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Technical Note
ETN-D-2-13
Individual bars within a bundle need to terminate at different points 40 db minimum Section 7.6.6.4
with at least a 40 db stagger.
Individual bar splices within a bundle shall not overlap. No length specified Section 12.14.2.2
Mechanical or welded splices that do not meet the 1.25 yield strength 24 in. minimum Section 12.15.5.1
requirement.
Mechanical or welded splices in tension tie members. 30 in. minimum Section 12.15.6
Class A tension lap splices in columns where half or fewer of the bars d minimum Section 12.17.2.2
are spliced at any section.
Splices of principal tensile reinforcement in shells (with not more than d minimum Section 19.4.12
1/3 of the reinforcement spliced at any section).
1. S
tagger all lap splices an undis-
closed distance, with the lap splice
of a #6 bar being 17 in. minimum
and lap splice of a #8 bar being 37
in. minimum?
b. Do lap splices in different layers within a single ele- According to Stckl, the staggering of lap splices in
ment have to stagger with respect to each other? beams (providing a negative gap, as shown in Figure
(An example of this condition would be the top and 8(c)) can reduce the width of flexural cracks at the ends
bottom layers in a foundation mat or inside and of the lap splices, provided that the stagger distance is
outside faces in a wall) This situation should be at least one-half of the lap splice length. For a Class A
clearly communicated through a graphical detail lap splice, with the lap splice length equal to the tension
similar to Figure 5. development length d, the minimum stagger would be
0.5 d. For a Class B lap splice, with the lap splice length
Summary
The longitudinal staggering of lap splices is important
to avoid reinforcing bar congestion in the lap splice re-
(a) Superimposed effects can be adverse, resulting in gion. From a structural engineering perspective, provid-
large crack width even when lap length exceeds tension ing a negative or positive gap is desirable to mitigate the
development length splitting crack tendency; refer to Figure 2(C) for definition
of gap. Providing no gap, as illustrated in Figure 2(B),
should be avoided because of the propensity for a wide
splitting crack to develop.
References
(b) Avoiding superposition reduces crack width American Concrete Institute ACI Committee
318 (2011), Building Code Requirements for Structural
Concrete (ACI 318-11) and Commentary (ACI 318R-11),
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Michigan,
503 pp.
Contributors: The principal authors of this publication are Robbie Hall, Greg Rohm, Michael
Ugalde, Anthony L. Felder, and Neal S. Anderson, with review by members of the CRSI Reinforce-
ment Anchorages and Splices Committee.
Reference: Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute - CRSI [2013], Staggered Lap Splices, CRSI
Technical Note ETN-D-2-13, Schaumburg, Illinois, 4 pp. 933 North Plum Grove Rd.
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4758
Historical: None. New technical note p. 847-517-1200 f. 847-517-1206
Note:This publication is intended for the use of professionals competent to evaluate the signifi- www.crsi.org
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material it contains. The Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute reports the foregoing material as a
matter of information and, therefore, disclaims any and all responsibility for application of the stated A Service of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute
principles or for the accuracy of the sources other than material developed by the Institute. 2013 This publication, or any part thereof, may not be
reproduced without the expressed written consent of CRSI.