Short reinforced

concrete columns

fail due to initial material failure

Week 3: Analysis and Design of Axially 

Loaded Short Column  The load that it can support is

controlled by the dimensions of
the cross section and the strength
of the materials of which it is
constructed

 being a rather stocky member

with little flexibility

COLUMNS Long or slender reinforced concrete

Concrete columns can be roughly divided into
the following three categories:

Short compression blocks

columns
or pedestals
 If the height of an upright compression  As columns become more slender,
member is less than three times its least bending deformations will increase,
lateral dimensions, it may be considered to
be a pedestal. as will the resulting secondary
 states that a pedestal may be designed moments.
with unreinforced or plain concrete.
 those columns are referred to as
 Should the total load applied to the
being long or slender
member be larger than 0.85φfc Ag, it will
be necessary either to enlarge the cross-
sectional area of the pedestal or to design
it as a reinforced concrete column
Types of Columns
 Tied columns are ordinarily square or
rectangular, but they can be octagonal,
round, L shaped, and so forth.
 Reinforced concrete
columns are referred  The square and rectangular shapes are
commonly used because of the simplicity of
to as tied or spiral constructing the forms, when used in open
columns, depending spaces, circular shapes are very attractive

on the method used  The forms for round columns are often made
for laterally bracing or from cardboard or plastic tubes, which are
peeled off and discarded once the concrete
holding the bars in has sufficiently hardened.
place.

 If a continuous helical spiral made

 If the column has a series of closed
from bars or heavy wire is wrapped
ties, it is referred to as a tied around the longitudinal bars, the
column. These ties are effective in column is referred to as a spiral
increasing the column strength. column.

 prevent the longitudinal bars from

 Spirals are even more effective than
being displaced during construction,
ties in increasing a column’s
and resist the tendency of the strength. The closely spaced spirals
same bars to buckle outward do a better job of holding the
under load, which would cause the longitudinal bars in place, and they
outer concrete cover to break or spall also confine the concrete inside and
off greatly increase its resistance to
axial compression
 As the concrete inside the spiral Failure of Tied and Spiral Columns
tends to spread out laterally
under the compressive load, the  a short, tied column be loaded until it
column will not fail until the fails, parts of the shell or covering
spiral yields or breaks, concrete will spall off and, unless
permitting the bursting of the the ties are quite closely spaced, the
concrete inside. longitudinal bars will buckle
almost immediately, as their lateral
 Spiral columns are normally support (the covering concrete) is
round, but they also can be made gone.
into rectangular, octagonal, or
other shapes.  Such failures may often be quite
sudden, and apparently they have
 For such columns, circular occurred rather frequently in
arrangements of the bars are still structures subjected to
used. earthquake loadings

 the spiral is designed so that it is

 Spirals, though adding to the resilience of columns, just a little stronger than the shell
appreciably increase costs that is assumed to spall off. The
spalling gives a warning of
 they are usually used only for large heavily loaded impending failure and then the
columns and for columns in seismic areas due to their column will take a little more load
considerable resistance to earthquake loadings before it fails.

 In non-seismic zones, probably more than 9 out of 10

existing reinforced concrete columns are tied

 Spirals very effectively increase the ductility and toughness

of columns, but they are much more expensive than ties
P
Axially Loaded Columns
 Columns are classified as pedestal, short column and long Axially loaded short spiral columns
column. Pedestal is a column whose height is less than
three times its least lateral dimension. They maybe
designed without reinforcement with a maximum The axial load capacity of spiral columns is given by:
permissible compressive strength of Φ0.85fc’. Pu =Ф0.85{0.85fc’(Ag-Ast) + Astfy} Ф = 0.75
Limits of reinforcement for spiral columns
1. Pg ranges from 0.01 to 0.08
 If the column does not qualify as pedestal then it maybe 2. The minimum number of longitudinal bars is 6
classified as a short column. They fail due to initial material
Sizes and spacing of main bars and ties
failure. The load on the column depends on the dimension
According to ACI 318-19, a column is 1. Clear spacing between spirals shall not exceed 75 mm,
and the strength of the material it is made.
considered to be axially loaded if nor less than 25 mm
the eccentricity is not greater than 1% of 2. For cast in place construction, size of spirals shall not be less
the column's total depth. The nominal
 If the length of the column is increased, chances of lateral capacity of such a column is equal to the than 10 mm.
buckling increases. Column that fails due to lateral bucking internal concrete compression force and 3. The percentage of spiral reinforcement is computed by
are classified as long columns. internal steel force
4as (Dc  db )
ps 
SDc2

