CIVL6003 – Advanced Reinforced

Concrete Structure Design

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Ir Dr. Ray Su
Department of Civil Engineering

(office: HW 6-6, Tel. no.: 2859 2648

Strut & Tie Modelling - 02 Email: klsu@hku.hk)
 Comments on Load-Path method

To take into account the practicable and workable reinforcement

DB with 0.2-
layout, we may have the following considerations.
0.4% of the • The arrangement of the rebar should satisfy the practical
sectional area requirements of simple construction, that is, using straight bars
and not more with a minimum number of bends, laid out in orthogonal
than 300 mm arrangement parallel to the edges of the structures, whenever
spacing. More possible;
steel is
required if • The edges and surfaces of the structure should be fitted with
concrete grade near-surface reinforcement (distribution bars) in order to control
> 45 MPa, see cracking;
Table 9.1, HK• In the cracked state, the reinforcing bars will channel the flow of
Concrete
Code 2020
tensile forces. In order to get a more realistic load, it is therefore
essential to introduce, in the modelling stage, the form of tension
ties whenever their position is known in advance.

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Comments on Load-Path method
• The arrangement of reinforcement should ideally be designed to
cover the effects due to various load cases.
• The formation of cracks and the plastic deformation of the
structural material will redistribute the internal forces which
would derivate from the prediction on the basis of the theory of
elasticity. It does not matter if the structure is sufficiently
ductile.
• In selecting the model, it is useful to realize that the structure
tends to carry the loads with the least internal forces and the
least possible deformations.
• Since reinforced ties are much more deformable than concrete
struts, the model with the least and shortest ties will be the best.
The product of the tie length li and the tensile forces Ti can be
used as a simplified criterion for optimizing a model:
Ti li = minimum

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Example: Two different strut-and-tie models for the same structure. The good
model (a) has shorter ties than the bad model (b)

q q

(a) good (b) bad

Ti li = smaller

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Comments on Load-Path method
• In strut and tie modeling, a small number of forces
is used to represent the continuous stress
distributions in a real structure. Care must be
taken to choose an appropriate number of forces to
suit the situation.
• At the boundary between a D-region and a B-
region the distributed stresses have to be
represented by a statically equivalent set of
discrete forces. The situation is illustrated in the
following diagram for a single end anchorage in a
prestressed beam.

Inadequate modelling Unnecessary complex Adequate modelling

(No transverse tension) modelling
sufficient to capture the
general behavior of structure
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 Comments on Load-Path method
• To control the crack width of the compressive strut,
it is recommended to either choose a model where
the reinforcement intersects the crack at angles as
close to 90o as possible.

Example : Risk of unacceptable crack widths at discontinuities.

0.2-0.4%
steel for
crack
control

Single cracks issuing from the Internal transverse crack

re-entrant corners from concentrated load
applied within a wall.

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Standard Strut and Tie Models
Corbel/ halving joints and anchorages

Halving joints

Corbel

Anchorages
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Standard Strut and Tie Models
Beam column joints

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Standard Strut and Tie Models
Stepped beams

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Standard Strut and Tie Models
Cranked beams

Small step Large step Large step

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Standard Strut and Tie Models
Wall beams

RC detail

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Standard Strut and Tie Models
Wall /deck openings

If tension
steel is not
sufficient

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 Standard Strut and Tie Models
Coupling beams and deep beams

Very short

Short

Medium-length

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Standard Strut and
Tie Models

Tall Building with outrigger

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Global Structural Behaviour

M a = Foa sin qa B
M b = Fob sin qb B

Fa1 + Fa 2 = 2 Foa cos qa

Fb1 + Fb 2 = 2 Fob cos qb

cos qb
Foa = Fc
(cos qb sin qa + sin qb cos qa )
Fa1 cos qa
= Fc
θa Ma
Fob
(cos qb sin qa + sin qb cos qa )
Foa wind or
seismic Fa2
load Fb1 Shear reversal
θb Fob Fc Fb2
Mb

Bending moment Shear force

in core wall in core wall 15
Idealized Strut-and-tie Model for Outrigger

Compressive strut
Tension tie

Shear force
reversal

Shear connectors

Force equilibrium at the connections

of the cast in outrigger truss

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Openings Through the Core Wall

B/2
D-region
- local thickening of the
(major openings walls at the D-region
through the core may help to reduce the
wall within this adverse effect caused
region should be by stress concentration
avoided) around the openings
B/2

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 Standard Strut and Tie Models
Reinforcement details

