University of Babylon

College of Engineering

Civil Engineering Dept.

The Reinforced Concrete

Design

Failure of short columns

case study

Prepared by Mahammad Qassem Esmael

Stage 3rd
B
 Introduction
Columns are vertical compression members of a structural frame intended
to support the loadcarrying beams. They transmit loads from the upper
floors to the lower levels and, then to the soil through the foundations.
Since columns are compression elements, failure of one column in a critical
location can cause the progressive collapse of the adjoining floors and the
ultimate total collapse of the entire structure. Structural column failure is
of major significance in terms of economic as well as human loss. Thus
extreme care needs to be taken in column design, with a higher reserve
strength than in the case of beams and other horizontal structural elements,
particularly since compression failure provides little visual warning. In
reinforced concrete buildings, concrete beams, floors, and columns are
cast monolithically, causing some moments in the columns due to end
restraint. Moreover, perfect vertical alignment of columns in multistory
building is not possible, causing loads to be eccentric relative to the center
of columns. The eccentric loads will cause moments in columns. Therefore,
a column subjected to pure axial loads does not exist in concrete buildings.

Columns may be classified based on the following different categories:

1. Based on loading , such as Axially loaded columns and Eccentrically

loaded columns, Biaxially loaded columns.
2. Based on length, such as Short columns and Long columns .
3. Based on the shape of the cross-section, column sections may be square,
rectangular,round, L-shaped, octagonal, or any desired shape with an
adequate side width or dimensions.
4. Based on column ties,such as Tied columns and Spiral columns.
5. Based on frame bracing.
6. Based on materials.

In Short Columns where the column's failure is due to the crushing of

concrete or the yielding of the steel bars under the full load capacity of the
column and will talk about Failure of this columns.

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 The Failure of short columns
When an axial load is applied to a reinforced concrete short column, the
concrete can be considered to behave elastically up to a low stress of
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about f’c . If the load on the column is increased to reach its ultimate
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strength, the concrete will reach the maximum strength and the steel will
reach its yield strength fy . The nominal load capacity of the column can be
written as follows:

Where: An and Ast the net concrete and total steel compressive areas,
respectively.

Ag= Gross concrete area.

Two different types of failure occur in columns, depending on whether ties

or spirals are used.For a tied column, the concrete fails by crushing and
shearing outward, the longitudinal steel bars fail by buckling outward
between ties, and the column failure occurs suddenly, much like the failure
of a concrete cylinder. A spiral column undergoes a marked yielding,
followed by considerable deformation before complete failure. The
concrete in the outer shell fails and spalls off. The concrete inside the
spiral is confined and provides little strength before the initiation of column
failure. A hoop tension develops in the spiral, and for a closely spaced
spiral,the steel may yield. A sudden failure is not expected. The Figure
shows typical load deformation curves for tied and spiral columns.Up to
point a, both columns behave similarly. At point a, the longitudinal steel
bars of the column yield, and the spiral column shell spalls off. After the
factored load is reached, a tied column fails suddenly (curve b), whereas a
spiral column deforms appreciably before failure (curve c).

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 ACI CODE LIMITATIONS

The ACI Code presents the following limitations for the design of
compression members:

