Creep Model For Reinforced Concrete Columns: Aci Structural Journal Technical Paper
Creep Model For Reinforced Concrete Columns: Aci Structural Journal Technical Paper
Creep Model For Reinforced Concrete Columns: Aci Structural Journal Technical Paper
by Raed M. Samra
A rational approach for calculating the serviceability structural ef- are much too small compared to the failure strain of
fects of creep on reinforced concrete columns and beams is pro- the materials involved. However, a verification of the
posed. The approach uses as input creep properties, exemplified by
internal stresses created by creep when the steel is
the creep coefficient, and produces as output deflections of members
and stresses in concrete and steel. The approach defines an effective placed unsymmetrically and its contribution to the
modulus of elasticity for the reinforced section and uses a trial and load-carrying capacity is very large must be considered.
error approach for its solution. The application of the method is While precautionary measures are useful and would in
made simple by the use of a microcomputer. The results of a specific many instances allow the problem to be designed
example, solved by means of this approach and compared with pro-
around, they are not helpful in providing information
cedures given in the ACI Building Code (3/8M-83) and British Stan-
dards Institution Standard BS 8/10, point toward good correlation about how the volume of concrete reacts to load, time,
and, considering the degree of uncertainty associated with the prob- and environment.
lem, confirm that the method is reasonably accurate.
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
Keywords: beams (supports); columns (supports); creep properties; deflection'; This paper studies the behavior of reinforced con-
reinforced concrete: serviceability.
crete columns under sustained service load stresses.
Such a problem has not been addressed satisfactorily by
The importance of creep in concrete structures is al- design codes. The Building Code Requirements for
ready well established. Creep can affect internal stresses Reinforced Concrete (ACI 318M-83) (metric code), 2 for
in two ways: it can reduce existing internal stresses so instance, proposes a procedure for incorporating the
that they are of a continuous nature, and it can create effects of creep on the strength of columns, particu-
its own new internal stresses when materials with dif- larly slender columns. It introduces a creep factor {3d
ferent creep characteristics interact in a given cross sec- whose function is to magnify the moments in slender
tion. Such internal stresses created by creep itself occur columns. The design is then carried out for the axial
primarily in composite materials. One example would load and magnified moment. This approach does not
be a reinforced concrete column under permanent load. provide information about the nature of the behavior at
Creep causes contraction of concrete but not of steel. sustained working loads, a case significant in the study
Since plane sections remain plane, the stresses decrease of serviceability requirements.
in the concrete over time as the stresses increase in the
steel. The same redistribution is produced by shrink- PROCEDURE
age; these internal stresses are, in turn, reduced by In plain concrete members, the effects of creep have
creep. As a result of this redistribution caused by creep often been accounted for by using a modified (also
and shrinkage, compression reinforcement in under- called reduced or effective) modulus of elasticity. This
reinforced columns may reach the yield point even un- reduced modulus considers the reduction in stiffness of
der working loads. To prevent the columns from buck- a plain concrete member as a result of the occurrence
ling, an adequate concrete cover and an appropriate use of long-term strains caused by creep. The modulus is
of lateral ties are required. 1 In the dimensioning of given by
structural reinforced concrete elements, these internal
stresses created by creep are never taken into account. Ec
E =-- (1)
They may, however, require structural precautions such " I + cf>,
as close spacing of stirrups in members that will be
Received Oct. I, 1987, and reviewed under Institute publication policies.
subjected to high compressive stresses. Nonetheless, this Copyright © 1989, American Concrete lnstiiUie. All rights reserved, including
cannot have a measurable effect on load-carrying ca- the making of copies unless permission is obtained from the copyright propri-
etors. Pertinent discussion will be published in the November-December 1989
pacity since the strains caused by the internal stresses ACI Structural Journal if received by July I, 1989.
in which
14 -
IZ
10-
2000
1800
1600
1400
rJ
As : 6000mm•
F~ : 21 MP0
Ee1
E"
!::../;
!::../;
strain in concrete after a time t, under
sustained load
strain in concrete upon application of load
stress decrement in concrete due to transfer of
force from concrete to steel, during time t and
stress decrement in concrete during an
IZOO __ P 'fOOD kN
infinitesimal time interval i.
or
~ Eco _ Effective
00
a: Modulus of Reinforced
Eq. (2) demonstrates the well-known phenomena that
0
3 6
BOO a!1
._ Section
.
columns under sustained load exhibit a continuous, but
"' Ecr - Effective Moclllus decreasing, transfer of force from concrete to steel.
