Evolution of

ACI 562 Code—Part 4

Framework for determination of substantial structural damage in an existing
concrete structure

by Gene R. Stevens and Keith Kesner

Existing Concrete Structures—Learning Lessons and Advancing Solutions

ACI Committee 562, Evaluation, Repair, and Rehabilitation of Concrete Buildings, strives to advance the practice of
engineering and improve the repair and rehabilitation of existing concrete structures. ACI Subcommittee 562-E, Education, is
dedicated to helping engineers, building officials, contractors, owners, inspectors, and others by conveying information in
more detail than is possible solely through the ACI 562 Code and Commentary. To this end, and in the hope of improving
these documents, members of ACI 562 are providing a series of articles under the main theme, “Existing Concrete
Structures—Learning Lessons and Advancing Solutions.”
Through this series, the committee members explain the rationale behind some of the upcoming changes in the
ACI 562 Code as well as share example problems, ideas, concepts, and the thoughts discussed in ACI Committee 562
meetings. It is also anticipated the series will help the committee address questions from the engineering and construction
sectors, solicit answers to problems, and review areas of needed research.
ACI Committee 562 has responded to the public comments and is in the final editing process prior to printing.
References to ACI 562-16 in this article are based on the public comment version. The final version is expected to be
published in May 2016.

A
ssessment and design of repair or rehabilitation code-specified regulations, which facilitate discernment, is
measures for existing concrete structures require one of the many subjects that are addressed in code
knowledge and education in structural engineering commentary, guides, and articles such as these.
beyond the elastic range of structural performance. The
licensed design professional involved in repair and Substantial Structural Damage
rehabilitation projects must have experience with: The concept of “substantial structural damage” is presented
•• The building code for new construction, such as the in the IEBC as a damage level that delineates when an existing
International Building Code (IBC)1; structure must be repaired to satisfy requirements for new
•• The building code for existing buildings, such as the construction. The ACI 562-16 Code was developed to work with
International Existing Building Code (IEBC)2; the IEBC or, alternatively, as a stand-alone code (for adoption
•• Demand specific standards, such as ASCE/SEI 73; in jurisdictions that have not adopted the IEBC). When
•• Material specific standards that may act with or as part of ACI 562-16 is used with the IEBC, the definitions for substantial
the building codes, such as ACI 3184 and ACI 5625; structural damage from the IEBC are used in conjunction with
•• Different processes and materials of concrete construction Chapter 4 of ACI 562-16. When ACI 562 is used as a stand-
that were used in the existing structure; alone code for existing buildings (that is, when the IEBC is not
•• Causes of deterioration and damage; and used), the definitions for substantial structural damage as
•• Remedies for deterioration, faulty construction, and presented in ACI 562-16 Appendix A, Section A.4—Substantial
damage that provide the durability sought. Structural Damage, are to be used. This article provides some
The prerequisites for engineering judgment and insight into the interpretations made by ACI Committee 562 for
requirements for the application of prudence are nearly defining substantial structural damage in existing concrete
impossible to establish in a code. The interpretation of structures when ACI 562-16 is used as a stand-alone code.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | MAY 2016 53

