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structural system of the structure. How the load act on them, how are they
transmitted from one element to the other, etc., must be visualized initially. If a
loading diagram of the beam is given, it may be easy to design it, however, the first
part of the problem, i.e. finding out the loads on the beam requires thorough
knowledge of the structural system and the way in which the load transfer takes
place.
The buildings are designed to carry some live loads, functional loads and many other
loads during its life span. To carry the loads, we provide the structural systems like
slabs, beams, columns etc., which also have dead loads. The functional loads may
be dead loads like tiles, walls, partitions etc., and other loads include wind,
The loads are usually first carried by the slabs although the beams may be
subjected to direct loads. The slabs will transfer the loads on the beams will be
transferred to the columns by bending and shear. Columns will resist loading by axial
compression with bending and will transfer them to the foundations. Foundations
will also resist the loads by bending and shear and ultimately transfer them to the
good soil.
of various structural components such as slab, beam, column and foundation type.
1.Slab:
Thumb rule: per foot run Or 1 cm per 1 foot run (Convert 1 m multiply by 3 to
get feet). Example for 5.0m span i.e 15, the slab thickness required is 15x1=15cm.
Oneway slab:
Width:
Width of beam= width of wall or 1/3 to 2/3 depth of beam for all beams
Depth:
Dp/Dt =1.67 Ly/Lx but not less than 2.5 where Dp=Depth of beam
Dt=Depth of slab
Size of column shall be chosen on the higher side and richer mixes and age factor
shall be used to the lower storeys. It shall be advantage to use minimum mix as M25
concrete and Fe 500 TMT bars for Multistoreyed building design. For achieving
economy in shuttering, column size can be kept the same throughout the
height of building(or in steps of a few storeys at the least) for carrying the
provide symmetrical bar arrangement in a column section and the steel area is kept
faces, in case of columns subjected to only axial load where as in case of column
subjected to bending also in addition to axial load the longitudinal bars are arranged
at the faces in the plane of bending. Generally in top storey the axial load is less but
the bending moment will be more. In construction of Multi storey building design if the
building is designed for higher floors and construction is limit to less than designed
floors, design should be checked for top most floor and accordingly the column
at different floor levels. Loads are transferred slabs to beams and then to columns.
Hence, slabs and beams are normally designed prior to the design of columns. This
method enables one to asses the loads on columns more accurately and design of
However, in practice, many times situation arise which require the design of
columns and footings to be given to the client prior to the design of slabs and beams.
In such situations, loads on columns and footings are required to be assessed using
the columns can be determined approximately on the basic floor area shared by each
column. These loads are normally calculated on the higher side so that they are not
less than the actual loads transferred from slabs/ beams. This method of design of
column is likely to be uneconomical.
However as per official procedure, one should design slabs and beams first in
order to know the actual design loads on columns. Only in case of emergency for need
of giving the design of column and footings prior to the design of beams, the
approximate method of assessing the load on column based on the floor area shared
Office/commercial
Column Position Residential building
building
Residential Flats 16
Library/Godowns/printing press
22
building
Industrial Building 20
Staircase/ Escalators 18
Car parking (Silt Floor) 8
1. Extra load for sitout & Balcony: This can be separately computed and
apportioned to the column concerned.
2. For Lift & Machine room: extra loads can be arrived from the lift & Machine
room data.
3. Overhead Tank: extra load can be easily calculated Dead wt. of OHT+weight
of water to be stored and apportioned to the column concerned. For example
10,000 litres capacity of OHT the dead weight of tank may be taken as 100%
weight of water i.e 10m3 or 10tonnes. Total weight is 10t+10t =20t. Load on
each column assuming supporting water tank column as 4, =20t/4=5t.
Moment factors to be considered for calculating loads on columns as per
For example interior intermediate column with 5m x 4m grid with (silt +4Floors)
Total Load intensity=load intensity for silt Floor+ load intensity for residential
= (8 +3x16+10)=66KN/m2
Based on load on column, size of the Column can be calculated by any one of the
following method.
Ag (Gross area) required = 80 to 100 mm2 per every 1KN ultimate load
carried by the column depending on the grade of concrete used.
b=width of column.
