Use of Concrete Barriers

This is a guest post by Philip White

Concrete has been used for many years for providing a permanent or temporary barrier, or blockade in a variety of situations. One of the most common applications is forĀ concrete barriers on the highway either in the centre of the road to divide opposite lanes of motorways, or for traffic diversion and channelling during work on the highways.

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Guide to designing a Rolled Steel Beam

Six Step Guide to Designing a Rolled Steel Beam

Here are a few simple steps that are to be followed for the design of Rolled Steel Beam:

Step one

Calculate the maximum Bending Moment and Shear Force

Step two

Depending upon whether the beam is laterally restrained or unrestrained, calculate the permissible stress in bending compression (sigma bc) using the equation;

sigma bc = 0.66fy

Step three

Find the required Section Modulus (Zreq)

Zreq = M/sigma bc

Step four

From the structural tables, choose a suitable section such that the section modulus is slightly more than the required section modulus.

Step five

Check for shear.

Calculate the maximum Shear force in the beam. Calculate the average shear stress in the web and this should be less than 0.4fy.

Tv = (Shear Force)/HLw

where = H = height of the web

Lw = length of the web

Step six

Check for deflection

Ymax < 1/325 of span

Example of the Design of Shear reinforcement in a beam

Design of Shear reinforcement in a beam

A reinforced cement concrete beam 300mm wide and 500mm effective depth is subjected to a shear force of 40KN at the ends. The beam is provided with 6 bars of 20mm diameter of which 3 bars are cranked at 45 degrees. Design the shear reinforcement for M20 grade concrete.

Here are the steps for the design of Shear Reinforcement in a beam:

Width of the beam = b = 300mm

Shear force = Vu = 40KN

Effective depth = d = 500mm

Area of steel, Ast = 3 x 3.14/4 x 20 x 20 = 942.47 mm2

Step one

Nominal shear stress

Tv = Vu/bd

Tv = 40 x 1000/(300 x 500) = 0.26N/mm2

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Guide to Design of Shear Reinforcement in a beam

Design of Shear Reinforcement in a beam

The beam is failed by the diagonal tension in which the cracks start from support and extend upto a distance equal to effective depth and making an angle more or less than 45 degrees.

Shear reinforcement diagram (beam longitudinal section)
Shear reinforcement diagram (beam longitudinal section)

Here are the steps for the design of Shear Reinforcement in a beam:

Step one

Nominal shear stress

Tv = Vu/bd

Where, Vu = shear force due to design load

b = width of the beam

d = depth of the beam

Step two

Percentage of steel

Percent steel = Ast/bd x 100

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Differences between Working stress method and Limit state method

Design of RCC Structures

The design of the components of the RCC structure can be done in the following two ways:

  1. Working Stress Method
  2. Limit State Method
Methods of RCC Design
Methods of RCC Design

Here are some of the design procedures of the components of the RCC structures:

Design of RCC beams

Design of RCC columns

Design of RCC staircase

Design of Foundations

Design of Simply Supported Slabs

In this article, we are going to discuss the major difference between the two important methods of RCC design. This will help us understand the mechanics of the Structural Design and which method is to be adopted for better efficiency.

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Important Elements of Road Design

Elements of Road Design

To make the roads functional and provide smooth flow of traffic without creating much chaos; important elements are to be incorporated in road design.

In the previous article, we discussed “Different types of roads based on different purposes” and the “Important design factors the influence the construction of roads”. Elements of Road Design is the second step towards understanding the concept of Road Design.

Arterial Road | Motorway in Ireland
Arterial Road | Motorway in Ireland

We will also discuss “Types of Road Junctions” and “Parking Methods” in my successive articles.

Here the elements of Road Design

  1. Angle of Crossing
  2. Speed Breakers
  3. Kerbs
  4. Pedestrian Crossings
  5. Grade Separator

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