STRONG COLUMN WEAK BEAM (SCWB)

Phenomenon

April 27, 2017 – MDC Head Office

I. INTRODUCTION

• Earthquake-resistant design philosophy allows damages

in some predetermined structural components.
• Capacity design procedure sets strength hierarchy first
at the member level and then at the structure level.
• Thus, it needs adjusting of column strength to be more
than the beams framing into it at a joint.

• Mc and Mb are moment capacities at the end of column

and beam meeting at a joint respectively.
II. SCWB DEFINED

• Stronger columns with moment capacities more than

those of beams framing into a joint obtained
considering over strength factors.
• Plastic hinge formations in beams
• At a particular beam-column-joint, beam is designed to
be the weakest to avoid failure at the joint.
• Ductile chain analogy

R. Murty
III. MOMENT FRAME BEHAVIOR under SCWB
SEAOC Blue Book 1999

Comparison of beam and column failure mechanism

by lateral force and displacement curve
III. MOMENT FRAME BEHAVIOR under SCWB

Plastic analysis – SEAOC seismic design

examples, Volume 3
III. MOMENT FRAME BEHAVIOR under SCWB
IV. SCWB Check Flowchart
V. SCWB as per NSCP 2015
VI. SCWP as per NSCP 2015 and ACI 318-14

NSCP 2015 ACI 318-14

Commentary from ACI 318-14:

VII. Property Modifier under Serviceability State
Commentary from ACI 318-14:

ACI 318-14

NSCP 2015
VIII. ETABS Design (Local SCWB)

Beam 1
Beam 4

Avida Arca South (4F): Interior Joint Beam 3

Beam 2
VIII. ETABS Design (Local SCWB)

Beam 2
Beam 3

Beam 1

Avida Arca South (4F): Perimeter Joint

IX. References
• ACI 318-14M
• ETABS 2015 Concrete Frame Design Manual (ACI 318-08/IBC
2009
• Design of Concrete Structure by Nilson, et.al.
• Moment Capacity Ratio at Beam – Column Joint in a Regular
RC Framed Building by Sunayana

Thank you for listening!!!! =)