16/1/2018 Design of reinforced concrete D regions using strut and tie models and nonlinear finite element modelling

ng | Research groups | Imperial Coll…

Home / Research groups / Structures / Research / Structural engineering /

Design of reinforced concrete D regions using strut and tie models and nonlinear nite element modelling

Design of reinforced concrete D regions using

strut and tie models and nonlinear nite
element modelling

Researchers: Dr Robert Vollum, Dr Juan Sagaseta University of Surrey (former research student), Dr
Hamidreza Amini (former PhD student), Libin Fang (PhD student)

Background
All reinforced concrete structures consist of D regions in which plane sections do not remain plane
unlike B regions which can be designed using standard codi ed methods. Typical examples of D
regions are beam-column joints, deep beams and pile caps. D regions can be designed for stresses
calculated with nite element analysis or alternatively with strut and tie models, in which concrete
structures are represented as trusses with concrete resisting compression and reinforcement tension.

Dr Vollum is leading an on-going research programme1-17 to develop improved design methods for D
regions based strut and tie analysis as well as nonlinear nite element. The aim of the strut and tie
based research is to assess the accuracy of the strut and tie modelling technique and to investigate
the appropriateness of its underlying assumptions.

This research has shown that strut and tie modelling is a powerful technique which tends to be more
robust in its application than many nonlinear nite element based procedures which can be of very
variable accuracy dependent on the modelling assumptions.

However, it can be very time consuming to develop accurate strut and tie models without some degree
of automation. Therefore, research has been carried out with Amini14-17 to develop a semi-automated
nite element based design method for D regions. This research into the design of D regions has
resulted in three PhD theses1-3 and 16 journal articles to date.

Fig. 2: Strut and tie model for continuous beam

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/structural-engineering/research/structural-engineering/design-reinforced-concrete-regions/ 1/4
16/1/2018 Design of reinforced concrete D regions using strut and tie models and nonlinear finite element modelling | Research groups | Imperial Coll…

Context and methodology

The research involves a synthesis of experimental, numerical and analytical methods. The
experimental research to date has focussed on studying the behaviour of beam-column joints and
short span beams loaded with up to four concentrated loads as shown in Figure 1. Particular emphasis
has been placed on measuring the kinematics of the short span beams as they are loaded to failure. In
depth measurements have been taken of crack opening and sliding displacements as well as the
overall deformation of the beam. This enables an assessment of the contribution of aggregate
interlock to shear resistance10-11.

Specialised strut and tie based models have been developed for beam-column joints and simply
supported as well as continuous short span beams (see Figure 2). Amini and Vollum’s procedure3, 14-17
for the automated design of reinforcement is implemented in the computer programme NonOpt3
which operates in conjunction with the commercial nite element programme DIANA. Currently, the
method makes use of the equations of the Modi ed Compression Field Theory (MCFT) of Collins et al19
to design the reinforcement for stresses calculated in a nonlinear nite element analysis of the
structure. Importantly, the same constitutive equations are used in the nonlinear analysis and the
design of the reinforcement.

The reinforcement is designed on the basis of predetermined bands as shown in Figure 3 and is
subsequently assessed with nonlinear nite element analysis as shown in Figure 4. The design
procedure is iterative since the stresses calculated in the nonlinear analysis depend on the
reinforcement arrangement determined in the previous step. The design method works well and is a
promising alternative to strut and tie based methods of design.

Fig. 3: Reinforcement arrangement used in automated design of continuous beam with NonOpt

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/structural-engineering/research/structural-engineering/design-reinforced-concrete-regions/ 2/4
16/1/2018 Design of reinforced concrete D regions using strut and tie models and nonlinear finite element modelling | Research groups | Imperial Coll…

Fig. 4: Nonlinear nite element assessment of beam designed with NonOpt

Outputs
PhD theses
Vollum RL (1998) Design and analysis of reinforced concrete beam column joints, University of London.
Sagaseta J (2008) The In uence of Aggregate Fracture on the Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete
Beams. PhD thesis, Imperial College London.
Amini Naja an H. (2011) Nonlinear optimisation of reinforcement design for reinforced concrete
structures loaded in plane stress. PhD thesis, Imperial College London.

Journal articles
1. Vollum, R.L. and Newman J.B., “Towards the design of eccentric beam-column joints”, Magazine of
Concrete Research, 51, (1999), 397-407.
2. Vollum, R.L. and Newman J.B, “Strut and tie models for the analysis/design of external beam
column joints”, Magazine of Concrete Research, 51, (1999), 415-425.
3. Vollum R.L and Newman J.B, “The design of external reinforced concrete beam-column joints”, The
Structural Engineer, 77(23&24), (1999), 21-27.
4. Vollum R.L. and Parker D., External beam–column joints: design to Eurocode 2, Magazine of
Concrete Research, 60, (2008), 511-521.
5. Sagaseta J. and Vollum R.L., Non-linear nite element analysis of shear critical high strength
concrete beams, ACEE, (2009), 95-106.
6. Bukhari I.A., Vollum RL, Ahmad S, and Sagaseta J., “Shear strengthening of reinforced concrete
beams with CFRP”, Magazine of Concrete Research, 62, (2010), 65-77.
7. Sagaseta J. and Vollum R.L., “Shear design of short-span beams”, Magazine of Concrete Research,
62, (2010), 267-282.
8. Sagaseta J. and Vollum R.L., “In uence of aggregate fracture on shear transfer through cracks in
reinforced concrete”, Magazine of Concrete Research, 63 (2011), 119-137.
9. Sagaseta J. and Vollum R.L., “In uence of beam cross-section, loading arrangement and aggregate
type on shear strength”, Magazine of Concrete Research, 63 (2011), 139-155.
10. Bukhari IA, Vollum RL, Ahmad S, et al, Shear strengthening of short span reinforced concrete
beams with CFRP sheets, The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering B, 38 (2013), 523-536
11. Amini Naja an H, Vollum RL, Automated nonlinear design of reinforced concrete D regions,
Structural Engineering and Mechanics, (2013), 46 (1), 91-110
12. Authors:Amini Naja an H, Vollum RL
13. Authors:Abela JM, Potts DM, Vollum RL, Izzuddin BA
14. Amini Naja an H, Vollum RL, Design of planar reinforced concrete D regions with nonlinear nite
element analysis, Engineering Structures, (2013) 51, 211-225

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/structural-engineering/research/structural-engineering/design-reinforced-concrete-regions/ 3/4
16/1/2018 Design of reinforced concrete D regions using strut and tie models and nonlinear finite element modelling | Research groups | Imperial Coll…

15. Authors:Amini Naja an H, Vollum RL

16. Vollum RL, Amini Naja an H, Optimising reinforcement design in D regions using non-linear nite-
element analysis, Magazine of Concrete Research, (2013), 65, 234-247
17. Amini Naja an H, Vollum RL, Fang L, (2013) Comparative assessment of nite element and strut and
tie based design methods for deep beams, Magazine of Concrete Research, l:65, ISSN:0024-9831,
Pages:970-986

Other references
Collins MP, Bentz EC, Sherwood EG, Xie L. (2008) An adequate theory for the shear strength of
reinforced concrete structures. Magazine of Concrete Research;60(9):635–50

Imperial College London

South Kensington Campus
London SW7 2AZ, UK
tel: +44 (0)20 7589 5111

© 2018 Imperial College

London

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/structural-engineering/research/structural-engineering/design-reinforced-concrete-regions/ 4/4