Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024

Department

Concrete Design I
Chapter Five
Serviceability

Halabja University
Civil Engineering Department Bedar [Link]

• 1. Introduction:
• Despite of strength of members against flexural and shear stresses, It is also
important that member performance in normal service be satisfactory.
• Service load deflections under full load may be excessively large.
• Long-term deflections due to sustained loads may cause damage.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 1

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• 2. Cracking in Flexure members:

• Loads are gradually increased above the cracking load,
both the number and the width of cracks increase.
• A maximum width of crack of about 0.4mm is typical
under service load.
• Factors affecting width of cracks:
• 1. Bond of reinforcement (Smooth bar equal to small
number of cracks and wide cracks, while opposite for
deformed bars).
• 2. Stress in reinforcement.
• 3. Increasing the concrete cover increases the spacing of
cracks and also increases crack width.

• 4. Distribution of tension reinforcement (Small diameter is effective for crack

control).
• 5. Skin reinforcement is important to control width of cracks in deep flexural
members.
• 6. Fatigue and sustained loads causes to a doubling of crack width.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 2

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• Equations for crack width:

• 𝑤 = 1.1𝛽𝑓𝑠 3 𝑑𝑐 𝐴 × 10−5 (Gergely and Lutz)
𝑓𝑠 𝑠
•𝑤=2 𝛽 𝑑𝑐 2 + ( ) 2 (Frosch)
𝐸𝑠 2
• w = Maximum width of crack in beams (mm)
• fs = Steel stress at load for which crack width is to be determined (MPa).
• Es = Modulus of elasticity of steel (MPa).
• dc = Thickness of concrete cover measured from tension face to center of bar
closest to that face (mm).
• 𝛽 = ℎ2 Τℎ1
• A = Concrete area surrounding one bar, equal to total effective tension area of
concrete surrounding reinforcement and having same centroid, divided by number
2𝑦×𝑏
of bars (mm2)==
𝑁𝑜.𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑠
• s = Maximum bar spacing C/C (mm).

• ACI code provisions for crack control:

280 280
• 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 = 380 − 2.5𝑐𝑐 ≤ 300( )
𝑓𝑠 𝑓𝑠
• Must be: 𝑠𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 ≤ 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒
• Where:
• 𝑐𝑐 is distance between face of tension reinforcement to tension fiber as shown.
𝑀𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 2
• Should be: 𝑓𝑠 = ≥ 𝑓𝑦
𝐴𝑠 𝑗𝑑 3

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 3

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• Note:
• If the flange of a T-beam is in tension, the portion (smaller than half of
reinforcement) of the bonded flexural tension reinforcement not located over the
beam web shall be distributed within the lesser of the effective flange width which
defined before, and ℓn/10. If ℓn/10 controls, shall satisfying:
𝐴𝑠 (𝐼𝑛 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒)
• 1. ≥ 0.0018
𝑏ℎ
• 2. 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑐/𝑐 ≤ 𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓5ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 450𝑚𝑚
• 3. Deformed reinforcement used to resist shrinkage and temperature stresses shall
develop fy in tension.
• 4. Maximum value of fy:
• Special seismic system-Special moment frame=550MPa
• Special seismic system-Special structural walls=690MPa
• Other=690MPa

• Note:
• For beams with h exceeding 900mm,
longitudinal “skin” reinforcement must be
uniformly distributed along both side faces
of the member for a distance h/2 from the
tension face as shown, and Space between
them≤ 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒.
• The size of the bars or wires is not specified,
but in research indicated that (No. 10 to No.
16) bars or welded wire reinforcement with a
minimum area of 210mm2 per meter of
depth are typically used.
• The contribution of the skin steel to flexural
strength is usually disregarded.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 4

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• Example (1): A rectangular beam reinforced with four evenly spaced No. 20mm
bars in one row and used #10mm stirrups. If Es=200GPa, n=8, fy = 420 MPa and
fc’ = 28MPa:
• 1. Estimate the maximum crack width by using the Gergely- Lutz equation and
Frosch equation.
• 2. Confirm the suitability of the proposed design based on ACI equation.