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1. For axially as well as eccentrically loaded columns, the ACI Code
sets the strengthreduction factors at Ø=0.65 for tied columns and for
Ø=0.75 spirally reinforced columns.The difference of 0.1 between
the two values shows the additional ductility of spirally reinforced
columns. The strength-reduction factor for columns is much lower
than those for flexure (Ø=0.9) and shear (Ø=0.75 ). This is because
in axially loaded columns, the strength depends mainly on the
concrete compression strength, whereas the strength of members in
bending is less affected by the variation of concrete strength,
especially in the case of an underreinforced section. Furthermore,
the concrete in columns is subjected to more segregation than in the
case of beams. Columns are cast vertically in long, narrow forms,
but the concrete in beams is cast in shallow, horizontal forms. Also,
the failure of a column in a structure is more critical than that of a
floor beam.
2. The minimum longitudinal steel percentage is 1%, and the maximum
percentage is 8% of the gross area of the section (ACI Code, Section
10.9.1). Minimum reinforcement is necessary to provide resistance to
bending, which may exist, and to reduce the effects of creep and
shrinkage of the concrete under sustained compressive stresses.
Practically, it is very difficult to fit more than 8% of steel
reinforcement into a column and maintain sufficient space for
concrete to flow between bars.
3. At least four bars are required for tied circular and rectangular
members and six bars are needed for circular members enclosed by
spirals (ACI Code, Section 10.9.2). For other shapes, one bar
should be provided at each corner, and proper lateral reinforcement
must be provided. For tied triangular columns, at least three bars
are required.
4. The ties shall be arranged that every corner and alternate
longitudinal bar shall have lateral support provided by the corner of
s tie having an included angle of not more than 135oand no bar shall
be farther 150 mm clear on either side from such a laterally
supported bar. The Figures below show the arrangement of

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 longitudinal bars in tied columns and the distribution of ties. The
minimum concrete cover in columns is 40mm.
5. The minimum of volumetric spiral reinforcement ratio which defined
as the ratio of the volume of spiral steel to the volume of core
concrete, ps , according to the ACI Code, Eq. 10.5,and as explained
in Section 10.9.3, is limited to

Where:

Ag : Gross area of section.

Ach : area of core of spirally reinforced column measured to the outside

diameter of spiral.

fyt : yield strength of spiral reinforcement.

6.The minimum diameter of spirals is 10 mm, and their clear spacing

should not be more than 75 mm nor less than 25 mm, according to the
ACI Code,Section 7.10.4. Anchorage of spiral reinforcement shall be
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provided by1 extra turns of spiral bar or wire at each end of a spiral
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unit.

7. Ties for columns must have a minimum diameter of Ø10mm to enclose

longitudinal bars of Ø 32mm or smaller and a minimum diameter of
Ø13mm for larger bar diameters (ACI Code, Section 7.10.5).

8. Spacing of ties shall not exceed the smallest of:

48 times the tie diameter,

16 times the longitudinal bar diameter, or
the least dimension of the column.

The Code does not give restrictions on the size of columns to allow wider
utilization of reinforced concrete columns in smaller sizes.

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 DESIGN OF TIED AND SPIRAL SHORT
CONCENTRICALLY LOADED COLUMNS.
It is highly improbable to attain zero eccentricity in actual structures.
Eccentricities could easily develop because of factors such as slight
inaccuracies in the layout of columns and unsymmetric loading due to the
difference in thickness of the slabs in adjacent spans or imperfections in the
alignment. For many years the Code specified that such columns had to be
designed for certain minimum moments even though no calculated moments
were present. This was accomplished by requiring designers to assume
certain minimum eccentricities, e , for their column loads. These minimum
values were , 25mm or 0.01h, whichever was larger, for spiral columns and
, or for tied columns. (The term h represents the outside diameter of round
columns or the total depth of square or rectangular columns.) A moment
equal to the axial load times the minimum eccentricity was used for
design:

To reduce the calculations necessary for analysis and design for minimum
eccentricity, the ACI Code specifics a reduction of 20% in the axial load
for tied columns and a 15% reduction for spiral columns. Using these
factors, the maximum nominal axial load capacity or columns cannot be
taken greater than:

Spiral Reinforcement : Spiral reinforcement in compression members

prevents a sudden crushing of concrete and buckling of longitudinal steel
bars. It has the advantage of producing a tough column that undergoes
gradual and ductile failure. The minimum spiral ratio required by the ACI
Code is meant to provide an additional compressive capacity to
compensate for the spalling of the column shell. Volumetric spiral
reinforcement ratio,ps , shall be not less than the value given by:

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 Where: Ag = gross area of section.

Ach = area of core of spirally reinforced column measured to the outside

diameter of spiral.

fyt = yield strength of spiral reinforcement.

