Engr. Alexander D.

Co 9
Reinforced Concrete Design

Flexure Analysis of
Beam
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 10
Reinforced Concrete Design

In this section it is assumed that a small transverse load is placed on a concrete beam with
tensile reinforcing and that the load is gradually increased in magnitude until the beam fails. As
this takes place we will find that the beam will go through three distinct stages before collapse
occurs. These are: (1) the uncracked concrete stage, (2) the concrete cracked-elastic stress
stage, and (3) the ultimate-strength stage. A relatively long beam is considered for this
discussion so that shear will not have a large effect on its behaviour.

Uncracked Concrete Stage

At small load when the tensile stresses are less than the modulus of rupture (the bending
tensile stress at which the concrete begins to crack), the entire cross section of the beam resist
bending with compression on one side and tension on the other.

Figure 2.1 Uncracked concrete stage

Concrete Cracked-Elastic Stresses Stage

As the load is increased after the modulus of rupture of the concrete is exceeded, cracks begin
to develop in the bottom of the beam. The moment at which these cracks begin to form-that is,
when the tensile stress in the bottom of the beam equals the modulus of rupture-is referred to
as the cracking moment, M cr . As the load is further increased, these cracks quickly spread up to
the vicinity of the neutral axis, and then the neutral axis begins to move upward. The cracks
occur at those places along the beam where the actual moment is greater than the cracking
moment.

Now that the bottom has cracked, another stage is present because the concrete in the cracked
zone obviously cannot resist tensile stresses – the steel must do it.
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 11
Reinforced Concrete Design

Figure 2.2 Concrete cracked-elastic stresses stage

Beam Failure – Ultimate-Strength Stage

As the load is increased further so that the compressive stresses are greater than one-half of f ' c,
the tensile cracks move further upward, as does the neutral axis ad the concrete compression
stresses begin to change appreciably from a straight line. For this initial discussion it is
assumed that the reinforcing bars have yielded.
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 12
Reinforced Concrete Design

Figure 2.3 Ultimate-strength stage

CRACKING MOMENT

The area of reinforcing as a percentage of the total cross-sectional area of a beam is quite small
(usually 2% or less), and its effect on the beam properties is almost negligible as long as the
beam is uncracked.

M cr y t
f r=
Ig

Where:
M cr Is the bending Cracking Moment; I g = gross moment of inertia of the cross section; f r is the
modulus of rupture; y t is the distance from the centroidal axis of the section to its extreme
fiber in tension
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 13
Reinforced Concrete Design

SAMPLE ILLUSTRATION

1. Assuming the concrete is uncracked, compute the flexure stresses in the extreme fibers of the
beam as shown in the figure for a bending moment of 34 kN-m. The concrete has an f ' c of 27.60
MPa; determine also the cracking moment of the section

38 45
0

30

Figure 2.4

Solution:

a) Flexure stress f b
6
My ( 34 x 10 N−mm ) ( 227.5 mm )
f b= = =3.28 MPa
Ig 300∗4553
12

f ' r=0.7 √ f ' c =3.68 MPa

Since the flexural stress is less than the tensile strength or Modulus of rupture of the concrete,
the section is assumed not to have cracked.

b) Cracking Moment
3
( 3.68 ) 300∗455
( )
f' I 12
M cr = r g = =38.10 kN −m
yt 227.5
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 14
Reinforced Concrete Design

ELASTIC STRESSES – CONCRETE CRACKED

When the bending moment is sufficiently large to cause the tensile stress in the extreme fibers
to be greater than the modulus of rupture, it is assumed that all of the concrete on the tensile
side of the beam is cracked and must be neglected in the flexure calculations.

On the tensile side of the beam an assumption of perfect bond is made between the reinforcing
bars and the concrete. Thus the strain in the concrete and in the steel will be equal at equal
distances from the neutral axis. But if the strains in the two materials at a particular point are
the same, their stresses cannot be the same since they have different moduli of elasticity. Thus
their stresses are in proportion to the ratio of their moduli of elasticity. The ratio of the steel
modulus to the concrete is called the modular ration n:

Es
n=
Ec

Figure 2.5 Ultimate-strength stage

For the figure shown, the steel area is replaced with an equivalent area of fictitious cement
(n A s), which supposedly can resist tension. This area is referred to as the transformed area.
The resulting revised cross section or transformed section is handled by the usual methods for
elastic homogeneous beams.

SAMPLE ILLUSTRATION

1. Calculate the bending stresses in the beam shown below by using transformed area
method: n = 10 and M = 100 kN-m
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 15
Reinforced Concrete Design

Figure 2.6

SOLUTION

Taking Moments about Neutral Axis

( 300 x ) ( x2 )=10 [( 4 ) ( 491) ] ( 450−x )

x=186 mm
Moment of Inertia
b x3 2
I= +n A s ( 450−x )
3
I =2012 x 106 mm4
Bending Stresses

a) Concrete

Mc 100 x 106∗186
f c= = =9.24 MPa
I 2012 x 10 6

b) Tension steel

Mc 100 x 10 6∗264
f s=n =10 =131.21 MPa
I 2012 x 106

Discussion

For a given beam, the concrete and steel will not usually reach their maximum allowable
stresses at exactly the same bending moments. Such is the case for this example beam.