AXIALLY LOADED SHORT TIED COLUMNS Where:

The axial load capacity of tied columns is given by: Dc = diameter of the concrete core
Pu =Ф0.80{0.85fc’(Ag-Ast) + Astfy} Ф = 0.65 as = cross sectional area of the spiral
Ag = gross area of the column S = spacing of the spirals
Ast = area of reinforcement db = diameter of spirals
Limits of reinforcement for tied columns A
pg  st 4. The minimum spiral percentage is given by
1. Pg ranges from 0.01 to 0.08 Ag Ag
2. The minimum number of longitudinal bars is 4 for bars within 0.45 fc' ( 1)
rectangular or circular ties, 3 for bars within triangular bars. Ac
Sizes and spacing of main bars and ties ps min 
fy
1. Clear distance between longitudinal bars shall not be less than
1.5dbnor 40 mm.
2. Use 10 mm diameter ties for 32 mm bars or smaller and at least Where: Ac = area of the concrete core
10 mm in size for 36 mm and bundled longitudinal bars. Clear cover ( min. of 40 mm)
Vertical spacing of ties shall be the smallest of the following: D 2

Ac  c
DC D
 16 times longitudinal bar diameter 4
 48 times tie diameter
Clear cover ( min. of 40 mm)
 least dimension of the column
Dc = D – 2 ( clear cover )
Problems
 A circular spiral column 400 mm in diameter is reinforced with 8 of
25 mm bars with fc’ = 20.7 MPa and fy = 345 MPa. Determine the
following :
a) ultimate axial load capacity of the column.
b) the spacing of 10 mm spirals assuming clear covering of 40 mm

Solution  ( 25 ) 2
Pu =Ф0.85{0.85fc’(Ag-Ast) + Astfy} Ast  8  3927 mm 2
4
 ( 400 ) 2
Ag   125664 mm 2

4
0.75(0.85){0.85(20.7)[(125664 3927]  3927(345)}
Pu   2229.2kN
1000

Problems Diameter ot the concrete core

Dc = D – 2 ( clear cover )=400-2(40) = 320 mm
 A square tied column 350 mm by 350 mm is reinforced with 6 of 25
mm bars with fc’ = 20.7 MPa and fy = 345 MPa. Determine the  D c2  ( 320 ) 2
following : Ac    80425 mm 2
4 4
a) Ultimate axial load capacity of the column.
Ag 125664
b) spacing of 10 mm lateral ties 0.45 fc' (  1) 0.45(20.7)(  1)
Solution Ac 80425
 ( 25 ) 2 ps    0.0152
Ast  6  2945 . 25 mm 2 fy 345
Pu =Ф0.80{0.85fc’(Ag-Ast) + Astfy}
4
 D s2  (10 ) 2
Pu 
0 . 65 ( 0 . 80 ){ 0 . 85 ( 20 . 7 )[( 350 )( 350 )  2945 . 25 ]  2945 . 25 ( 345 )}
 1622 . 23 kN As    78 . 54 mm 2
1000 4 4
Spacing of 10 mm ties 4 a s ( D c  d b ) 4 ( 78 . 54 )( 320  10 )
S    60 mm  25 mm  75 mm
S  16 ( 25 )  400 mm Ps D c2 0 . 0152 ( 320 ) 2
S  48 (10 )  480 mm Use S = 350 mm
Use s = 60 mm
S  350 mm
Design of axially Loaded Tied Columns
Given :axial load, fc’, fy A s  p g Ag  0.02( 400 )( 400 )  3200 mm 2
Required : Column size, size of main bars, size and spacing
of lateral ties Using 20 mm bars
General Procedure
3200 ( 4 )
1.Solve for design axial load Pu No .   11 pcs
 ( 20 ) 2
2.Assume pg 0.01 to 0.08
3. Solve for required gross area to get column size Note: No need to check column capacity
since N and Ag is rounded off to the next whole number
Pu
Ag 

