12/10/2018 What is a Plinth Beam?

Its purpose, Applications and Construction

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What is a Plinth Beam? Its purpose, Applications and Constr

 What is a Plinth Beam? Its purpose, Applications and Construction

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What is a Plinth Beam and its Purpose in a Building?

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Plinth beam is a reinforced concrete beam constructed between the wall and its foundation.
provided to prevent the extension or propagation of cracks from the foundation into the wa
foundation suffers from settlement. Plinth beams distributes the load of the wall over the fo

Fig.1: Plinth Beam

Applications of Plinth Beam 

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It is mandatory to provide plinth beam in areas that prone to earthquake.

Construction of plinth beam above the natural ground is another application of this type of

Fig.2: Applications of Plinth Beam

Concrete Strength Suitable for Plinth Beam Construction

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Strength of plinth beam concrete shall not be smaller than 20MPa. If concrete is mixed man

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20% cement need to be added to the mixture. Figure 3 show plinth beam concrete prepara

Fig.3: Concrete mix preparation and placement for plinth beam const

Minimum Dimension of a Plinth Beam

A minimum depth of plinth beam is 20cm whereas its width should match the width of final
foundation.

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Formwork for Plinth Beam
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Formwork used for plinth beam construction should be properly installed and adequately se
placement as shown in Figure-4. The concrete needs to be compacted sufficiently to preven
aggressive elements.

Fig.4: Plinth beam shuttering is completed

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Steel Bars Used for Plinth Beam
It is recommended to provide two bars with minimum diameter of 12mm at the bottom of t
bars with minimum diameter of 10mm shall be provided at the top of the plinth beam.

Reinforcement bars should be protected by 25mm concrete cover. As far as stirrups are con
diameter should be at least 6mm and a spacing of 15cm should be sufficient.

Fig.5: Reinforcement installation for plinth beams are complete

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12/10/2018 What is a Plinth Beam? Its purpose, Applications and Construction

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About Madeh Izat Hamakareem (https://theconstructor.org/author/madeh-izat-ham

Madeh is a Structural Engineer who works as Assistant Lecturer in Koya University. He is the author, editor a
theconstructor.org.

©2018 The Constructor

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