318-02 Building Co de
Requirements fo r Struc tural Co nc rete,” Po rtland Cement Asso c ia-
tio n, 2002, Sko kie, IL.
9. Aguilar, G.; Matamo ro s, A.; Parra-Mo ntesino s, G.; Ramirez, J.;
and Wight, J. K., “Experimental Evaluatio n o f Design Pro c edures fo r
Shear Strength o f Deep Reinfo rc ed Co nc rete Beams,” ACI Structural
Jo urnal, V. 99, No . 4, July-Aug. 2002, pp. 539-548.
Rec eived and reviewed under Institute pub lic atio n po lic ies.
Ja m e s K. Wigh tt, FACI, is a professor of civil
engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor. He is Chair of ACI Committee 318,
Structural Concrete Building Code, and former
Chair of ACI Committee 318-F, New Materia ls ,
Products, Ideas. Wight is also a member of
ACI Committee 369, Seismic Repair and
Rehabilitation, and Joint ACI-ASCE Committees
352, Joints and Connections in Monolithic
Concrete Structures, and 445, Shear and Torsion. His primary research
interest is earthquake resistant design of reinforced concrete structures.
ACI me mb e r Gu s t a vvo o J. P rraa -Mo n t e s in o s
Paa rr
is a n a s s is ta nt p rofe s s or a t th e Unive rs ity of
Mich iga n, Ann Arb or, wh e re h e ob ta ine d h is
Ph D in 20 0 0 . He is me mb e r of Joint ACI-ASCE
Committe e 352, Joints a nd Conne ctions in
Monolith ic Concre te Structure s , a nd
Se cre ta ry of ACI Committe e 335, Comp os ite
a nd Hyb rid Structure s . His re s ea rch inte re s ts
includ e th e s e is mic b e h a vior a nd d es ign of
re inforce d concre te , hyb rid s te e l-concre te , a nd fib e r-re inforce d
concre te s tructu re s .