Once the required percentage of spiral steel is determined, the spiral may
be selected with the expression to follow, in which is written in terms of the
volume of the steel in one loop:

In this expression, Dch is the diameter of the core out to out of the spiral, is
the crosssectional area of the spiral bar, and is the diameter of the spiral
bar. Here reference is made to next Figure. The designer can assume a
diameter for the spiral bar and solve for the pitch required. If the results do
not seem reasonable, he or she can try another diameter. The pitch used
must be within the limitations listed before (ACI requirements).

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 BALANCED FAILURE
As already noted, the interaction curve is divided into a compression
failure a tension failure range. It is useful to define what is termed a
balanced failure mode and corresponding eccentricity eb, with the load Pb,
and moment Mb, acting in combi- nation to produce failure, with the
concrete reaching its limit strain 𝜖 u at precisely the same instant that the
tensile steel on the far side of the column reaches yield strain. This point on
the interaction diagram is the dividing point between compression failure
(small eccentricities) and tension failure (large eccentricities).

The values of Pb and Mb are easily computed with reference to Fig. 8.9. For
balanced failure,

And

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Equations (8.9) through (8.14) are then used to obtain the steel stresses
and the compressive resultant, after which Pb and Mb are found from Eqs.
(8.7) and (8.8).

Note that, in contrast to beam design , one cannot restrict column designs
such that yielding failure rather than crushing failure would always be
the result of over loading. The type of failure for a column depends on the
value of eccentricity e, which in turn is defined by the load analysis of the
building or other structure.

It is important to observe, in Fig. 8.10, that in the region of compression

failure the larger the axial load P, the smaller the moment M, that the
section is able to sustain before failing. However, in the region of tension
failure, the reverse is true; the larger the axial load, the larger the
simultaneous moment capacity. This is easily understood. In the
compression failure region, failure occurs through overstraining of the
concrete. The larger the concrete compressive strain caused by the axial
load alone, the smaller the margin of additional strain available for the
added compression caused by bending. On the other hand, in the tension
failure region, yielding of the steel initiates failure. If the member is loaded
in simple bending to the point at which yielding begins in the tension steel,
and if an axial compression load is then added, the steel compressive
stresses caused by this load will superimpose on the previous tensile
stresses. This reduces the total steel stress to a value below its yield
strength. Consequently, an additional moment can now be sustained of
such magnitude that the combination of the steel stress from the axial load
and the increased moment again reaches the yield strength.

The typical shape of a column interaction diagram shown in Fig. 8.10 has
important design implications. In the range of tension failure, a reduction
in axial load may produce failure for a given moment. In carrying out a
frame analysis, the designer must consider all combinations of loading that
may occur, including that which would produce minimum axial load paired
with a given moment (the specific load combina- tions are specified in ACI
Code 8.10 and described in Section 12.3). Only that amount of compression

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that is certain to be present should be used in calculating the capacity of a
column subject to a given moment.

Example :

Column strength interaction diagram. A 12 x 20 in. column is reinforced

with four No. 9 (No. 29) bars of area 1.0 in2? each, one in each corner as
shown in Fig. 8.11a. The concrete cylinder strength is f’c=4000psi and
steel yield strength is 60 ksi .Determine(a) the load Pb, moment Mb, and
corresponding eccentricity eb, for balanced failure; (b) the load and
moment for a representative point in the tension failure region of the
interaction curve; (c) the load and moment for a representative point in the
compression failure region; (d) the axial load strength for zero eccentricity.
Then (e) sketch the strength interaction diagram for this column. Finally,
(f) design the transverse reinforcement, based on ACI Code provisions.