CE BOARD – August 1971

2. A beam having an 8 meter simple span has a cross-section shown in the figure.
Determine the maximum concentrated load that this beam can carry besides its own
weight. Use fc = 7MPa, fs = 124 MPa, n = 10
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 16
Reinforced Concrete Design

Figure 2.7

Taking Moments about Neutral Axis (assuming x>100mm)

( 400 x ) ( 2x )−[ ( 200 ) ( x−100 ) ] [ x−100

2 ]
=10 [ ( 4 )( 491 ) ] ( 550−x )

x=198 mm( assumptionis correct )

Moment of Inertia
I =( 400 ) ¿ ¿
I =3406 x 106 mm 4
Bending Stresses

a) Concrete

Mc
f c=
I
f c I 7∗3406 x 106
M= = =120.41 kNm
c 198
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 17
Reinforced Concrete Design

b) Tension steel

Mc
f s=n
I

f s I 124∗3406 x 106
M= = =119.64 kNm
nc 10∗353

Use M =119.64 kNm

PL w L2
M max = +
4 8

Weight of the beam

w=( 23.6 kN /m3 )∗[ ( 0.4∗0.61 ) −( 0.2∗0.4 ) ] =3.87 kN /m

P∗8 3.87∗82
119.64= +
4 8

P=44.34 kN

Discussion

The beam could carry a concentrated load amounting to a force of 44.34 KN and the beam is
approximately balance in tension and compression.

CE BOARD – February 1957

3. A concrete beam is carrying a uniform load on a simple span of 10 meters. If the

allowable stresses are fc = 6MPa, fs = 124 MPa and n = 15, what uniform load can the
beam carry besides its own weight?
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 18
Reinforced Concrete Design

Figure 2.8

Taking Moments about Neutral Axis

( 450 x ) ( 2x )=( 15 ) ( 314∗4 ) (740−x )+ ( 15)( 616∗4 ) (820−x)

x=336 mm

Moment of Inertia

450∗3363 ( )( 2 2
I= + 15 314∗4 ) ( 740−x ) + ( 15 ) ( 616∗4 )( 820−x )
3

I =17423 x 106 mm 4

Bending Stresses

a) concrete

Mc
f c=
I
f c I 6∗17423 x 106
M= = =311.16 kNm
c 336

b) Tension steel

f sI
M=
nc

( n A s 1 ) y 1+ ( n A s 2 ) y 2
c= ý= =457 mm
Σ n As
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 19
Reinforced Concrete Design

f s I 124∗17423 x 106
M= = =315.16 kNm
nc 15∗457

Use M =311.16 kNm

w L2 8 M 8∗311.16
M= ; wtotal = 2 = =24.90 kN /m
8 L 102

Uniform load that the beam can carry

w=24.90−( 0.45 ) ( 0.90 ) (23.60 )=15.34 kN /m

Example no 4 illustrates the analysis of a double reinforced concrete beam. Should the
compression side of a beam be reinforced, the long-term stresses in that reinforcing will be greatly
affected by the creep in the concrete. As time goes by, the compression concrete will compact more
tightly, leaving the reinforcing bars to carry more and more of the load.

As a consequence of this creep in the concrete the stresses in the compression bars computed
by the transformed-area method are assumed to equal 2 n times their area A ' s.

On the subject of “hair splitting,” it will be noted in the example that the compression steel area
is really multiplied by2 n−1 . The transformed area of the compression side equals the gross
compression area of the concrete plus 2 n A ' s minus the area of the holes in the concrete ( 1 A ' s ) , which
theoretically should not have been included in the concrete part. This equals the compression concrete
area plus( 2 n−1 ) A' s . Similarly, 2 n−1 is used in the moment of inertia calculations.

4. The beam has a simple span of 4 meters and carries a super-imposed load of 25 kN/m, what
additional load may be placed at the center of the span if the deflection due to this load is not to
exceed 1/800 of the span. Use fc = 9MPa, fs = 124 MPa, n = 10, fv = 2MPa, and Ec = 20700 MPa

Figure 2.9

Taking Moments about Neutral Axis

( 2 n−1 ) A' s= ( 2∗10−1 )( 2∗314 )=11,932 mm 2

 Engr. Alexander D. Co 20
Reinforced Concrete Design

n A' s =10∗( 2∗804 )=16,080 mm2

( 200 x ) ( x2 )+11,932 ( x−60 )=16,080 ( 390−x )

x=159 mm ; 390−x =231mm

Moment of Inertia

200∗1593 2 2
I= +11,932∗99 +16,080∗231
3

I =1,243 x 106

Bending Stresses

a) concrete

f c I 9∗( 1,243 x 106)

M= = =70.36 kNm
c 159

b) compression steel
f ' s I 124∗(1,243 x 106 )
M= = =77.84 kNm
2nc 2∗10∗99
c) Tension steel

f s I 124∗(1,243 x 106 )
M= = =66.72 kNm
nc 10∗231

Use M =66.72 kNm

PL w L2
M max = +
4 8

Weight of the beam

w b=( 23.6 kN /m 3 )∗(0.2∗0.45)=2.12 kN /m

2
P∗4 (25+ 2.12)∗4
66.72= +
4 8

P=12.48 kN −due ¿ bending stress

Shear Stress

V
f v=
bd
 Engr. Alexander D. Co 21
Reinforced Concrete Design

( 54.24 x 103 +0.5 P)

2=
200∗450

P=251.52 kN −due ¿ shear stress

Deflection

L 5 w L4 P L 3
= +
800 384 EI 48 EI

4000 5(27.12)(4000)4 P (4000)3

= +
800 384 ( 20700 ) (1,243 x 106 ) 48 ( 20700 )(1,243 x 106)

P=28.69 kN−due ¿ deflection

Use P = 12.48 KN