( 0 .65 )0 .8 0 .85 fc' ( 1  p g )  p g f y  Spacing of 10 mm ties
4. Solve for Ast S  16 ( 20 )  320 mm
Ast = pgAg
5. Using adjusted values of column size and Ast, check S  48 (10 )  480 mm
column capacity (optional)
Pu =Ф0.80{0.85fc’(Ag-Ast) + Astfy} S  400 mm Use S = 320 mm
6. Assume size of ties and solve for the spacing
Use the smallest value from the ff:
a) 16 times longitudinal bar diameter
b) 48 times tie diameter
c) least dimension of the column

Problem: Design of axially Loaded Short Spiral Columns

Design a square tied column to support an axial dead load Given :axial load, fc’, fy
of 600 kN and axial live load of 750 kN. fc’ =20.7 MPa, fy = 345 MPa. Required : Column size, size of main bars, size and spacing
of spirals
General Procedure
Pu  1.2 PD  1 .6 PL  1 .2( 600 )  1.6 ( 750 )  1920 kN 1.Solve for design axial load Pu
Assume pg = 0.02 2. Assume pg 0.01 to 0.08
3. Solve for required gross area to get column size
Pu Pu
Ag 

( 0 .65 )0 .8 0 .85 fc' ( 1  p g )  p g f y  Ag 
(0.75)0.850.85 fc ' (1  p g )  p g f y 
1920 ( 1000 )
Ag   152934 mm 2
( 0 .7 )0 .8 0 .85 ( 20 .7 )( 1  0 .02 )  0 . 02 ( 345 )

t Ag  152934  391 mm Say 400 mmx 400 mm square column

Using 25 mm bars 25 mm main vertical bars
4. Solve for Ast
Ast = pgAg 2513( 4 )
N 6
5. Using adjusted values of column size and Ast, check  ( 25 ) 2 40
column capacity (optional)
Pu =Ф0.85{0.85fc’(Ag-Ast) + Astfy} Diameter ot the concrete core
6. Solve for the diameter of the concrete core Dc = D – 2 ( clear cover )=400-2(40) = 320 mm
400
Dc = D – 2 ( clear cover)
A  D c2  ( 320 ) 2
Ac    80425 mm 2
7. Solve for the spiral percentage 0.45 fc' ( g 1) 4 4 40
Ac
ps min  Ag
10 mm spirals at
fy 0.45 fc' (  1) 125663 60 mm pitch
0.45( 20.7 )(  1)
Ac 80425
8. Assume size of spirals and solve for required spacing ps    0.015
fy 345
4a ( D  d )
S s c 2 b where: S ≥ 25 mm, S≤ 75 mm Using 10 mm spirals
Ps Dc  D s2  (10 ) 2
As    78 . 54 mm 2
4 4
4 a s ( D c  d b ) 4 ( 78 . 54 )( 320  10 )
S    60 mm  25 mm  75 mm
Ps D c2 0 . 014 ( 320 ) 2
Use 10 mm spirals at 60 mm pitch

Problem:
Design a circular spiral column to support an axial dead load of 600 kN and axial
live load of 750 kN. fc’ =20.7 MPa, fy = 345 MPa.

Pu  1.2 PD  1.6 PL  1.2( 600 )  1.6( 750 )  1920 kN

Assume pg=0.02

Pu
Ag 
(0.75)0.850.85 fc ' (1  p g )  p g f y 

192( 1000 )
Ag   124746mm2
( 0.75 )0.850.85( 20.7 )( 1  0.02 )  0.02( 345 )

D 2
 124746mm 2 D  400mm
4
 ( 400 ) 2
Ast  p g Ag  0.02( )  2513mm 2
4