Unreinforced concrete wall

[WARose]

I've got a client that wants me to use a unreinforced concrete wall for a short (in height and length) wall. I've never done one before and I'm really not too pleased with the idea. I look at the code however and there is nothing stopping it (it's not a bad seismic zone, it will always be in compression, the eccentricity will always be in the middle third, etc, etc).

Can anyone give me some ammo to beg off of it?

 

[oldestguy]

A little more info would help. Would a concrete block wall work also? This also falls into the category of house basements. Both work there, but not equally. Then reinforced basements vs not reinforced. Maybe point to problems noted with one vs the other there. How about joints?

 

[JoelTXCive]

Don't you at least need some temperature and shrinkage reinforcement for surface cracking? Or, if the wall has any flexure going on, then As_min for flexure?

If the client is totally opposed to those, maybe you could sell them on some welded wire mesh at least.

 

[WARose]

@oldestguy: Yes a masonry wall would work. And a point I made with that is that masonry is far more forgiving for temperature and shrinkage issues. And yes I have a joint....but I'm still not cozy with the idea. Where/when expansion/contraction will happen isn't as straight forward as it first appears. You worry you've missed something because these walls have more stiffness than is good for them. (I.e. they attract forces they cannot take.)

@JTC: My reading of Chapter 22 (in ACI 318) does not require such steel. (After all, that's why they call it "plain".)

 

[JAE]

I'd keep tight on the control joint spacing...i.e. closely spaced.

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