RC beam design

• Beam - a structural element designed to resist bending moments,

shear force, torsion and their combinations.
• Beam – support for slab/s, secondary beam/s, column/s (if any),
brickwall, roof truss (for roof structure), roller shutter/s, water
tanks, etc.
• To ensure beam behaves satisfactorily when loads are applied, →
ultimate limit state (ULS) and serviceability limit state (SLS) has
to be taken into consideration during design.
Complete beam design procedure

1. Determination of nominal cover and section dimensions.

2. Calculation of the effective depth (d) based on assumed bar size.
3. Design load calculation. Load pattern.
4. Moment & shear analysis – SFD and BMD (envelope)
5. Design of main reinforcements.
ULS
6. Design of shear reinforcements. At suitable and correct
7. Deflection check. critical locations
SLS Refer to notes for “Torsion
8. Crack check. design for beam”
9. Torsion reinforcements (depends on loading condition)
10. Detailing & curtailment ➢ Correct direction
➢ Correct coverage
➢ Correct location
Loading transferred from supported structures

Calculation of loading from slab/s → depends on:

• Geometry of slab
actions from column: Gk,col • Type of supported condition
Qk,col • Continuity of slab/s
action from brickwall: gk,B/W actions from staircase: gk,stair
gk = swbeam qk,stair

actions from slab 1: gk,slab

qk,slab
Loading diagram for this beam
Analysis of structure (U.L.S.) – continuous spans
o For RC structure, continuous beam is a monolithic frame
o Need to obtain worst condition for all critical locations (M, V, etc.)(e.g. sagging &
hogging, etc)
▪permanent actions → cover all part of structure (all spans) at all time
▪variable actions → can usually cover all or any part of the structure (several
span at certain duration)
▪➔ load patterns → many possible load cases → need to consider all possible
patterns → obtain the worst condition
▪Each case: MDM / sub-frame method; manual @ software → superimpose all
BMD & SFD → obtain enveloped profile.
▪If the span and support conditions of the continuous beam are able to fulfill the
required conditions, Table 3.5 from BS8110 can be used to obtain BMD & SFD
 or or or or

or or or or

For a normal down-stand beam:

At support (hogging): can only design as rectangular section
At mid-span (sagging): can choose between flanged (L or T)
or rectangular section

For an up-stand beam: vice versa

 Shear reinforcements design procedure
Compute VEd (Vmax),
Refer to lecture slides Vef (at support face)
Compute VRd,c

No crushing YES VEd > VRd,c NO

on diagonal Required shear
compression No shear link Minimum link design
reinforcement
strut required
Provide (Asw/S)min
YES  = 22, compute VRd,max (22) NO
From eq 6.8 (EC2) VRd,max (22) > VEf
Design shear link NO
Asw/s  VEd / 0.78d fyk cot  = 45, VRd,max (45) > VEf
YES Increase the beam width/height
sproposed < smax YES Compute 
NO or use higher concrete class
smax = 0.75d(1+cot)  = 0.5 sin-1[Ved/(0.18bwd (1- → Redesign
fck/250)fck]
Use smax Use sproposed
Accept the
YES calculated shear link
(Asw/s)  (Asw/s)min Stop
Design based on
NO
(Asw/s)min
Detailing
EC2 – section 9
• Correct locations for the respective designed reinforcement
• Correct link diameter and spacing as per design → at correct locations
• Calculate and show min. required anchorage length
• Calculate and show min. required lapping length of reinforcement
• Reinforcement curtailment

Curtailment rules
For continuous beam
lapping

lapping Common practice: 0.3L

from center of support is
used (if width of support
is unsure.
Tension reinforcement (at support)
▪ All bars (100%) must be extended with a distance of 0.15L or 45 from the side of support,
whichever is greater.
▪ At least 60% of the bars must then be extended with a distance of 0.25L from the side of
support and,
▪ At least 20% of the bars have to be extended to the end of span (≥ As,min)

Tension reinforcement (at mid-span)

▪ All bars at mid-span must be extended to a distance of 0.15L from the center of the interior
support and 0.1L from the center of the outer support.
▪ At least 30% of this bar has to be extended to the centre of the support (≥ As,min).
Complete beam design procedure

1. Determination of nominal cover and section dimensions.

2. Calculation of the effective depth (d) based on assumed bar size.
3. Design load calculation. Load pattern.
4. Moment & shear analysis – SFD and BMD (envelope)
5. Design of main reinforcements.
ULS
6. Design of shear reinforcements. At suitable and correct
7. Deflection check. critical locations
SLS Refer to notes for “Torsion
8. Crack check. design for beam”
9. Torsion reinforcements (depends on loading condition)
10. Detailing & curtailment ➢ Correct direction
➢ Correct coverage
➢ Correct location
Loading from slab: gk (SW of slab + finishes on slab + services) & qk
When transfer to beam: area load → line load
Load distribution from slab/s to beam depends on:
• geometry of slabs,
• type of supports condition
• continuity of the slabs.

For rectangular slabs that supported in 4-sides, the following method can be used:
• 0ne-way slab (Ly/Lx > 2.0)
where n = uniform distributed
Beam load on slab (kN/m2)

Or: use the shear values at the

Beam beam support (determined using
Table 3.12 of BS8110) → for
continuous one-way slabs.
• Two-way slab (Ly/Lx < 2.0)

Beam where n = uniform distributed

load on slab (kN/m2)

Equivalent UDL
Beam
Or: - use the shear values at the beam support (determined using Table 3.15 of
BS8110) (this method provides more accurate assumption on the distribution
loading from slab because factors on the continuity of slabs and support types have
been considered in the provision clause).

Loads on supporting beams

The design loads on beams supporting solid slabs spanning in two directions at right
angles and supporting uniformly distributed loads may be assessed from the following
equations:

Long span: vsy = vynlx

Short span: vsx = vxnlx

where n = load on slab (kN/m2); vx & vy = shear coefficient from table 3.15 BS8110
Complete beam design procedure

1. Determination of nominal cover and section dimensions.

2. Calculation of the effective depth (d) based on assumed bar size.
3. Design load calculation. Load pattern.
4. Moment & shear analysis – SFD and BMD (envelope)
5. Design of main reinforcements.
ULS
6. Design of shear reinforcements. At suitable and correct
7. Deflection check. critical locations
SLS Refer to notes for “Torsion
8. Crack check. design for beam”
9. Torsion reinforcements (depends on loading condition)
10. Detailing & curtailment ➢ Correct direction
➢ Correct coverage
➢ Correct location