Overview Page 1 of 13

COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC., BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA DECEMBER 2001

CONCRETE FRAME DESIGN ACI-318-99
Technical Note
BeamDesign
This Technical Note describes how this program completes beam design when
the ACI 318-99 code is selected. The program calculates and reports the re-
quired areas of steel for flexure and shear based on the beam moments,
shears, load combination factors and other criteria described herein.
Overview
In the design of concrete beams, the program calculates and reports the re-
quired areas of steel for flexure and shear based on the beam moments,
shears, load combination factors, and other criteria described below. The re-
inforcement requirements are calculated at a user-defined number of
check/design stations along the beam span.
All beams are designed for major direction flexure and shear only.
Effects resulting from any axial forces, minor direction bending, and
torsion that may exist in the beams must be investigated independ-
ently by the user.
The beam design procedure involves the following steps:
! Design beam flexural reinforcement
! Design beam shear reinforcement
Design BeamFlexural Reinforcement
The beam top and bottom flexural steel is designed at check/design stations
along the beam span. The following steps are involved in designing the flex-
ural reinforcement for the major moment for a particular beam for a particu-
lar section:
! Determine the maximum factored moments
! Determine the reinforcing steel
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 2 of 13
Determine Factored Moments
In the design of flexural reinforcement of Special, Intermediate, or Ordinary
moment resisting concrete frame beams, the factored moments for each load
combination at a particular beam section are obtained by factoring the corre-
sponding moments for different load cases with the corresponding load fac-
tors.
The beam section is then designed for the maximum positive
+
u
M and maxi-
mum negative

u
M factored moments obtained from all of the load combina-
tions
.
Negative beam moments produce top steel. In such cases, the beam is al-
ways designed as a rectangular section. Positive beam moments produce
bottom steel. In such cases, the beam may be designed as a Rectangular- or
a T-beam.
Determine Required Flexural Reinforcement
In the flexural reinforcement design process, the program calculates both the
tension and compression reinforcement. Compression reinforcement is added
when the applied design moment exceeds the maximum moment capacity of
a singly reinforced section. The user has the option of avoiding the compres-
sion reinforcement by increasing the effective depth, the width, or the grade
of concrete.
The design procedure is based on the simplified rectangular stress block as
shown in Figure 1 (ACI 10.2). It is assumed that the compression carried by
concrete is less than 0.75 times that which can be carried at the balanced
condition (ACI 10.3.3). When the applied moment exceeds the moment ca-
pacity at this designed balanced condition, the area of compression rein-
forcement is calculated assuming that the additional moment will be carried
by compression and additional tension reinforcement.
The design procedure used by this program for both rectangular and flanged
sections (L- and T-beams) is summarized below. It is assumed that the de-
sign ultimate axial force does not exceed 0.1
'
c
f A
g
(ACI 10.3.3); hence, all the
beams are designed for major direction flexure and shear only.
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 3 of 13
Figure 1 Design of Rectangular Beam Section
Design for Rectangular Beam
In designing for a factored negative or positive moment, M
u
(i.e., designing
top or bottom steel), the depth of the compression block is given by a (see
Figure 1), where,
a = d -
b f
M
d
c
u

1
2
85 . 0
2
, (ACI 10.2.7.1)
where, the value of is 0.90 (ACI 9.3.2.1) in the above and the following
equations. Also
1
and c
b
are calculated as follows:

1
= 0.85-0.05

,
_

000 , 1
000 , 4
'
c
f
, 0.65
1
0.85, (ACI 10.2.7.3)
c
b
= d
f E
E
y s c
s c
+

=
y
f + 000 , 87
000 , 87
d. (ACI 10.2.3, 10.2.4)
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 4 of 13
The maximum allowed depth of the compression block is given by
a
max
= 0.75
1
c
b
. (ACI 10.2.7.1, 10.3.3)
! If a a
max
, the area of tensile steel reinforcement is then given by
A
s
=

,
_

2
a
d f
M
y
u
.
This steel is to be placed at the bottom if M
u
is positive, or at the top if M
u
is negative.
! If a > a
max
, compression reinforcement is required (ACI 10.3.3) and is cal-
culated as follows:
The compressive force developed in concrete alone is given by
C = 0.85
'
c
f ba
max
, and (ACI 10.2.7.1)
the moment resisted by concrete compression and tensile steel is
M
uc
= C