For 1.5 x 1452= 2178 KN ultimate load, area required= 80x 2178 =174240 mm2
Provide Size of column as 230 x 750mm. Assume 1 to 2% of steel and M25 concrete.
If we provide 2% of steel,
Ast required= 2/100 x(230 x750) =3450mm2 . Provide 8 Nos. 25 dia steel.
=1851KN. >1452KN .
As per table for axial load of 1452 KN , approximate size of column = 230
x600mm. The reinforcement shall be taken as 1 to 2% of cross sectional area
provided.
For example for (Silt +4Floors) residential building interior column with M20
concrete with 5m by 4m grid
For Seismic areas : Assume Pu/fck bD=0.35 for side column and 0.30 for corner
column. In case of non seismic areas, the ratio will be 0.40 for side column and
0.35 for corner column.
For example if Pu= 2178KN, fck=20, column area for non seismic zone for side
column=2178x1000/0.40x20=272250mm2 . The size of column is 300 x 900mm.
Assume 0.8% of C.S area=2160mm2. Provide 8 Nos. 20mm dia bars.
(2512mm2.2160mm2)
(ii) If the line of action of the eccentric Load is inside (within the section)
Assume that line of action of axial load is inside the section and check this later.
If one dimension is 460mm, the other needs to be= 0.273/0.46=0.59m say 0.60m
100
Method 6:
b = Breadth of Column in mm
The first step is to find out the Influence Area of the Column to be Designed. The
Influence Area of a column is the area of which load is being transferred to the
column to be designed for. For this purpose in a framed structure small and medium
building the design of column is done for the column whose Influence Area is the
largest hence the load coming on the column will be so the greater of the any other
column in that building hence all the other column having lesser Influence Area
hence lesser Loads if provided with the same Designed parameters that required for
the column having largest Influence Area, then the whole Structure will
automatically become safe against the Loads.
DETERMINATION OF INFLUENCE AREAS FOR LOAD DISTRIBUTION ON
COLUMNS
STEP 2:- Calculation of the Loads Coming on Column from the Influence
Area :
In this step the Load Calculation is being done. This is done by calculating all the
loads acting within the influence area.
The Loads acting are broadly classified as Dead Load (DL) and Live Load (LL). Dead
Loads are the load of objects which cannot be moved from on place to another like
the loads of Brick Work, Beams, Slabs etc. and the Live Loads are the loads coming
from movable objects such as Humans, Chair, Table etc.
Thus We Need to Calculate the Dead Loads as well as Live Loads within the
Influence Area, these are as follows in the general case of a Building :-
A)Dead Loads :
It depends upon the Nature of the Structure, and it values for different structural
nature are given in the concerned Code of Practice, like in India these are given in
I.S.: 875-Part II.
Now after correct calculation of above loads the Total Load is Calculated by,
Now this the actual load which will be acting on column for each floor, now if the
building say 5 storied, then just multiply the value with the nos. of floors, like for five
storied building multiply the Total Load on each story with 5.
Now thus the Total load acting on column at Column Base is Obtained and it is
denoted with P.
Hence P= Total Load on each Floor X Nos. of Stories = (Dead Load + Live Load) X
Nos. of Stories.
Now we shall move to the actual Designing to determine suitable Column sections
and its Reinforcements so that the above load is safely resisted by the column
Designed.
The Modern Practice is to use Limit State Method for all types of Designing, Hence
we discuss here the Limit State Method Of Design Of Column.
STEP 3 :- Finding The Gross Cross-Sectional Area Required For The Column
This is the one of the most important and main step of the Design of Column.
First in the Limit State Method of Design we must increase the load acting on the
column with a Load Factor so that if there will be any accidental increase of loads
the column will be still safe to resist the load without a failure. The Factor of Safety
for Dead Load + Live Load Combination is 1.5, hence we must multiply the load
action on column (P) with the 1.5 to obtain the Ultimate Load that is the Factored
Load of the Column that is Pu.
Now the column consists of Concrete and as well as Steel in the form of
Reinforcements hence the Total Cross-Sectional Area of Column is made of Area of
Concrete and Area of Steel.
The Total Cross-Sectional area of Column can be also termed as Gross Cross-
Sectional Area of Column and its denoted by Ag.
