BLDGTEC 3

INTRODUCTION TO REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION METHODS

READING NO. 3: REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAM

KEYWORDS and DEFINITION

1. BEAM - is a structural member of concrete and steel whose prime function is to carry loads applied
perpendicular to it, known as Transverse load. When a simply supported beam is subjected to a load, there is a
tendency for the beam to bend. The upper part is compressed and the lower part is elongated. In reinforced
concrete design, it is assumed that the compressive stresses are resisted by the concrete and all the tension
resisted by the steel.

2. BALANCED BEAM - is a beam whose area of concrete and steel are just enough to carry the compression and
tension forces simultaneously. This occurs when the cross sectional area of steel reinforcement is equal to 0.005 x
the cross sectional product of the width and depth of the beam.

3. GIRDER BEAM – is a beam that supports one or more smaller beams.

4. BOND - the necessary adhesion or strong contact between steel and concrete.

5. CAMBER - a slight convex curvature built into a beam to compensate for any anticipated deflection so that it will
have no sag when under load.

6. CHAMFER - to cut away the edge where two surfaces meet in an exterior angle, leaving a bevel at the junction.

7. CORBEL - a bracket usually produced by extending beyond the face of a beam or column and is commonly used
beneath a parapet to support an overhanging member above.

TYPES OF BEAMS AS TO SPAN

1. SIMPLE BEAM – a beam having a single span supported at its ends.

2. CONTINUOUS BEAM – a beam that rest on more than 2 supports.

3. CANTILEVER BEAM – a beam supported at one end and the other end projecting beyond the support.

TYPES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS AS TO CROSS SECTION

1. RECTANGULAR BEAM – the depth of the beam is greater than the width of the beam.

2. T-BEAM – a beam with flanges at its upper side.

3. BEAM WITH COMPRESSION REINFORCEMENT – a beam with reinforcements at the upper and lower parts
providing additional strength. This type of beam is used when the width and depth of beam is architecturally
objectionable when increased headroom is necessary.

4. HOLLOW BOX *GIRDER – Two reinforced concrete beams joined together with hollow center section to reduce
the dead load. This type of beam is used for long span with diaphragms or partitions provided at intervals to
act as stiffeners throughout the length of the beam at the interval of 2100mm.

*Girder Beam – is a beam that supports one or more smaller beams.

BEHAVIOR OF BEAM UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF LOADS OR STRESSES
1. The gravitational effect of the dead and live loads on beams will cause the structure to sag or bend downward
between its supports, which is known as the Bending Moment. Moment is the tendency of a force to cause
rotation about a certain point or axis.

There are two types of bending moment, which are the:

 Positive Bending Moment – exists when the beam bends downward.
 Negative Bending Moment – exists when the beam bends upward between its supports.

The point in the beam at which the bending moment changes from positive to negative is known as the
Inflection point. The exact position of the inflection point depends upon the position and magnitude of the
load as well as the end conditions of the beams. For continuous beams having equal spans and with uniformly
distributed loads, the inflection point is considered to be at 1/5 the clear span between the faces of the
support.

The inflection point is the point where 50% of the main longitudinal reinforcement should be bent-up at an
angle varying between 30 to 45 degrees.

2. The beam when subjected to loads will also be affected by Shear, which is the effect of external forces that acts
upon the structure causing the adjacent sections of a member to slip at each other.

3. Beams which are curved or freely exposed to wind pressure have the tendency to twist about its neutral axis*.
This is known as Torsion.

* Neutral Axis – is that point in the cross section of a beam where the stresses are zero.

4. Diagonal cracks occur on the tension side of the beam caused by inclined tensile stresses (diagonal tension). To
prevent failure due to diagonal tension, additional reinforcing bars are used and provided with stirrups.
Stirrups are 10mm or 12mm diameter bars and bent in u – shape with hooks at both ends. They are provided
at areas in the beam at which the diagonal tension stresses and shear require their use.

REINFORCEMENT OF CONCRETE BEAMS

Based on the behavior of beams under the influence of load, it is now clearly necessary to provide steel
reinforcements in order to achieve equilibrium of forces. The principle behind the design of reinforced concrete is
to avail of the strength of concrete in its capacity to carry the compression loads and the steel to resist tension
loads.

The various steel reinforcements in beams are:

1. Straight Top bars
2. Straight Bottom bars
3. Bent – up bars
4. Additional Cut bars
5. Stirrups
6. Web Reinforcement
NUMBER OF BARS IN BEAMS
Maximum number of bars for beams of various widths
Width 150 mm (6”) 200 mm (8”) 250 mm (10”) 300 mm (12”) 350 mm (14”)
2- 16mm 2 – 36mm 2 – 36mm 2 – 36mm 4- 36mm
3 – 20mm 3 – 28mm 4 – 28mm 5 – 28mm
4 – 20mm 5 – 20mm 6 – 20mm
6 – 12mm 7 – 12mm

SPACING OF REINFORCING BARS IN BEAMS

1. If main bars are placed in one or two layers, one above the other, the clear vertical distance shall be 25mm.
2. The minimum horizontal distance between main bars is 25mm but not less than 1½ times the maximum size of
coarse aggregate used, which is often 12mm in diameter.
3. Minimum concrete protective covering shall be as follows:
a. For Interior Beams -------------------------- 37mm
b. For Exterior Beams ------------------------- 50mm
c. For Beams below Grade (Tie Beam) --- 75mm to 100mm