,
_

2
max
a
d .
Therefore the moment resisted by compression steel and tensile steel
is
M
us
= M
u
- M
uc
.
So the required compression steel is given by
'
s
A =
) ' (
'
d d f
M
s
us
, where
'
s
f = 0.003E
s
1
]
1

c
d c '
. (ACI 10.2.4)
The required tensile steel for balancing the compression in concrete is
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 5 of 13
A
s1
=

1
]
1

2
max
a
d f
M
y
uc
, and
the tensile steel for balancing the compression in steel is given by
A
s2
=
) ' ( d d f
M
y
us
.
Therefore, the total tensile reinforcement, A
s
= A
s1
+ A
s2
, and total
compression reinforcement is
'
s
A . A
s
is to be placed at bottom and
'
s
A
is to be placed at top if M
u
is positive, and vice versa if M
u
is negative.
Design for T-Beam
In designing for a factored negative moment, M
u
(i.e., designing top steel),
the calculation of the steel area is exactly the same as above, i.e., no T-Beam
data is to be used. See Figure 2. If M
u
> 0, the depth of the compression
block is given by
a = d -
f c
u
b f
M
d

'
2
85 . 0
2
.
The maximum allowed depth of compression block is given by
a
max
= 0.75
1
c
b
. (ACI 10.2.7.1, 10.3.3)
_ If a d
s
, the subsequent calculations for A
s
are exactly the same as previ-
ously defined for the rectangular section design. However, in this case the
width of the compression flange is taken as the width of the beam for
analysis. Compression reinforcement is required if a > a
max
.
_ If a > d
s
, calculation for A
s
is performed in two parts. The first part is for
balancing the compressive force from the flange, C
f
, and the second part
is for balancing the compressive force from the web, C
w
, as shown in Fig-
ure 2. C
f
is given by
C
f
= 0.85
'
c
f (b
f
- b
w
)d
s
.
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 6 of 13
Figure 2 Design of a T-Beam Section
Therefore, A
s1
=
y
f
f
C
and the portion of M
u
that is resisted by the flange is
given by
M
uf
= C
f

,
_

2
s
d
d .
Again, the value for is (flexure), which is 0.90 by default. Therefore,
the balance of the moment, M
u
to be carried by the web is given by
M
uw
= M
u
- M
uf
.
The web is a rectangular section of dimensions b
w
and d, for which the de-
sign depth of the compression block is recalculated as
a
1
= d -
w
i
c
uw
b f
M
d

85 . 0
2
2
.
! If a
1
a
max
, the area of tensile steel reinforcement is then given by
A
s2
=

,
_

2
1
a
d f
M
y
uw
, and
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 7 of 13
A
s
= A
s1
+ A
s2
.
This steel is to be placed at the bottom of the T-beam.
! If a
1
> a
max
, compression reinforcement is required (ACI 10.3.3) and is
calculated as follows:
The compressive force in web concrete alone is given by
C = 0.85
'
c
f ba
max
. (ACI 10.2.7.1)
Therefore, the moment resisted by concrete web and tensile steel
is
M
uc
= C

,
_

2
max
a
d , and
the moment resisted by compression steel and tensile steel is
M
us
= M
uw
- M
uc
.
Therefore, the compression steel is computed as
'
s
A =
) ' (
'
d d f
M
s
us
, where
'
s
f = 0.003E
s
1
]
1

c
d c '
. (ACI 10.2.4)
The tensile steel for balancing compression in web concrete is
A
s2
=
)
2
(
max
a
d f
M
y
uc
, and
the tensile steel for balancing compression in steel is
A
s3
=
) ' ( d d f
M
y
us
.
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Flexural Reinforcement Page 8 of 13
The total tensile reinforcement, A
s
= A
s1
+ A
s2
+ A
s3
, and total
compression reinforcement is
'
s
A . A
s
is to be placed at bottom and
'
s
A is to be placed at top.
MinimumTensile Reinforcement
The minimum flexural tensile steel provided in a rectangular section in an Or-
dinary moment resisting frame is given by the minimum of the two following
limits:
A
s
max

'

d b
f
d b
f
f
w
y
w
y
c
200
and
3
'
or (ACI 10.5.1)
A
s
(4/3)A
s(required)
. (ACI 10.5.3)
Special Consideration for Seismic Design
For Special moment resisting concrete frames (seismic design), the beam de-
sign satisfies the following additional conditions (see also Table 1 ):
! The minimum longitudinal reinforcement shall be provided at both the top
and bottom. Any of the top and bottom reinforcement shall not be less
than A
s(min)
(ACI 21.3.2.1).
A
s(min)
max

