Design of Columns
The design of modern reinforced concrete
structure is the assembly of several structural
elements such as beams, columns, slabs, walls
and foundations.
Accordingly the designer has to learn the design
of these reinforced concrete elements.
The joints and connections are then carefully
developed.
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Design of Columns
Column is a vertical structural member
supporting axial compressive loads, with or
without moments.
Columns carry loads from the beams and slabs
down to the foundations, and therefore they are
primarily compression members, although they
may also have to resist bending forces due to
the continuity of the structure.
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Design of Columns
A minimum area of longitudinal steel is provided in
the column, whether it is required from load point
of view or not. This is done to resist tensile stress
caused by some eccentricity of the vertical loads.
There is also an upper limit of amount of
reinforcement in R.C. columns, because higher
percentage of steel may cause difficulties in the
placement and compaction of the concrete.
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Design of Columns
The theory of flexure for reinforced concrete is based on three
basic assumptions and additional assumptions are also
presented to simplify the analysis for practical applications. This
is discussed in detail in RC I, Ultimate limit State Design for
Flexure.
The three basic assumptions are:
• There must be a linear distribution of strains
Sections perpendicular to the axis of bending that are plane
before bending remains plane after bending
• The strain in the reinforcement is equal to the strain in the
concrete at the same level.
• The stresses in the concrete and reinforcement can be
computed from the strains, by using stress–strain curves for
concrete and steel. 4
Classification of Column
Columns can be classified:
o Based on sensitivity to second order effect
o Based on lateral load resisting mechanism
o Based on types of transverse reinforcement
o Based on slenderness ratio
o Based on loading
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Based on sensitivity to second order effect
On the basis of sensitivity to second order effect due
to lateral displacements;
• Sway columns,
• Non-sway columns.
A frame may be classified as non-sway if its response
to in-plane horizontal forces is sufficiently stiff for it to
be acceptably accurate to neglect any additional
internal forces or moments arising from horizontal
displacement of nodes.
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Based on lateral load resisting mechanism
Braced Column: where the
lateral loads are resisted by
walls or some other form of
bracing, and
Unbraced Column: where
the lateral loads, in addition
to vertical load, are resisted
by the bending action of the
columns.
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Based on types of reinforcement
Reinforced concrete columns are
classified into two groups, based
on the types of reinforcement:
• Tied Columns: The main
longitudinal reinforcement bars
are enclosed within closely
spaced lateral ties.
• Spiral Column: The main
longitudinal reinforcement bars
are enclosed within closely
spaced and continuously wound
spiral reinforcement.
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Based on types of reinforcement
Up to ultimate the load level [point B], tied
and spiral columns behave almost identically,
and the transverse steel adds very little to
the strength of the column.
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Based on types of reinforcement
Once the ultimate load is reached, the
failure will be sudden and brittle in the
absence of transverse reinforcement or tied
columns with ties not closely spaced.
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Tied Columns
In the case of tied
columns, some marginal
ductility [paths BC, BD]
can be introduced by
providing closely spaced
lateral ties which
undergo yielding in
tension prior to collapse
of the columns.
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Spiral Column
When substantial ductility is required, the bars
are placed in a circle, and the ties are replaced
by a bar bent into a helix or spiral. Such a
column is called Spiral column.
At ultimate load level, the outer shell of the
concrete (covering the spiral) spalls off; but the
concrete in the ‘core’ laterally confined by the
helical reinforcement, continues to carry load.
Therefore, the spiral delays the failure of the
core, making column more ductile.
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Tied Columns Spiral Column
In seismic region, spiral columns are used more
extensively and if tied column is used, the ties are
heavier and much more closely spaced than in the
case of non-seismic region.
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Based on slenderness ratio
Short Columns usually fail by crushing but a
slender column is liable to fail by buckling. The
end moments on slender column cause the
column to deflect sideways and thus bring into
play an additional moment, and this moment
causes a further lateral deflection.
Therefore, the ultimate load carried by short
column is governed by the strength of the material
and size of the cross-section, for slender column
there is additional factor called slenderness.
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Based on slenderness ratio
When unbalanced moment or a
moment due to eccentric loading
is applied to a column, the
member responds by bending.
For deflection at the center and
force P, the total moment at the
center will be M+Pd
The second order bending
moment, +Pd, is due to the
eccentricity of the axial force
which results from the deflection.
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Based on slenderness ratio
If the column is short, d is small and the second
order moment is negligible.
If on the other hand, the column is long, d is large
and +Pd must be calculated and added to the
applied moment, M.
A column in which the moment, +Pd, is negligible
is known as short column while a column in which
+Pd is not negligible is known as slender column.
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Slender Column
The line O-A is referred to as a load –
moment curve for the end moments,
while the line O-B is the load-
moment curve for the maximum
column moments. This reduction in
axial load capacity results from what
is referred to as slenderness ratio.
A slender column is defined as a
column that has a significant
reduction in its axial load capacity
due to moments resulting from
lateral deflection of the column.
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Based on loading
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Based on loading
Based on the loading, columns are classified into
the following three types:
• Column subjected to axial loads only
(concentric).
Example: Internal columns
• Columns subjected to combined axial load and
uniaxial bending.
Example: Edge columns
• Columns subjected to combined axial load and
bi-axial bending.
Example: Corner columns
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Based on loading
It is worth mentioning that pure axial force in
the inside columns is a rare case.
• due to rigid frame action,
• lateral loading and
• practical aspects of construction.
Accordingly, Euro code prescribes the
minimum eccentricity (ea) for the design of all
columns to incorporate the equivalent
geometric imperfection.
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Isolated Column
A column may be considered as isolated
columns
• when they are isolated compression
members, or
• compression members which are integral
parts of a structure, but which are considered
to be isolated for design purposes
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