REINFORCED CONCRETE DESIGN FORMULAS:

Working Stress Design

Working Stress Design is called Alternate Design
Method by NSCP (National Structural Code of the
Philippines) and ACI (American Concrete Institute, ACI).

concrete

Code Reference
NSCP 2010, Section 424: Alternate Design Method
ACI 318M-99, Appendix A: Alternate Design Method

Design Principle
The design concept of WSD is based on Elastic Theory
in which the stress-strain diagram is within the
proportional limit and will obey Hooke's Law.

Notation

fc

= allowable compressive stress of concrete

fs

= allowable tensile stress of steel reinforcement

f 'c
fy

= specified compressive strength of concrete

= specified yield strength of steel reinforcement

Ec = modulus of elasticity of concrete

Es

= modulus of elasticity of steel

n = modular ratio
M

= design moment

d = distance from extreme concrete fiber to centroid

of steel reinforcement

kd

= distance from the neutral axis to the extreme

fiber of concrete

jd = distance between compressive force C and

tensile force T

= ratio of the area of steel to the effective area of

= ratio of long side to short side of concentrated

load or reaction area

As = area of steel reinforcement

Actual Stress Allowable Stress

Allowable Stresses
(NSCP 2010, 424.4.1 / ACI 318M, A.3.1)
Concrete

1
.

Flexure

2
.

Shear 140 MPa

Steel Reinforcement
1
.

Grade 275 or Grade 350

reinforcement

For nonprestressed
reinforcement

Extreme fiber stress

in compression

Beams and one-way slabs and footings:

2
.

Grade 420 reinforcement or Shear carried

170 MPaby
greater and welded wire fabric
concrete, Vc
(plain or deformed)

3
.

For flexural reinforcement, 10 Maximum

0.50 shear
fy
mm or less in diameter, in one-carried by concrete
way slabs of not more than 4 mplus shear
span but not greater than 200 reinforcement, Vc
MPa

Shear carried by
concrete, Vc

0.38 f 'c

0.9 f 'c

Two-way slabs and footings:

Shear carried by

1.5

concrete, Vc

Ec =W c 0.043 f ' c

but

not greater
For normal weight concrete

than

Ec=4700 f ' c
Modulus of Elasticity of Steel
Reinforcement (NSCP
408.6.2)

0.9 f 'c

Joists:

Modulus of Elasticity
Modulus of Elasticity of
Concrete (NSCP 408.6.1)
For weight of concrete,
Wc between 1500 and 2500
kg/ m

0.45 f ' c

3
.

1
f'
6 c

Bearing on loaded
area

1
2
(1+ ) f ' c
2
c

0.3 f ' c

Es=200000 MPa

Modular Ratio
(NSCP 424.6.4) It shall be
permitted to take the
modular ratio,

n=

Es
Ec

as the nearest

whole number (but not less

than 6).
Modular Ratio for Beams with
Compression Steel (NSCP
424.6.5)
In doubly reinforced flexural
members, an effective
modular ratio of

2n

shall

be used to transform
compression reinforcement
for stress computations.
Assumptions in WSD
Plane section remains plane
before and after bending.
Concrete stress varies from
zero at the neutral axis to a
maximum at the extreme
fiber.

Concrete do not carry tensile stress. All tensile stress

will be carried by steel reinforcement.
The steel and concrete are perfectly bond so that no
slippage between the two will occur.

M =Cy
M =T y
Bending stresses

I NA =

f c=

bx 3
2
+n A s ( d x )
3

Mx
I NA

f s M (dx )
=
n
I NA
Moment of area:

QaboveNa=QbelowNa

1 2
b x =nAs ( dx )
2
Tensile and Compressive Forces

T =f s A s

1
C= f c bx
2
C=T
Moment in the section

1
y=d x
3

Working Stress Analysis Uncracked Stage

The beam will behave elastically and remains
uncracked. The tensile stress of concrete is below
rupture.

Cracking Moment
NSCP 2010, Section 409.6.2.3
Modulus of rupture of concrete,

Cracking moment,

M cr =

f r=0.75 f ' c MPa

f r Ig
Yt

Where:

Ig

= Moment of inertia of the gross section

neglecting reinforcement

Yt

= distance from centroid of gross section to

extreme tension fiber

For investigation:
Factor k:

K=

fc

f c+

fs
n

Working Stress Analysis Cracked Stage

General Requirement
Actual Stresses Allowable Stresses

Factor j:

Internal Couple Method

Static equilibrium of internal forces

Moment resistance coefficient:

1
J =1 k
3
1
R= f c kj
2

Moment capacity: Use the smallest of the two

1
Mc=Cj d= f c kj bd 2=R bd 2
2
Ms=Tjd= A s f s jd

Transformed Section Method

Convert steel area to equivalent concrete area by
multiplying As with modular ratio, n.

Doubly reinforced:

I NA =

bx 3 (
2
+ 2 n1 ) A' s ( xd ' ) +n A s ( d x )
3

Actual stresses (calculate using Flexure Formula)

Concrete

f c=

Location of the neutral axis from extreme compression

fiber
Singly reinforced:

1 2
b x =nAs ( dx )
2

Doubly reinforced:

1 2
'
'
b x + ( 2 n1 ) A s ( x d )=nA s ( d x )
2

Cracked section moment of inertia

Singly reinforced:
3

bx
I NA =
+n A s (dx )2
3

I NA =I cr

Mx
I NA

Tension steel

f s M (dx )
=
n
I NA
Compression steel for doubly reinforced

f ' s M (xd ' )

=
2n
I NA