'

d b
f
d b
f
f
w
y
w
y
c
200
and
3
'
or (ACI 10.5.1)
A
s(min)

3
4
A
s(required)
. (ACI 10.5.3)
! The beam flexural steel is limited to a maximum given by
A
s
0.025 b
w
d. (ACI 21.3.2.1)
! At any end (support) of the beam, the beam positive moment capacity
(i.e., associated with the bottom steel) would not be less than 1/2 of the
beam negative moment capacity (i.e., associated with the top steel) at
that end (ACI 21.3.2.2).
! Neither the negative moment capacity nor the positive moment capacity
at any of the sections within the beam would be less than 1/4 of the
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Shear Reinforcement Page 9 of 13
maximum of positive or negative moment capacities of any of the beam
end (support) stations (ACI 21.3.2.2).
For Intermediate moment resisting concrete frames (i.e., seismic design), the
beam design would satisfy the following conditions:
! At any support of the beam, the beam positive moment capacity would
not be less than 1/3 of the beam negative moment capacity at that end
(ACI 21.10.4.1).
! Neither the negative moment capacity nor the positive moment capacity
at any of the sections within the beam would be less than 1/5 of the
maximum of positive or negative moment capacities of any of the beam
end (support) stations (ACI 21.10.4.1).
Design BeamShear Reinforcement
The shear reinforcement is designed for each load combination at a user de-
fined number of stations along the beam span. The following steps are in-
volved in designing the shear reinforcement for a particular beam for a par-
ticular load combination at a particular station due to the beam major shear:
_ Determine the factored shear force, V
u
.
_ Determine the shear force, V
c
, that can be resisted by the concrete.
_ Determine the reinforcement steel required to carry the balance.
For Special and Intermediate moment resisting frames (ductile frames), the
shear design of the beams is also based upon the probable and nominal mo-
ment capacities of the members, respectively, in addition to the factored load
design.
The following three sections describe in detail the algorithms associated with
this process.
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Shear Reinforcement Page 10 of 13
Table 1 Design Criteria Table
Type of
Check/
Design
Ordinary Moment
Resisting Frames
(non-Seismic)
Intermediate Moment
Resisting Frames
(Seismic)
Special Moment
Resisting Frames
(Seismic)
Column
Check
(interaction)
NLD
a
Combinations NLD
a
Combinations NLD
a
Combinations
Column
Design
(interaction)
NLD
a
Combinations
1% < < 8%
NLD
a
Combinations
1% < < 8%
NLD
a
Combinations
= 1.0
1% < < 6%
Column
Shears
NLD
a
Combinations
Modified NLD
a
Combinations
(earthquake loads doubled)
Column capacity
= 1.0 and = 1.0
NLD
a
Combinations
Column shear capacity
= 1.0 and = 1.25
Beam
Design
Flexure
NLD
a
Combinations NLD
a
Combinations
NLD
a
Combinations
0.025

y
c
f
f
'
3
,
y
f
200
BeamMin.
Moment
Override
Check
No Requirement
END u uEND
M M
+

3
1
{ }
END u u uSPAN
M M M
+ +
, max
5
1
{ }
END u u uSPAN
M M M
+
, max
5
1
END
u uEND
M M
+

