Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

  • Congratulations cowski on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Can minimum reinforcement in short concrete column go below 1%?? 2

Status
Not open for further replies.

PostFrameSE

Structural
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
174
Location
US
As I read ACI 318, I don't see any provision for allowing less than 1% steel/concrete ratio. I understand the reasoning for that, however......if for reasons other than the structural load-carrying capacity of the column I want to make a larger column..........do I HAVE to reinforce it more heavily?

For example, I designed a 16" circular pier, with (6) #6 bars to carry my loads. Now the concrete guy wants to use a 24" x 24" pier. My loads haven't changed. Must my rebar?

Thanks.
 
You used to be able to, and I'm not familiar with ACI. At one time you could effectively use a fraction of the physical column area to determine the area on which the percentage of steel was based.

Dik
 
i'm sure you can use 0.5% just dont have time to look at aci. look it up.
 
Thanks, there's still provision...

Dik
 
ACI 318 - 05, section 10.8.4 permits to base the minimum reinforcement and strength of a compression member on a reduced effective area Ag not less than one-half the total area. This provision does not apply in regions of high seismic risk.

To extend PostFrameSE's post further-----

How do we distinguish between a flexural & a compression member?
Typically we treat vertical elements as compression members. Should a vertical element with minimal axial load be treated as a compression member or a flexural member for determining minimum reinforcement?

Chapter 21 - special provisions for seismic designs, distinguishes a flexural member from a beam-column if factored axial compressive force on the member does not exceed
Ag.f'c / 10.
Any thoughts?
 
Thank you all for your posts!!! I glossed right over that section.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top