JASON P.

PALACIO CE 253 HW#1

03-20341 07-29-09

Case 4
f’c=40,
fy=400 Case 2
f’c=40,
fy=300

Case 1
f’c=20,
fy=300

Case 3
f’c=20,
fy=400

Comparing case 1 and 2 or case 3 and 4 wherein concrete compressive strength , f’c is doubled,
the increase in nominal moment capacity (flexural strength) increases by around 5-9% only
when steel area, As is less than maximum. The moment capacity increases more than 20% when
As is more than its maximum.

Comparing case 1 and 3 or case 2 and 4 wherein yield strength, fy is increased by 33%, the
flexural strength increases by about 20%.

Thus, to increase flexural strength of a member, increasing f’c is less effective than increasing fy.
Increasing f’c will be effective only when high As is permitted.

Observing ε c (column 1) and fs (column 11) at the table, we can compare the modes of failure
for the different steel ratio given.
 JASON P. PALACIO CE 253 HW#1
03-20341 07-29-09
For case-a ρ = ρ b, fs reaches yielding strain at high concrete strain (ε c= 0.005), thus
compressive failure. For case-b ρ = 0.75ρ b, fs reaches yielding earlier than that of case-a
(ε c= 0.003) corresponding to the ultimate concrete strain, thus exhibiting balanced failure. For
case-c ρ = 075ρ b, fs reaches yielding before ultimate concrete strain (ε c= 0.0016) , thus
exhibiting tension failure. For case-d ρ = ρ b, ρ ’ = 0.5ρ b (doubly reinforced), steel yielding
occurs at (ε c= 0.002) corresponding to a tension failure but curvature still exhibit linear
proportionality to the moment capacity.

In conclusion, at low steel ratio, concrete fails after the yielding (underreinforced) and at high
steel ratio, concrete fails first (overreinforced).
 JASON P. PALACIO CE 253 HW#1
03-20341 07-29-09

Compression steel was incorporated only when ρ > ρ max as per design of doubly-reinforced
sections. As shown in the table,the first 4 coulmns were from singly reinforced analysis. a’ (5th
colummn) is defined here as the depth of compression stress block, and evaluated at ρ >
ρ max. Nominal moment for double reinforced was derived using the determined a’, ε s’, and fs’.
The last column of the table used the nominal moment for singly reinforced for ρ ≤ ρ max and
nominal moment for doubly reinforced for ρ > ρ max. The graph shows the increase in capacity
at ρ max.
JASON P. PALACIO CE 253 HW#1
03-20341 07-29-09