2
1
{ }
END u u uSPAN
M M M
+ +
, max
4
1
{ }
END u u uSPAN
M M M

, max
4
1
Beam
Design
Shear
NLD
a
Combinations
Modified NLD
a
Combinations
(earthquake loads doubled)
Beam Capacity Shear (Vp)
with = 1.0 and = 1.0
plus VD+L
NLD
a
Combinations
Beam Capacity Shear (Vp)
with = 1.25 and = 1.0
plus VD+L
Vc =0
Joint Design No Requirement No Requirement Checked for shear
Beam/Column
Capacity
Ratio
No Requirement No Requirement Reported in output file
NLD
a
= Number of specified loading
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Shear Reinforcement Page 11 of 13
Determine Shear Force and Moment
_ In the design of the beam shear reinforcement of an Ordinary moment
resisting concrete frame, the shear forces and moments for a particular
load combination at a particular beam section are obtained by factoring
the associated shear forces and moments with the corresponding load
combination factors.
_ In the design of Special moment resisting concrete frames (i.e.,
seismic design), the shear capacity of the beam is also checked for the
capacity shear resulting from the probable moment capacities at the ends
and the factored gravity load. This check is performed in addition to the
design check required for Ordinary moment resisting frames. The capacity
shear force, V
p
, is calculated from the probable moment capacities of each
end of the beam and the gravity shear forces. The procedure for calculat-
ing the design shear force in a beam from probable moment capacity is
the same as that described for a column in section Design Column Shear
Reinforcement of Technical Note Column Design Concrete Frame Design
ACI318-99. See also Table 1 for details.
The design shear force V
u
is then given by (ACI 21.3.4.1)
V
u
= V
p
+ V
D+L
(ACI 21.3.4.1)
where V
p
is the capacity shear force obtained by applying the calculated
probable ultimate moment capacities at the two ends of the beams acting
in two opposite directions. Therefore, V
p
is the maximum of
1
P
V and
2
P
V ,
where
1
P
V =
L
M M
J I
+
+
, and
2
P
V =
L
M M
J I
+
+
, where

I
M = Moment capacity at end I, with top steel in tension, using a
steel yield stress value of f
y
and no factors ( = 1.0),
+
J
M = Moment capacity at end J, with bottom steel in tension, using
a steel yield stress value of f
y
and no factors ( = 1.0),
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Shear Reinforcement Page 12 of 13
+
I
M = Moment capacity at end I, with bottom steel in tension, using
a steel yield stress value of f
y
and no factors ( = 1.0),

J
M = Moment capacity at end J, with top steel in tension, using a
steel yield stress value of f
y
and no factors ( = 1.0), and
L = Clear span of beam.
For Special moment resisting frames is taken as 1.25 (ACI 21.0,
R21.3.4.1). V
D+L
is the contribution of shear force from the in-span distri-
bution of gravity loads.
_ For Intermediate moment resisting frames, the shear capacity of the
beam is also checked for the capacity shear based on the nominal moment
capacities at the ends and the factored gravity loads, in addition to the
check required for Ordinary moment resisting frames. The design shear
force in beams is taken to be the minimum of that based on the nominal
moment capacity and modified factored shear force. The procedure for
calculating nominal ( = 1.0) moment capacity is the same as that for
computing the probable moment capacity for Special moment resisting
frames, except that is taken equal to 1 rather than 1.25 (ACI 21.10.3.a,
R21.10). The modified factored shear forces are based on the specified
load factors, except the earthquake load factors are doubled (ACI
21.10.3.b). The computation of the design shear force in a beam of an
Intermediate moment resisting frame is the same as described for col-
umns in section Determine Section Forces of Technical Note Column De-
sign Concrete Frame Design ACI318-99. See also Table 1 for details.
Determine Concrete Shear Capacity
The allowable concrete shear capacity is given by
V
c
= 2
'
c
f b
w
d. (ACI 11.3.1.1)
For Special moment resisting frame concrete design, V
c
is set to zero if both
the factored axial compressive force, including the earthquake effect P
u
, is
less than
'
c
f A
g
/20 and the shear force contribution from earthquake V
E
is
more than half of the total maximum shear force over the length of the mem-
ber V
u
(i.e., V
E
0.5V
u
) (ACI 21.3.4.2).
Concrete Frame Design ACI-318-99 Beam Design
Design Beam Shear Reinforcement Page 13 of 13
Determine Required Shear Reinforcement
Given V
u
and V
c
, the required shear reinforcement in area/unit length is cal-
culated as
A
v
=
d f
s V V
ys
c u
) / (
. (ACI 11.5.6.1, 11.5.6.2)
The shear force resisted by steel is limited by
(V
u
/ - V
c
) 8
'
c
f bd. (ACI 11.5.6.9)
Otherwise, redimensioning of the concrete section is required. Here, , the
strength reduction factor for shear, is 0.85 by default (ACI 9.3.2.3). The
maximum of all the calculated A
v
values, obtained from each load combina-
tion, is reported along with the controlling shear force and associated load
combination number.
The beam shear reinforcement requirements displayed by the program are
based purely on shear strength considerations. Any minimum stirrup require-
ments to satisfy spacing and volumetric considerations must be investigated
independently of the program by the user.