 In Chapter 2 of ACI 562-16, damage is defined as changes “Capacities according to Chapter 6 and strength-reduction
(reductions) in the capacity of an existing structure resulting factors per 5.3 or 5.4 shall be used in Eq. (A.4.1a) through
from events, such as overloads or displacements from (A.4.1c). The design-basis criteria shall be the current
earthquakes or foundation settlement. The commentary for building Code demands, supplemented by requirements of this
damage makes a clear and subtle distinction between damage Code for the existing structure and ASCE/SEI 41 for seismic
and deterioration or faulty construction. The reasons for this design provisions for the following:
distinction in concrete structures is to ensure that sudden (a) Lateral-force-resisting system in both directions for
failure modes or failures in members or connections that lead the case of substantial structural damage in either
to widespread progressive damage whether in small or large direction from lateral forces; and
regions of the structures are appropriately evaluated and (b) Vertical members of the gravity-load-resisting system
rehabilitated for deterioration or faulty construction. The for the case of substantial structural damage from
committee recognized that the licensed design professional gravity loads.
needed an option to assess existing structures and design local “Structures assigned to Seismic Design Category D, E,
repairs where either deterioration or faulty construction is and F per ASCE/SEI 7 with substantial structural damage
limited to a small area or when code changes have resulted in caused by earthquake shall be assessed or rehabilitated for
a substantial increase in nominal loads, such as snow loads. load combinations that include earthquake effects. The
These conditions and when damage is less than substantial seismic design provisions of ASCE/SEI 41 shall be Earthquake
structural damage were addressed in Part 36 of this series. Hazard Level, BSE-1E with the Basic Performance Objective
Assessment for substantial structural damage requires the of ‘Life Safety’ for Risk Category I, II, or III (ASCE/SEI 7)
calculation of the nominal capacities, Rn and Rcn, excluding and of ‘Immediate Occupancy’ for Risk Category IV.
and including the effects of reduced capacity, respectively. “The design of new structural members and connections to
Assessment also requires calculation of the demand, Uc, using members supporting load from vertical members of the
nominal loads of the current building Code, factored load gravity-load-resisting system that have substantial structural
combinations of ASCE/SEI 7 for strength design provisions damage from gravity loads shall be in accordance with
(LRFD), and applying an appropriate strength-reduction provisions of the current building code.”
factor (ϕ) based on either Section 5.3 or 5.4 of ACI 562-16. The commentary for Appendix A.4.1 states:
Section A.4 of ACI 562-16 states: “RA.4.1 The assessment criteria for substantial structural
“A.4.1 Substantial structural damage shall be assessed damage are specific to existing concrete structures, which
using current building Code demands. Substantial structural were adapted from the IEBC.
damage to vertical members of the lateral-force-resisting “In Eq. (A.4.1c) the demand load has been modified from
system shall be where in any story, the shear walls or columns the IEBC’s limit of only dead and live loads to include snow
of the lateral-force-resisting system are damaged such that the load. Further, the current building Code factored gravity load
lateral-load-resisting nominal capacity of the structure (∑Rcn) demand used in Eq. (A.4.1c) should include other gravity loads
in any horizontal direction is reduced more than 33 percent judged to be applicable to the structure, such as drifting snow.
from its predamage condition (∑Rn), as shown in Eq. (A.4.1a). “Supplemental requirements of this Code for the design-
basis criteria include strength-reduction factors per Section 5.3
{(∑Rn – ∑Rcn)/ ∑Rn}>0.33 (A.4.1a) or 5.4, capacities according to Chapter 6, repairs per Chapter 7,
durability per Chapter 8, repair construction per Chapter 9,
“Substantial structural damage to vertical elements of the and quality assurance per Chapter 10 for existing structures.
gravity-load-resisting system shall be where for any wall or The referenced seismic design provisions of ASCE/SEI 41 are
column or group of vertical members of the gravity-load- adapted from those defined in the IEBC.”
resisting system whose tributary area is more than 30 percent The committee included Eq. (A.4.1a), (A.4.1b), and
of the total area of the structure’s floor(s) and roof(s) are (A.4.1c) in ACI 562-16 to explicitly define substantial
damaged such that the total vertical nominal capacity (∑Rcn) is structural damage. For the assessment of vertical gravity
reduced more than 20 percent from its predamage condition load-carrying members using Eq. (A4.1b), Committee 562
(∑Rn), as shown in Eq. (A.4.1b) replaced the IEBC’s language, “vertical gravity load-carrying
component, or any group of such components, that supports
{(∑Rn – ∑Rcn)/ ∑Rn}>0.2 (A.4.1b) more than 30 percent of the total area of the structure’s
floor(s) and roof(s)” with “vertical member (wall or column)
and concurrently where the current building Code factored or group of vertical members of the gravity-load-resisting
gravity (dead, live, and snow) load demand to in-place vertical system whose tributary area is more than 30 percent of the total
design capacity ratio of these damaged members is more than area of the structure’s floor(s) and roof(s).” The committee
1.33, as shown in Eq. (A.4.1c). agreed that “tributary area” provides a more appropriate
description than “…that supports” and that “vertical member
∑Uc / ∑ϕRcn ≥1.33 (A.4.1c) (wall or column)” is a more explicit and appropriate