"'0 of Plain Concrete
6 00 Section Since the stress in concrete reduces with time, this re-
sults in both immediate and creep recoveries. The creep
00
recovery portion, at a given moment, is assumed to oc-
zoo cur at the same rate as the creep. This is in accordance
with the method of superposition postulated by
1.5 z.o 25 3.0
McHenry. 3 Hence, the total creep recovery during time
0.5 '0
t under sustained load is obtained by multiplying the
CREEP COEFI'lCfENT, ~ strain decrement, in an infinitesimal time interval i, !::../;/
( 1nvn=0.0394 in 1
2
1mrl = l5.S.l'din 1 t kN=0.225 kip J
En by the creep factor increment d¢; during that time
interval and summing the effect over the entire creep
recovery range 0 ->c/> 1•
Fig. ]-Comparison of effective modulus for a plain The concrete stress fm after a time t, is given by
and reinforced section of an axially loaded member
(3)
where
instantaneous modulus of elasticity of the con- The term under the integral sign may be approximated
crete by 1::../;cf>,/2£., and making this substitution in Eq. (2)
reduced modulus of elasticity of the concrete yields
creep coefficient (also called creep factor) de-
fined as
creep strain
cf>l
initial strain
In approximating the term under the integral sign, an
average stress of (\12)1::.../; is assumed and multiplied by
In this paper, a simple procedure for predicting the the creep recovery range cf>, i.e., creep recovery strain
effects of creep in reinforced concrete is devised. The = a!::..J;c/> 1 where a = Y2. This value for a is only an ap-
approach is based on the study of the behavior of rein- proximation because the stress reduction is not strictly
forced concrete members under sustained load, with the linear. But it is also not far off from being linear, es-
resulting increase in deformations and stress redistri- pecially after an extended time under sustained load. A
bution between concrete and steel. The solution incor- mor:e accurate, but also more rigorous, approach would
porates an effective modulus of elasticity for a member be to divide the time scale into a number of intervals
with reinforcement. A comparison between the moduli assuming a linear stress reduction in each interval, and
of elasticity for plain concrete and reinforced concrete then add the effects of creep recovery for all intervals.
is shown for the case of an axially loaded member (see Such an approach may be found in Samra4 but has the
Example 1 in Fig. 1). In a reinforced concrete member, disadvantage of requiring extensive creep data, which
the final strain in concrete, after a period of sustained makes it cumbersome for most cases of practical de-
load t, may be expressed in the following manner sign. A study of the effect of using different values of
78 ACI Structural Journal I January-February 1989
in concrete and steel then may be computed from Eq.
~ Concrete Stress
(3) for the concrete, and by multiplying the steel strain
-----6 Steel Stress determined in Step 3 by its modulus of elasticity for the
7.0
steel. Thus in concrete: f,, = f,; - !::..j;, and in steel: fs,
6.0 = E". E,.
Equilibrium is then checked by verifying that Ps + P,
5.0 = P, where Ps and P, represent the internal forces in
140
- ___ ..A- ___ ___ .~:r-- -- --"" concrete and steel (obtained by multiplying the stresses
4.0 120
0
in concrete and steel by the corresponding areas, re-
"'
"' ~
0
Solution 21,500
12,680 MPa (1.84 X 10" psi)
A. Before creep 3.288)
I. Calculate the modular ratio n (2 "5)- (1.7 5) ( 7.153
£, 2 X 10' MPa (29 X 10" psi) 7. Calculate the final strains in concrete and steel
(ACI 318M-83, Section 8.5.2)
£, 4700 .JJ: (AC! 318M-83, Section 8.5.1) f = b: = 7.153 = 5 64 X 10'
£, 4700 -}2T = 21,500 MPa (3.12 X 10" psi) " £,., 12,680 .
2 X 10'
n £,/£, = - - = 9.3
21,500 E, = f, = 5.64 X 10·'
2. Calculate the initial concrete and steel stresses using the trans- 8. Calculate the final stresses in concrete and steel
formed area approach. Concrete stress is given by
f, = };, - !:,.f = 7.153 - 3.288 = 3.865 MPa (560.4 psi)
p
Ag + (n - !)A, .t:, f, · £, = (5.64 X 10 ') (2 X 10') = 112.8 MPa (16,356
psi)
concrete stress,J:, = (1000) (10')/(300 x 300) + (8.3) (6000) = 7.153
9. Calculate the final forces in concrete and steel
MPa (1037 psi)
steel stress, f.= n·j" = (9.3)(7.153)= 66.52 MPa (9645 psi)
P,, = f, · (A, - A') = (3.865) [(9 x 10') - 6000] (10 ')
324.7 kN (73.06 kips)
3. Calculate the inital forces in concrete and steel concrete force,
P.; = J:, · A, = J:, (A, - A,) P, = f, · A, = (112.8) (6000) (10') = 676.8 kN (152.28 kip)
= (7 .153) (9 X I 0' - 6000) (I 0 ')
= 399.1 kN (89.80 kip) 10. Check force equilibrium