CVL-243

Reinforced Concrete Design

Semester 1, 2020-21

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Limit State Method -
Design Of RC Beam for Torsion

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Torsion
• Many types of loading produce torsion in RC members
• Torsional strength of sections made of homogeneous materials can be estimated accurately using theory of
elasticity
• Difficult to assess torsional strength of heterogeneous RC sections
• Problems are even more complicated due to torsion accompanied by bending and shear
• Torsion may be classified as:
• Primary or equilibrium torsion
• Secondary or compatibility torsion

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Torsion in Structural Members
Equilibrium/Primary Torsion
• Required to maintain basic static equilibrium
• Maximum torsional moment cannot be reduced by redistribution of moments

The beam has to be properly

‘locked’ with the column at its ends
This has to be a moment or it will simply overturn
resistant frame with
rigid joints

Encountered in statically determinate members

This torsional moment must be considered in the design as it is a major component.

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Torsion in Structural Members
Compatibility/Secondary Torsion
• Required to maintain only compatibility of joining members
• Can be reduced by the redistribution of internal forces

If the secondary beam cracks at the supports

then the torsional moment on the primary
beam will be released.

Equilibrium Is Essential -
Compatibility Is Optional

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Torsion in Plain Concrete Beams
• Torsion induces shear stresses producing principal tensile stresses at 450 to the longitudinal axis.
• If the maximum tensile stress exceeds the tensile strength, diagonal cracks spiral around a plain concrete
beam.
• In plain concrete beam, failure immediately follows diagonal cracking.

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Torsion in Plain Concrete Beams

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Effect of Torsion reinforcement
• A plain concrete beam fails practically as soon as diagonal cracking occurs.

• A beam suitably reinforced can sustain increased torsion moment until eventually failure occurs by yielding of steel.

• Cracks develop on three faces with crushing on the fourth.

• Torsion reinforcement consists of a combination of longitudinal bars and links or stirrups.

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Design for Torsion (Clause 41 of IS:456)
• In structures, where torsion is required to maintain equilibrium (primary torsion), members shall be designed for
torsion (in accordance with 41.2, 41.3 and 41.4)

• For such indeterminate structures where torsion can be eliminated by releasing redundant restraints, no specific design
for torsion is necessary, provided torsional stiffness is neglected in the calculation of internal forces.

• Adequate control of any torsional cracking is provided by the shear reinforcement as per Clause 40 of IS:456

• This simplification implies the acceptance of cracking and increased deformation (twist) in the torsional member.

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Critical Section
• Critical Section (Cl.41.2-IS:456) located at a distance less than d from the face of the support is to be
designed for the same torsion as computed at a distance d, where d is the effective depth of the beam.

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Design for Torsion
• The IS:456 philosophy for torsion design is to convert the torsional moment into an equivalent shear and an equivalent
bending moment

• The equivalent moment is given by moment due to torsion added to the moment from external loads
• Design for moment shall be carried out as usual for equivalent moment
• The total longitudinal reinforcement is determined for a fictitious bending moment which is a function of actual
bending moment and torsion

• The equivalent shear is given by shear due to torsion added to the ‘regular’ shear from external loads
• Design for shear will be carried out as usual for equivalent shear
• Shear reinforcement is determined for fictitious shear which is a function of actual shear and torsion

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Longitudinal Reinforcement for Torsion

Tension Steel D Tu

If Mt > Mu

A’st

Tu

Design compression steel for Ast

resisting a moment = Mt - Mu
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Shear and Torsion

D Tu

• The equivalent nominal shear stress τve = Ve / bd

• If τve < τc Provide minimum shear reinforcement

• If τc,max > τve > τc Provide both longitudinal and transverse reinforcement
• If τc,max < τve Redesign Section

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Transverse Reinforcement
for Torsion

b1

d1

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Torsional Reinforcement (Cl-26.5.1.7)
The transverse reinforcement for torsion shall be rectangular closed
stirrups placed perpendicular to the axis of the member. The spacing of
the stirrup shall
𝑥1
𝑠𝑣 ≤ 𝑚𝑖𝑛 (𝑥1 + 𝑦1)/4
300
y1
where x1 and y1 are respectively, the short and long centre to centre
dimension of the rectangular stirrup.
• Longitudinal reinforcement shall be placed as close as is practicable
to the corners of the beam section and in all cases, there shall at least
one longitudinal bar in each corner x1
• When the cross-sectional dimension of the member exceeds 450 x1 and y1 are c/c
mm, additional longitudinal bars shall be provided to satisfy the dimensions of
stirrup legs
requirement of minimum reinforcement and spacing given in Cl-
26.5.1.5 on side face reinforcement

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Side Face Reinforcement
750 mm in general
450 mm in cases with torsion

Min
300mm or b
Side face
reinforcement D
shall be provide Side face
when the depth Min reinforcement
of web exceeds 300mm or b preferably within
750 mm 2D/3
(0.5% of web
area on each
face) b

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Example 7.4 (Pillai & Menon)
Design the torsional reinforcement in a rectangular beam section, 350 mm wide and 750 mm deep, subjected to an
ultimate twisting moment of 140 kN-m, combined with an ultimate (hogging) bending moment of 200 kN-m and an
ultimate shear force of 110 kN. Assume M25 concrete, Fe415 steel and mild exposure conditions.

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Example 7.4 (Pillai & Menon)

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Example 7.4 (Pillai & Menon)
Ast

A’st

Note that the numerical value of Mt exceeds Mu . Hence, as per code

we need to provide steel on the bottom (compression) face of the
beam also

Provide tension steel at top, Ast

Provide compression steel at bottom, A’st

(Section can be easily designed as a singly reinforced

under-reinforced beam)

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Example 7.4 (Pillai & Menon)

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Example 7.4 (Pillai & Menon)

[Section is ok.]

Ττve > τc. Therefore both shear and longitudinal reinforcement has to be provided for torsion

b1

d1

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Example 7.4 (Pillai & Menon)
The Code requires that spacing of the stirrup reinforcement shall not be more than

(as per the Code are)

x1 and y1 are the short and long c/c dimensions

of a stirrup

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Food for thought!

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