• Example (2): Figure below shows the main flexural reinforcement at mid-span for
a T girder in a high-rise building that carries a service load moment of 975 kN.m.
f y = 420 MPa. fc’=28 MPa. Determine if the beam meets the crack control criteria
in the ACI Code. If Es=200GPa

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 5

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• 3. Control of Deflections:
• Excessive deflections can lead to cracking of supported walls and partitions, ill-
fitting doors and windows, poor roof drainage, misalignment of sensitive
machinery and equipment, or visually offensive sag.
• There are presently two approaches to deflection control.
• 1. Setting suitable upper limits on the span-depth ratio (where spans, loads, and
member sizes fall in the usual ranges).
• 2. Otherwise, it is essential to calculate deflections and to compare those predicted
values with specific limitations.

• There are two types of deflections may be occur:

• 1. Immediate deflections: The members under loads up to the full service load,
stresses in both steel and concrete remain within the elastic ranges, can be
calculated based on the properties of the un-cracked elastic member, the cracked
elastic member, or some combination of these.
• 2. Long-term deflection (Time-Dependent deformations): That take place
gradually over an extended time due to concrete creep and shrinkage, reinforced
concrete members continue to deflect with the passage of time. Long-term
deflections continue over a period of several years, and may eventually be 2 or
more times the initial elastic deflections.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 6

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• 1. Immediate deflections:
• Elastic deflections can be expressed in the general form
𝑓(𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑠,𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑠,𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠)
• ∆=
𝐸𝐼
• Where EI is the flexural rigidity.
• Note: The particular problem in reinforced concrete structures is therefore the
determination of the appropriate flexural rigidity EI for a member.
• There are two cases:
• 1. A. If the maximum moment in a flexural member is so small that the tensile
stress in the concrete ≤modulus of rupture f r , no flexural tension cracks will
occur. This stage of loading has been analyzed based on the Un-cracked
𝑓
transformed section: ∆𝑖(𝑢𝑛−𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑) =
𝐸𝑐 𝐼𝑢𝑡
• B. B. At higher loads, flexural tension cracks are formed, in this level calculated
𝑓
based on the cracked transformed section:∆𝑖(𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑) =
𝐸𝑐 𝐼𝑒

• The exact variation of I depends on the shape of the

moment diagram and on the crack pattern and is
difficult to determine. This makes an exact
deflection calculation impossible.
• Instead of it, using an effective moment of inertia Ie:
𝑀𝑐𝑟 3 𝑀𝑐𝑟 3
• 𝐼𝑒 = ( ) 𝐼𝑢𝑡 + 1−( ) 𝐼𝑐𝑟 ≤ 𝐼𝑢𝑡
𝑀𝑎 𝑀𝑎
• Iut is the moment of inertia of the un-cracked
transformed section.
• Icr is the moment of inertia of the cracked
transformed section.
𝑓𝑟 𝐼𝑢𝑡
• 𝑀𝑐𝑟 =
𝑦𝑡
• yt is the distance from N.A to the tension face of
beam.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 7

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• 2. Long term (Time-dependent) deflection:

• Main reasons of it (shrinkage and creep).
• For a reinforced concrete beam, the long-term deformation is much more
complicated, because while the concrete creeps under sustained load, the steel
does not as shown.

• Because of such complexities, it is

necessary in practice to calculate additional,
time-dependent deflections of beams due to
creep (and shrinkage) using a simplified,
empirical approach by which the initial
elastic deflections are multiplied by a factor
λ Δ to obtain the additional long-time
deflections:
∆𝑡 = 𝜆∆ ∆𝑖
• The coefficient λ Δ depends on:
• 1. The duration of the sustained load.
• 2. The state of reinforcement in beams
whether the beam has only (As) or whether
(As plus As’).
• Clearly, in calculating deflections, the
engineer must anticipate, as nearly as
possible, both the magnitude and the time
sequence of the loadings.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 8

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• ACI provisions for deflections control:

• Minimum Depth to Span ratios:

• General Procedure:
• 1. Determine centroid and gross moment of inertia (Ig) based on un-cracked
section of members.
𝑓𝑟 𝐼𝑔
• 2. Determine cracked moment based on: 𝑀𝑐𝑟 =
𝑦𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒

• Modulus of Rapture: 𝑓𝑟 = 0.62𝜆 𝑓𝑐 ′

• Note: 𝜆 in Modulus of rapture equation based on table below, but It shall be
permitted to take λ as 0.75 for lightweight concrete, and 1 for normal weight
concrete.