Unbalanced
moment
s

L Ties
Hoop-bearing Splitting-tensile
stress stress

Anchorage length s
Bar anchorage
Lap length = L+s
Cl. 8.7.2(d) the clear transverse distance between two lapping bars should
not be greater than 4ϕ or 50 mm, otherwise the lap length should be
increased by a length equal to the clear space exceeding 4 ϕ or 50mm
Cl.8.7.4.1 Where the diameter, ϕ, of the lapped bars is greater than or equal to 20 mm, the transverse
reinforcement should have a total area, Ast (sum of all legs parallel to the layer of the spliced
reinforcement) of not less than the area As of one spliced bar (∑Ast ≥ 1.0As). 18
Struts chord

Diagonal
strut

• Compressive struts fulfil two functions in

Strut and Tie Models
– They serve as the compression chord of the
truss mechanism which resists moment
– They serve as the diagonal struts which
transfer shear to the supports
• Diagonal struts are generally oriented
parallel to the expected axis of cracking

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Types of Struts
For dimensioning, the various cases of stress fields, including
those of the B-regions, may be covered by means of three
typical configurations, namely;
• The bottle-shaped stress field
• The fan-shaped stress field
• The prismatic stress field

Bottle-shaped Fan-shaped Prismatic

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Bottles

• A bottle-shaped stress field occurs wherever a distributed

stress field is balanced with a narrower, more concentrated
stress field. For example, this situation arises at the end of
anchorage in a prestressed beam. In any bottle-shaped field
there are associated transverse tensile stresses (i.e. bursting
stress) which have to be carried either by the concrete in
tension, or by specially introduced transverse reinforcement.

transverse
tensile stress generated

P
σ=P/A

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 The bottle-shaped stress field occurs in many design situations and often
explains the need for transverse reinforcement in compressive concrete to
control the cracks which tend to develop parallel to compressive stresses.

Cracks Compressive
stress fields

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Fans
• A fan-shaped stress field can occur where a force is
introduced and channelled through an element
which is itself fan-shaped. The fan is fundamentally
different to the bottle in which no transverse
tensile stress field exists.

No transverse tensile stresses

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Prisms
• The prism is the simplest compressive stress field.
Without any narrowing or splaying of the stress
trajectories, there are no associated transverse
tensile stresses induced in the concrete. Prisms
occur in B-regions in the compressive flange of a
beam. They can also develop in a web where a
parallel pattern of inclined cracks has formed.
The prismatic stress field is assumed to occur in a
simple compressive strut.

No transverse tensile stresses

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 Experimental study of strength of strut

Schematic diagram of test

i. Varying strut angles (30°, 45° & 60°) OR a/d (1.73, 1.0, 0.5)
ii. Varying concrete strength (30 MPa, 60 MPa and 90 MPa)
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Experimental study of strength of strut
The design detail of specimens
Cage to
protect
NODES at
loading
point and
support

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 Strength of strut

Test matrix
Type L, L’, a, anc., H stirrups V stirrups Long. ρ, h Long., z, a/z θ, fcu ,

mm mm mm mm bars. % mm mm ° MPa

C30-1.7 2000 1600 600 100 R8@80 R10@110 6 T10 1.00 135 336.5 1.78 29.3 34.1

C60-1.7 R10@70 4 T16 1.71 110 330.5 1.82 28.8 64.7

C90-1.7 R10@55 6 T16 2.57 145 308.1 1.95 27.2 89.5

C30-1.0 1750 1300 300 150 R10@80 6 T12 1.44 147 339.2 0.88 48.5 34.8

C60-1.0 R10@55 6 T16 2.57 145 330.7 0.91 47.8 66.1

C90-1.0 R10@40 4 T16 3.05 146 317.1 0.95 46.6 97.0

2 T20

C30-0.5 1585 1170 170 115 R10@110 6 T12 1.44 147 341.5 0.50 63.5 33.9

C60-0.5 R10@60 4 T16 1.71 110 336.7 0.50 63.2 65.3

C90-0.5 R10@50 6 T16 2.57 145 353.8 0.48 64.3 92.6

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Strength of strut
Failure pattern

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Strength of strut
shear strain deformation field at different shear stress state

~70-80%
of peak
load

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Strength of strut

The strut efficiency factor is found to be 0.6.

fcu
Nominal strut
efficiency factor =0.6
fstrut = 0.6 fcu,k / 1.5
= 0.4 fcu,k

R.K.L. Su and D.W.T. Looi (2016), Revisiting the unreinforced strut efficiency
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factor, ACI Structural Journal, 113(2), p301-312.
Strength of strut

The strut efficiency factor does not depend on a/z ratio.

fcu
Nominal strut
efficiency factor =0.6 fstrut = 0.6 fcu,k / 1.5
= 0.4 fcu,k

a/z
27o 45o 56o 63o Strut angle
R.K.L. Su and D.W.T. Looi (2016), Revisiting the unreinforced strut efficiency
31
factor, ACI Structural Journal, 113(2), p301-312.
To be continued