54 MAY 2016 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

description than “vertical gravity load-carrying component.” 6. Stevens, G., and Kesner, K., “Evolution of ACI 562 Code––Part 3,”
Concrete International, V. 38, No. 4, Apr. 2016, p. 49.
Load demand
Load demand is to include snow loads and other gravity Selected for reader interest by the editors.
loads that the licensed design professional determines are
applicable to the structure. The first sentence of Section A4.1
notes that the assessment is to use current building Code ACI member Gene R. Stevens is a
Principal with J.R. Harris & Company,
demands. Hence, loads as would be used in new construction
Denver, CO. He is Chair of ACI Subcom-
are required for the assessment per Eq. (A.4.1c). If columns or
mittee 562-A, General, and the Structural
walls are damaged as a result of gravity loads in excess of Engineers Association of Colorado
those predicted from the original building Code, then using Existing Structures Committee. He
updated load information is rational. specializes in the analysis and design of
Using the procedures from Part 36 in this series, a tied structures for seismic effects; evaluation
column (that is, a column without spiral reinforcement) with a of distress in existing structures; and
demand-capacity ratio given by the limit in Eq. (A.4.1c) has a design of repairs and upgrades for
reliability index (β) of about 1.25. This represents somewhat distressed, damaged, or under-strength structures. He is a
more than a 10% probability of failure in 50 years. While this member of ACI Committee 562, Evaluation, Repair, and Rehabili-
probability of failure is unacceptable, it does not account for tation of Concrete Buildings, and Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 352,
Joints and Connections in Monolithic Concrete Structures.
repair of the damage that would restore the column’s strength
Stevens received his BS in civil engineering from the University of
to that required in the original building Code. Committee 562
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, and his MS in civil
considers the combination of a 20% loss in strength in a engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley,
column (Eq. (A.4.1b)) and a β value of 1.25 (Eq. (A.4.1c)) as CA. He is a licensed professional engineer in several states and a
excessive damage. Rehabilitation to the current building Code licensed structural engineer in California.
strength is thus judged to be appropriate when Eq. (A.4.1b)
and (A.4.1c) are coexisting. Keith Kesner, FACI, is a Project Manager
with CVM Professional, King of Prussia, PA.
References He specializes in the evaluation and
1. “2015 International Building Code (IBC),” International Code rehabilitation of existing structures and is
the Chair of ACI Committee 562, Evaluation,
Council, Washington, DC, 2015.
Repair, and Rehabilitation of Concrete
2. “2015 IEBC,” International Code Council, Washington, DC, 2015.
Buildings. He also serves on ACI Committees
3. ASCE/SEI 7-10, “Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and
228, Nondestructive Testing of Concrete;
Other Structures,” American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA, 364, Rehabilitation; and ACI Subcommittee
2010, 608 pp. C601-F, Nondestructive Testing Technician.
4. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural He was a co-recipient of the 1998 ACI Construction Practice Award
Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14),” American and received the 2005 ACI Young Member Award. Kesner received
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, 519 pp. his BS from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, and his MS
5. ACI Committee 562, “Code Requirements for Evaluation, Repair, and PhD from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. He is a licensed civil
and Rehabilitation of Concrete Buildings (ACI 562-13) and Commentary,” engineer in several states and a licensed structural engineer in
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 59 pp. Hawaii, Illinois, and Massachusetts.

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