• 3. Determine Moment applied due to total service loads (Ma).

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 9

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• General Procedure:
• 4. Determine effective moment of inertia (Ie):
2
• If (𝑀𝑎 ≤ 𝑀𝑐𝑟 ), then Ie=Ig.
3
2
• If If (𝑀𝑎 > 𝑀𝑐𝑟 ), then:
3
• Determine cracked centroid and cracked moment of inertia (Icr).
𝐼𝑐𝑟
• 𝐼𝑒 = 2 2
𝑀
1− 3 𝑐𝑟 (1−𝐼𝑐𝑟 )
𝑀𝑎 𝐼𝑔

• Notes:
• 1. For continuous one-way slabs and beams, Ie shall be permitted to be taken as
the average of values obtained from the critical + and – moment section.
• 2. Ie shall be permitted to be taken at mid-span for simple and continuous spans,
and at the support for cantilevers.

• 5. Calculate immediate deflection by one of the proper methods in structural

analysis (Moment-Area theorem, double integrations, conjugate beams, etc.) due
to service dead load and live load.
• This table is useful for estimate immediate deflection:

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 10

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• 6. Calculate (Time-Dependent) long term deflection:

• Unless obtained from a more comprehensive analysis, additional time-dependent
deflection resulting from creep and shrinkage of flexural members shall be
calculated as the product of the immediate deflection caused by sustained load and
the factor λΔ.
𝜉
• 𝜆∆ =
1+50𝜌′
• ρ′ shall be calculated at mid-span for simple and continuous spans, and at the
support for cantilevers.

• Note:
• Based on research not ACI code: For concrete (28𝑀𝑃𝑎 < 𝑓′𝑐 ≤ 84𝑀𝑃𝑎)
𝜇𝜉 𝑓′𝑐
Modified equation is: 𝜆∆ = ; 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 0.4 ≤ 𝜇 = 1.4 − ≤1
1+50𝜇𝜌′ 700
• 7. Compare with allowable deflection based on the ACI limits:

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 11

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• Example (3): A rectangular beam reinforced with four evenly spaced No. 20mm
bars in one row and used #10mm stirrups. If Es=200GPa, n=8, fy = 420 MPa and
fc’ = 28MPa: ( 1 ) Calculate the increment of deflection resulting from the first
application of the short-term live load, ( 2 ) Find the creep portion of the sustained
load deflection plus the immediate deflection due to live load, and ( 3 ) Compare
your results with the limitations imposed by the ACI Code. Assume that the beam
is a part of a floor system and supports cinder block partitions susceptible to
cracking if deflections are excessive.

• Example (4):The beam shown in Figure below is a part of the floor system of an
apartment house and is designed to carry calculated dead load of 24kN/m and a
service live load of 48kN/m. Of the total live load, 20 percent is sustained in
nature, while 80 percent will be applied only intermittently over the life of the
structure. Under full dead and live load, the moment diagram is as shown in
Figure. The beam will support nonstructural partitions that would be damaged if
large deflections were to occur. They will be installed shortly after construction
shoring is removed and dead loads take effect, but before significant creep occurs.
Calculate the sum of long-time deflection due to dead and partial live load plus the
immediate deflection due to the non-sustained part of the live load. Average
d=560mm, Es=200GPa Material strengths are fc’ = 28MPa and f y = 420MPa.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 12

Halabja University-Civil Engineering 10/8/2024
Department

• Problem (1): For the simply supported beam of 7.2m span to carry a
uniform dead load of 22.2 kN/m and a live load of 17 kN/m. Check
their spacing arrangement to satisfy the ACI Code. Given: n=8, f ′c =
28MPa, fy =420MPa, and #10mm used as stirrups.
• Answer: Sall.=255m and Spro.=66.67mm
• Problem (2): For cantilever beam as shown, calculate long term
deflection due to service live and dead loads; If #10mm used as
stirrups, fc’=35MPa, fy=420MPa, and Es=210GPa.

Lecturer: Bedar Rauf Hassan 13