Unit Description and General Aims

The objective of this unit is to teach students on reinforced concrete (RC) structures, as part of building construction and design. Engineering materials, dead and live loads, wind loading, and design methodologies are also examined.

The structural design engineer makes decisions about the general arrangement of the structural members, the materials of which they are made, their size, and how they are connected together. Structural designers make use of information about materials and construction processes, together with various analytical techniques, to assist them in making the correct decisions about how structures should be built. Students would already have covered how to analyze structures to determine aspects such as bending moments, deflections, and stresses. This unit will concentrate on estimating the loads which a structure may be required to carry and designing individual members (including specific codes).

The subject matter covered in this unit will include: the configuration and functional structural elements of various types of roofs, wall framings, and foundations, including load estimations applied on these RC structures based on Australian loading codes; the behavior and properties of conventional structural materials, primarily steel and concrete, as used in the development of design methods; properties of RC structures, particularly durability and fire resistance; the design and analysis of RC beams for flexure/bending and shear, and of other RC structures such as columns, slabs, and footings, based on AS 3600 (Australian Standard for Concrete Structures); detailing of RC members; and lastly, the ethical and legal obligations of a structural engineer.

At the conclusion of this unit, students will have been imparted with detailed knowledge of RC structures, particularly in terms of building design and construction, and the requirements and obligations of a structural engineer.

Learning Outcomes

1. Apply design concepts to structural elements, such as roof, wall framing, and foundations, and include load estimation applied on these Reinforced Concrete members.
   Bloom’s Level 4
2. Apply and enhance knowledge of the behaviour and properties of conventional structural materials (steel and concrete) used in the development of design methods.
   Bloom’s Level 2
3. Analyse and design Reinforced Concrete members for flexure/bending and shear, and other RC structures – such as a column, slab, or footing.
   Bloom’s Level 6
4. Identify the need for lawful adherence to good practice as part of the ethical and legal obligations of a structural engineer, particularly in relation to the detailing of Reinforced Concrete members.
   Bloom’s Level 3
5. Apply design methodologies, codes and specifications to the design of reinforced concrete members.
   Bloom’s Level 3
6. Use structural analysis and design program for 2D and 3D
   Bloom’s Level 6

Student assessment

Overall requirements: Students must achieve a result of 40% or above in the exam itself to pass the exam, and must pass the exam to be able to pass the unit. An overall final unit score of 50% or above must be achieved to pass the unit assessment.

Prescribed and Recommended Readings

Required textbook(s)

• Australian Standard AS3600 - latest version, Concrete Structures
• Australian Standard AS 1170.0 - latest version, Basics for analysis and design
• Australian Standard AS 1170.2 - latest version, Structural design actions - Wind actions
• Australian Standard AS 1170.4 - latest version, Structural design actions - Earthquake actions in Australia

Reference Materials

• Foster, S., J., Kilpatrick, A., E. and Warner, R., F. 2010, Reinforced Concrete Basics - Analysis and Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures, 2nd Edition, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia
• Reinforced concrete – Designer’s handbook - 2015 Revised Edition - Beletich, Hymas, Reid & Uno
• Australian guidebook for structural engineers - 2017 Revised Edition - Tylor and Francis – Lonnie Pack

Unit Content

Topic 1

Introduction to reinforced concrete

• Properties of hardened concrete
  • Compressive strength
  • Modulus of elasticity
  • Tensile strength
• Properties of steel reinforcement

Topic 2

Basics for analysis and design

• Assumptions for analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures
• Flexural behavior at service load and at overloading
• Working stress analysis
• Elastic analysis after cracking transformed section method
• Equilibrium and compatibility method

Topic 3

Limit State Design for bending

• Design codes
• Structural performance
• Limit state design
• Capacity reduction factor
• Loads and load combinations
• Protecting the reinforcing steel
• Durability and fire resistance period
• Reinforcement spacing
• Flexural capacity
• Conditions and maximum moment
• Concrete compressive stress block
• Equivalent rectangular stress block (ERSB)
• AS3600-2009 USES an ERSB
• Example

Topic 4

Design for Serviceability State

• Deflection limits
• Short-term and long-term deflection calculations
• Effective second moment of area
• Effective span
• Deemed to comply provision
• Deflection of continuous beams

Topic 5

Moment-Curvature

• Moment curvature relationships
• Ductility
• Balanced failure and ductility limits
• Cracking moment
• Effects of compressive reinforcement
• Maximum moment in doubly reinforced sections
• Flanged sections

Topic 6

Design for Pure Moment

• Proportioning of a beam for flexure
• Design for pure bending
• Minimum strength requirements
• Approximate value of maximum moment for an under reinforced beam
• Non-standard sections
• Simplified methods of flexural analysis - AS3600
• Design based on moment
• Design based on shear

Topic 7

Design for Shear Strength

• Shear in beams
• Mechanism of shear failure
• Types of cracking
• Shear reinforcements
• Shear strength design of beams
• Strength limit state requirements
• Shear in T-section

Topic 8

Slab Design

• Types of slabs
• Design of slabs for strength
• Design of slabs for serviceability
• Simplified methods for flexural analysis
• One-way slabs
  • Reinforcement requirements
  • Crack control
  • Deflection check
• Two-way slabs supported on sides
• Reinforcement's arrangements
• Slab edge conditions
• Serviceability
  • Crack control for flexure
  • Crack control for shrinkage and temperature effects
  • Simplified methods

Topic 9

Simplified Methods for Slab Design

• Flat slabs and flat plates
• Design strips
• Serviceability and simplified method
• Total static moment
• Total end moment and span moment
• Punching shear

Topic 10

Reinforced Column Design

• Introduction to columns
• Types of columns
• Failure mode
• Reinforcements requirements for columns
• Columns at pure compression
• Plastic centroid
• Columns at pure bending
• Balanced conditions
• Interaction diagram
• Strain distribution at failure

Topic 11

Section Analysis of Columns

• Section capacity lines for various steel ratios
• Section in biaxial bending and compression
• Short and slender columns
• Design using interaction diagram
• Section capacity lines for various ratios
• Sections in biaxial bending and compression
• Short and slender columns with various steel sections
• Design based on interaction diagram

Topic 12

Reinforcement Detailing

• Introduction to reinforcement detailing
• Principle of detailing
• Anchorage
• Bond and anchorage of reinforcements
• Development lengths
• Lap lengths

Software/Hardware Used

Software

• Software: N/A

• Version: N/A

• Instructions:  N/A

• Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

• N/A

Unit Changes Based on Student Feedback