Hence, Gross Cross-Sectional Area of Column = C/S Area of Concrete + C/S Area of
Steel
Therefore, Ag = Ac + Asc
Now putting the above obtained value in the original equation (Equation I) we get,
Now Assume the Percentage of Steel you want to use ranging anywhere from 0.8%
to 6% with Respect to Gross Cross-Sectional Area of the Column (Ag). Say Assuming
Steel as 1% of Ag it means Area of Steel Asc = 1% of Ag = 0.01Ag
The higher will be the percentage of steel used the lower will be Ag and thus lesser
will be the cross-sectional dimension of the column. But the as the Price of Steel is
very high as compared to the Concrete hence it is desirable to use as less as steel
possible to make the structure economical, again if the percentage of steel is
lowered then the Ag will increase at higher rate, about 30% with decrease of just
1% of steel and so each lateral dimension of the column will increase and will cause
a gigantic section to be provided to resist the load. Therefore both the factors are to
be considered depending upon the amount of loadings.
My suggestion is to use the following Percentage of steel for the Design, Which Ive
found to be effective and to produce economical and safe section of Column.
And so on, with increase of each 250,000 N increasing the Percentage of Steel as
0.5%.
Now input the value of the Asc in the form of Ag in the Equation I. For example
suppose 1% Steel is used then the equation will be like the one below :-
Pu = 0.4.fck.(Ag-0.01Ag) + 0.67.fy.0.01Ag
Therefore, if we know the Grade of Concrete and Grade of Steel to be used and
Factored Load coming on the Column and Assuming the Percentage of steel required
appropriately then we can Very Easily Calculate the Gross-Sectional Area (Ag) of the
Column required from the above form of the equation.
Now as the Ag is obtained thus the Lateral Dimensions of the Column that are the
sides of the column can be easily determined.
The Ag or Gross-Sectional Area of the Column means that it is the product of the two
lateral sides of a column [i.e. Breadth (b) X Depth (D)], hence reversely knowing the
Ag we can determine the Lateral Dimensions.
For making a Square Section just Determine the Root Value of the Ag. Like if the
Value of Ag is 62500 mm2 Then considering square section of a column we can get
each side
Also Rectangular Column Sections Can be made by using different proportion say b :
D = 1 : 2 , Hence D=2b , Therefore, Ag = b X D = b X 2b = 2b2 or b=
Hence D can be also determined as D=2b after Calculating the b.
Most of the times after calculating the sides of a column it will give results such as
196.51mm or 323.62 etc. values, which practically cannot be provided at field, hence
we must increase those values to the nearest greater multiple of 25mm (i.e. 1 inch).
For examples a value of 196.51mm may be increased to 200mm or 225mm or 250
mm even, and a value of 323.62mm may be increased to 350mm. more it will be
increased the more it will be safer, but it is uneconomical to increase by a very high
amount, it should not be increased more than by 75mm to consider the economical
factor.
Depending upon the ratio of Effective Length to the Least Lateral Dimension of a
column, a column may be classified as Long Column and Short Column. If the value
of this ratio is less than 12 then its called as a short column and if the value is more
than 12 then its called as a Long Column. A short column mainly fails by direct
compression and has a lesser chance of failure by buckling. And in the case of a long
column the failure mainly occurs due to the buckling alone. Long column being
slender, that is being thin like stick as compared with its length it grows a tendency
to get bended by deviating from its verticality under the action of loads. Due to this
tendency of long column to get buckled (bended) a long column of all same
properties and dimensions that of a short column will be able to carry much lesser
load safely than that of the short column. Suppose a 400mmx400mm short column
can take a load of 1000KN , then a long column of 400mmx400mm having same
grade of concrete, same amount of reinforcement and same workmanship will be
able to carry a lesser load like say about 800KN only, hence we get a loss of 200KN
which is 20% loss of load carrying capacity. So the above formula used in Step 3
holds good only for the Short Column. For using it in long column a little
modification is needed, which I will update it later when I will get hands on this
article again. For now let us concentrate on Short Column. First of all we need to
find out the effective length of a column, which can be obtained by multiplying a
factor with the actual unsupported length of the column. The factor depends upon
the end condition of the column. In most general cases we use a Both End Fixed
Column for which The Factor is 0.65.