Solution :

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a) the neutral axis for the balanced failure condition is easily found
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from eq.(8.15) with 𝜖𝑢 = 0.003 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜖𝑦 = = 0.0021
29,000

giving a stress-block depth a=0.85*10.3=8.76 in.For the balanced

failure condition, by definition,fs=fyThe compressive steel stress is found
from Eq.(8.12):

Confirming that the compression steel ,too, is at the yield.The concrete

compressive resultant is :

The balanced load Pb is then found from Eq (8.7) to be:

And the balanced moment from Eq.(8.8) is :

The corresponding eccentricity of load is eb =10.66 in.

b) Any choice of c smaller than c, of the interaction curve, with

eccentricity larger than e,. For example, choose c = By definition, f,
= f. The compressive steel stress is found to be 10.3 in. will give a
point in the tension failure region 5.0 in. By definition, fs=fy .The
compressive steel is found to be:

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With the stress-block depth a=0.85*5.0=4.25,the compressive resultant
is C=0.85*4*4.25*12=173 kips.Then from Eq.(8.7),the thrust is :

And the moment capacity from Eq.(8.8) is:

Giving eccentricity e=2916/140 = 20.83 in. ,well above the balanced

value.

c) Now selecting a c value larger than cb to demonstrate a compression

failure point on the interaction curve, choose c = 18.0 in., for which
a = column is 0.85 X 18.0 = 15.3 in The com-pressive concrete
resultant is C = 0.85 X 4 X 15.3 × 12 = 624 kips. From Eq. (8.10)
the stress in the steel at the left side of the column is

Note that the negative value of f, indicates correctly that A, is in

compression if c is greater than d, as in the present case. The
compressive steel stress is found from Eq. (8.12) to be:

d) The axial strength of the column if concentrically loaded

corresponds to c = ∞ and e = 0. For this case,

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 Note that, for this as well as the preceding calculations, subtraction
of the concrete displaced by the steel has been neglected. For
comparison, if the deduction were made in the last calculation,

The error in neglecting this deduction is only 1 percent in this case;

the difference gener- ally can be neglected, except perhaps for
columns with reinforcement ratios close to the maximum of 8
percent. In the case of design aids, however, such as those presented
in Refs. 8.2 and 8.7 and discussed in Section 8.10, the deduction is
usually included for all reinforcement ratios.

e) From the calculations just completed, plus similar repetitive

calculations that will not be given here, the strength interaction
curve of Fig. 8.11d is constructed. Note the character- istic shape,
described earlier, the location of the balanced failure point as well
as the "small eccentricity" and "large eccentricity" points just found,
and the axial load capacity. In the process of developing a strength
interaction curve, it is possible to select the values of steel strain E,
as done in step a, for use in steps b and c. Selecting e, uniquely
establishes the neutral axis depth c, as shown by Eqs. (8.9) and (.15),
and is useful in determining M, and P, for values of steel strain that
correspond to changes in the strength reduction factor o,as will be
discussed in Section 8.9.
f) The design of the column ties will be carried out following the ACI
Code restrictions. For the minimum permitted tie diameter of in.,
used with No. 9 (No. 29) longitudinal bars having a diameter of
1.128 in a column the least dimension of which is 12 in., the tie
spacing is not to exceed

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The last restriction controls in this case, and No. 3 (No. 10) ties will
be used at 12 in. spacing, detailed as shown in Fig. 8.11a. Note that
the permitted spacing as controlled by the first and second criteria,
18 in., must be reduced because of the 12 in. column dimension.
Short reinforced concrete columns: Should a reinforced concrete
column fail due to initial material failure, it is classified as a short
column. The load that it can sup- port is controlled by the
dimensions of the cross section and the strength of the ma- terials of
which it is constructed. We think of a short column as being a rather
stocky member with little flexibility.

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 REFERENCES

1. Reinforced Concrete Structure ACI-318M

2. The Reinforced Concrete Design Handbook A
Companion to ACI 318-14
Volume 1: Member Design SP-17(14)
3. Design of Concrete Structures-13th Edition(Arthur H.
NILSON)
4. Reinforced Concrete Design- McGraw Hill Education- S
Unnikrishna Pillai, Devdas Menon
5. design and analysis of reinforcement concrete-

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