Reinforced Concrete Detailing

Objectives
The objectives of these notes on reinforced concrete detailing (RC detailing) are
twofold. The first objective is to outline the principles and rational involved in
detailing and the second objective is to explain current practice.

Deliverables
At the end of the course you should be able to detail RC elements by choosing
appropriate bar sizes and shapes using the standard principles

Purpose of Reinforcement
Resist tensile stresses
Control cracking due to structural stresses or movement due to shrinkage or
thermal effects
o Limit corrosion due to carbonation and chloride ingress
o Prevent leakage in RC water retaining structures
o Appearance
o Prevent excessive wear
Confine concrete
Limit Spalling
Resist compressive stresses

Bond
Bond is developed by

Adhesion between the bar and the concrete

Friction between the bar and the concrete
Bearing of the concrete against the ribs of high tensile type 2 deformed bars

Bond strength is a function of

Bar type
Concrete strength
Ratio of cover to bar size
Amount of transverse reinforcement

Bond Stress
The table shown below shows the design values of bond stress as per Eurocode 2. The
bond stress for deformed bars is considerably higher than for plain bars, reflecting the
increase due to bearing stresses being developed between the ribs and surrounding
concrete. The table also shows the increase of bond stress with concrete grade.

Good bond conditions

When concrete is placed there is a tendency for the bond between the reinforcement
and its surrounding concrete to be less good at the top of the section than at the
bottom. One of the reasons for this is bleeding. To allow for this some codes
differentiate between reinforcement placed in different zones. For example see the
table below for Eurocode good bond regions.

In areas of poor bond the bond stress is assumed to be lower and hence anchorage and
lab lengths must be increased accordingly.

For bad bond conditions the allowable bond stress is taken as 0.7 * fbh
 Anchorage
Consider the figure shown below. At section A-A Fs, the force in the bar, must be
greater than the sum of the bond stress fbd acting over the surface of the lb length of
bar. Otherwise the bar will pull out.

This simple consideration is the basis of all the anchorage length calculations. At any
section the resistance provided over the length must be greater than Fs.

Fs = lb fbd

If the force in the bar is the maximum tensile force that the bar can resist then

2
lb f bd = f yd
4
f
lb = yd
4 f bd

Note: The basic anchorage length is the same for both compression and tension

In general

As ,req
lb ,net = alb
As , prov

As common sense would suggest the anchorage length can be reduced by bending
bars. This is of particular benefit when anchoring beams within a column or similar
situations where there may not be sufficient room to anchor a straight bar. However,
in general, it is easiest to detail and place straight bars.

Curved bars provide additional anchorage because in addition to the mechanisms

identified in the case of straight bars curved bars the bearing stress b adds to the
resistance against Fs and the normal stress n , due to straightening of the bar under
tension, increases the friction between concrete and steel. This leads to a reduction the
required anchorage length lb,net.
The required design anchorage length, lb,net is given by,

As ,req
lb.net = a lb but not less than lb,min
As , prov

where,

a is 1.0 for a straight bar and 0.7 for a curved bar in tension, provided there
is at least 3 transverse cover to the curved portion of the bar.
As ,req
is the ratio of the steel area required to that provided, reflecting the
As , prov
reduction in stress
lb,min is the minimum anchorage length = 0.3lb for tension and 0.6lb for
compression, but not less than 10 nor 100mm.

Transverse reinforcement for anchorage

Transverse reinforcement is necessary in two circumstances.

In all compression anchorages

In tension anchorages where there is no transverse compression to increase the
bond

The transverse reinforcement should be evenly distributed over the anchorage length,
with at least one bar in the region of a bend, hook or loop.

The minimum area of transverse reinforcement required within the anchorage length
is 25% of the area of one anchored bar.
 Laps
Bars can be mechanically joined but the simplest and most common method of
providing continuity of reinforcement is to use laps.

Laps should be
Staggered,
Symmetrical across the section
Have sufficient space between them in both directions
Where possible, not positioned in positions of high stress, i.e. at the points of
contraflexure

The lap length ls is based on the anchorage length of the smaller bar,

l s = 1lb ,net but not less than l s ,min

where,
1 is 1.0 for compression laps, and tension laps where less that 30% of the bars at the
section are lapped and the distance between bars is greater or equal to 6 and the
cover to the bars is greater than 2 . If these conditions are not met then 1 is 1.4.
l s ,min is the greatest of 0.3 a1lb , 15 , or 200mm.

Bar sizes and Bundles

Reinforcing bars come in a set of standard notional diameters (the notional diameters
do not include the ribs and thus the bars real dimensions are greater..). The standard
bar diameters are,

Notional Bar Diameter Bar Area

8mm 50.3 mm2

10mm 78.6 mm2
12mm 113 mm2
16mm 201 mm2
 20mm 314 mm2
25mm 491 mm2
32mm 804 mm2

40mm 1257 mm2 These larger sizes are avoided

50mm 1963 mm2 where possible, and there are
additional requirements when
they are used.

These bars may also be bundled together. When bars are bundled in this manner the
bundle can be treated as though it comprised a single bar of equivalent diameter.

Eurocode 2 has a requirement that the bars in a bundle should be of the same size.

Bar Marks and Detailing

The purpose of RC detail drawings is to indicate the position and shape of the
reinforcement to be placed within the concrete. There are a number of draughting
conventions used to simplify drawings. On an RC detail drawing each bar is given a
label. Each bar label contains the following information in the following sequence

No. of bars : - the number of bars indicated by the label

Type of Steel : - indicates the grade of steel, typically T for high tensile, R for mild
Bar Size : - Notional bar diameter
Bar Mark : - A number relating the bars to the bar bending schedule
Bar Pitch : - Indicates the distance between the bars
Bar Location : - Typically provides details such as the face when detailing a wall

For example, the label 22T12-4-300N2 indicates 22 high-yield bars of 12mm

diameter placed at 300mm centres on the 2nd layer on the near face. The 4 indicates
the bar details that are given in the bar bending schedule. Note that the bar mark is
shown beside the bars when they are shown in section.
In a similar manner the point were bars are curtailed is usually indicated using tags
with the bar mark being added as required.

Bar bending Shapes and Schedules

The RC detail drawings indicate the position of the reinforcing bars but are not used
to give exact details on the bars shapes and bending details. This information is
contained within the bar bending schedule or schedules. The bar bending schedules
gives the information necessary to fabricate the bars. Each bar mark has a
corresponding entry on a bending schedule. The schedule is of vital importance to the
contractor and the steel fixers and suppliers.

The bending schedule indicates the bars that are required to construct each structural
member. Each bar is identified by its bar mark the information on each bar mark
comprises; bar type, the number of bars per member and in total, the overall length of
the bar, the bars shape code and any additional dimensions required to define the
bars shape.
Tolerances
 Cover and Bar Spacings
Sufficient spaces must be left between groups of bars to allow the concrete to be
placed and vibrated. The minimum space required is a function of the maximum
aggregate size used. The code requirements are that,

The clear distance between bars should not be less than,

The maximum bar size or 20mm

If the nominal aggretate size, dg, exceeds 32mm then the distance must not
be less than dg+5mm

Sufficient space must be left so that a poker vibrator can be used to compact the
concrete.