Eccentricity means deviating from the true axis. Thus an Eccentric Load refers to a
load which is not acting through the line of the axis of the column in case of column
design. The eccentric load cause the column to bend towards the eccentricity of the
loading and hence generates a bending moment in the column. In case of eccentric
loading we have to design the column for both the Direct Compression and also for
the bending moment also. Practically all columns are eccentric to some extent which
may vary from few millimetres to few centimetres. In practical field it is almost
impossible to make a perfectly axially loaded column, as a reason we have to
consider a certain value of eccentricity for safety even though if we are designing for
a axially loaded column. The conditions of considering eccentricity and its value may
differ from code to code according to the country. Here I will tell you what I.S. :
456-2000 says. According to it the eccentricity which we have to consider for design
must be taken as the greater of the followings :-
i) 20mm.
Where,
b = Lateral Dimension of the Column (We have to calculate two separate values for
two sides in case of rectangular column)
The Permissible eccentricity must be greater than or equal to the actual eccentricity
of the column. Or else we have to design it for bending also.
Now the Area of Steel Required Asc is to be calculated from the Ag as the
predetermined percentage of Ag. For example if the Gross-Sectional Area of the
Column is 78600 mm2 and at the starting of calculation of Ag it was assumed that
1% Steel is used then we get,
Asc = 1% of Ag = 0.01Ag = 0.01 X 78600 = 786 mm2
Now we shall provide such amount of Reinforcements that the Cross-Sectional Area
of the Reinforcement provided is Equal to or Greater than the Cross-Sectional Area
of Steel required above.
Hence in the above case we shall Provide 4 Nos. of 16mm Diameter Bars
Hence the Area of Steel Provided is Greater than Area Of Steel Required, Hence the
Structure will be Safe.
In this step we will Determine the Diameter and the Spacing of the Lateral Ties or
Transverse Links or Binders.
The Diameter of the Ties shall not be lesser than the Greatest of the following two
values
1. 6mm
For an example if a Column has 16mm and 20mm both types of bar as Longitudinal
Bars or main Reinforcement then 1/4th of 20mm = 5mm Hence we shall provide
6mm diameter Ties. But in practice we use 8 dia RTS only.
The Spacing of Ties shall not exceed the least of the followings three values
3. 300 mm
[In this case our objective is to minimize the value to reduce the spacing and to
make the structure more stable, hence we shall take least value and suitably in a
multiple of 25mm]
4. Foundation:
= density of soil.
But in practice, the foundation depth is kept at 0.90m or even more. The depth of
foundation depends not only on the nature of soil strata but also on the height of
minimum depth of 1.50 m from ground level or at least 1.50 times the width of
footing. In cold climates the depth is kept at a minimum of 1.50 m below surface
because of possible frost action. For low rise building (less than four storeys)
12 storeys) 2.0m to 3.0m foundation depth will be adequate. For still taller buildings
shallow foundation may not be suitable. In these case higher capacity of pile
foundation shall be adopted to suit the super structure of load and nature of soil
condition. For tall isolated Structures, like water towers, the foundation depth may
be at 3.0m also.
A few practical requirements also may have to be considered while deciding the
depth of foundation such as the existing foundation of nearby building, the possible
influence of future expansion etc. If the height of building is more, the horizontal
forces acting on the building such as wind force are large. As a thumb rule,
minimum depth of foundation may be selected as 5% to 10% of the height of
building.
Where the moisture content may vary and cause shrinkage, the depth must be
black cotton soils of expansive nature, the zone of movement may be as deep as
3.0m to 3.50m. This is why ,the under reamed piles in expansive clays are taken to
For working out size of footing working load on foundation to be considered. The load
SBC of Soil
PRACTICAL DIMENSIONS:
Depth of footing can be calculated based on bending moment, one way shear and
two way shear consideration. For preliminary, depth of footing can be calculated
using any one of the following approximate methods.
(b) Thumb rule based on side of the footing for Fe 415 / Fe 500 steel.
Net upward soil pressure in t / m2 D / A value
5 1/7
10 1/5.5
15 1/5.0
20 1 /4.5
25 1 /4.0
30 1 /3.50
Note :
(iv) Reinforcement:
Preferable : 10 RTS
Thumb rule:
Minimum reinforcement :
Not less than 0.15% of c.s area for mild steel &