Design for Torsion and Shear

in Prestressed Concrete
Flexural Members

Paul Zia, Ph.D., FPCI

Distinguished University Professor
Emeritus
Department of Civil Engineering
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

This paper presents a unified method for the torsion and shear
design of prestressed and non-prestressed concrete flexural
members, and provides an alternative method to the provisions of
the ACI Building Code. The method applies to rectangular, box and
flanged sections such as L-beams. The approach depends on
subdividing the given section into component rectangles. Equations
are given for the shear and torsion web reinforcement of beams as
well as expressions for the minimum reinforcement and required
amount of longitudinal steel. The design method is illustrated with a
fully worked numerical example of a spandrel beam. The shear and
torsion provisions in the Sixth Edition of the PCI Design Handbook
are based on the principles outlined in this paper, which will also be
referenced in ACI 318-05. The design method has been shown to be
reliable, accurate and easy to use.

or the past 30 years, a slightly

modified form of the Zia-McGee
method1 has been a widely used
method for the shear and torsion design of prestressed and non-prestressed concrete flexural members.
The design equations in the original
Zia-McGee paper1 were derived from
a comprehensive set of test data and
correlated with existing design practice. Over the years, the design
method has proven to be reliable, accurate and easy to use.

F
Thomas T. C. Hsu, Ph.D.
Moores Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

Note: This paper is being published through the courtesy of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

34

Prior to the publication of the ZiaMcGee paper in 1974,1 the only guidance design engineers had for torsion
were the recommendations on torsion
design of reinforced concrete members, developed by former ACI Committee 438 in 1969.2 These recommendations formed the basis for the first
comprehensive torsion provisions to
be included in the 1971 ACI Building
Code (ACI 318-71).3 However, these
code provisions were confined only to
reinforced concrete members. Therefore, a prime motivation for the ZiaMcGee study was to extend the ACI
Code provisions on torsion to prePCI JOURNAL

stressed concrete. It should also be

mentioned that in 1971, the ACI Code
equations were expressed in terms of
nominal stresses.
For the 1977 ACI Code,4 a major
shift occurred whereby all the equations in the code were now expressed
in terms of forces and moments instead of in nominal stresses. To address this change, on October 18,
1978, Paul Zia and Thomas T. C. Hsu
presented a paper on Design for Torsion and Shear in Prestressed Concrete at an ASCE Convention in
Chicago, Illinois. This oral presentation (which was also distributed as a
preprint but was never published) essentially updated the original ZiaMcGee paper to the 1977 ACI Code
while also adding a few refinements.
The major reason this paper is now
being published is that it forms the
basis for the shear and torsion provisions in the Sixth Edition of the PCI
Design Handbook, 5 and, therefore,
serves as an important background reference. The paper also serves as an alternative design method to the current
ACI Code (ACI 318-02).6
The design method presented in this
paper essentially follows the ZiaMcGee procedure except for the following modifications or refinements:
1. All the design equations are expressed in terms of forces and moments instead of nominal stresses,
which is in conformance with the current ACI Code (ACI 318-02).
2. For the sake of simplicity, the torsion coefficient in the basic torsional
stress equation is taken as one-third
instead of a variable depending on the
aspect ratio as was proposed by Zia
and McGee.
3. New equations for minimum torsional and shear web reinforcement
are presented based on research data.7
4. The torsion-shear interaction
curve is based on the concrete contribution curve rather than on the
cracking curve, as implied in the
original Zia-McGee method.
5. The expression for maximum torsional strength as originally proposed
by Zia and McGee is revised.
The original ASCE preprint was the
first attempt to provide a method that
unifies the shear and torsion design for
both prestressed and non-prestressed
May-June 2004

Vu

Tu

P
Vu

Tu

Fig. 1. Typical member subject to shear, torsion, and applied load.

concrete flexural members.

To illustrate the application of the
design method, a fully worked numerical example is included in Appendix
B at the end of the paper.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The design method applies to both
symmetric and unsymmetric sections.
Typical symmetric sections are members with rectangular, box, I or T
shapes, whereas unsymmetric (flanged)
sections are members with L (ledger or
spandrel beams) or step shapes (stadium seats). Implicit in the method is
that the section area can be divided into
component rectangles.
Fig. 1 shows a typical member subject to shear, torsion and applied load.
Such beams are frequently used in
buildings, parking structures, and
other types of structures.
When the torsional moment:

Tu > 0.5 fc x 2 y

(1)

the torsional effect must be considered

in design.
The notation in Eq. (1) is:
= strength reduction factor

= a prestress factor =
1 + 10 / fc
= average prestress in a member after losses

fc

= specified
compressive
strength of concrete
x, x = shorter dimension of rectangular component of cross
section
y, y = longer dimension of rectangular component of cross
section
In computing the sum x 2y for a
flanged section, the section must be
divided into component rectangles
such that the quantity x2y is a maximum. However, the overhanging
flange width used in design shall not
be greater than three times the flange
thickness.
When torsion design is required, the
member cross section must be proportioned such that the factored torsional
moment:
Tu Tn

(2)

where Tn is the nominal torsional moment strength of the member composed of the strength provided by the
concrete, Tc, and the strength provided
by the torsion reinforcement, Ts. Thus:
Tn = Tc + Ts

(3)

Torsion-Shear Interaction
The torsional moment strength of a
member contributed by concrete is affected by the presence of shear and
35

spectively, in ACI 318-02.

For the special case of a non-prestressed concrete member (i.e., when
= 1), Vc = 2 fc bwd, in which bw is
the web width and d is the effective
depth of the member (see Notation in
Appendix A for a more complete definition of d).
A comparison of Eqs. (4) and (5)
with the corresponding equations previously suggested by Zia and McGee1
is shown in Fig. 2. It is clear that Eqs.
(4) and (5) postulate that, under torsion-shear interaction, concrete would
contribute more to the torsional
strength but less to the shear strength
than what is implied by the ZiaMcGee equations.
Torsion Reinforcement
When the factored torsional moment, Tu, exceeds the torsional moment strength, Tc, torsion reinforcement in the form of closed stirrups
must be provided to satisfy Eqs. (2)
and (3), where the torsional strength
contributed by the reinforcement is:
Ts =

Fig. 2. Comparison of Eqs. (4) and (5) with Zia and McGee equations (Ref. 1).

similarly shear is affected by the presence of torsion. The interaction between torsion and shear may be represented by a circular curve. Thus, the
nominal torsional moment strength
provided by the concrete in combined
loading is:
Tc =

Tc
T V
1+ c u
Vc Tu

(4)

Note that the torsional moment, Tc,

can be obtained from:

and the nominal shear strength provided by the concrete in combined

loading is:
Vc =

where
36

Vc
V T
1+ c u
Tc Vu

Tc = nominal torsional moment

strength provided by concrete
under pure torsion
Vc = nominal shear strength provided by concrete without torsion
Tu = factored torsional moment at
section
Vu = factored shear force at section

(5)

Tc = 0.8 fc x 2 y(2.5 1.5)

(6)

Also, the shear strength, Vc, is the

lesser of V ci and V cw (the nominal
shear strength provided by the concrete when diagonal cracking results
from combined shear and moment,
and from excessive principal tensile
stress in the web, respectively), as
given by Eqs. (11-10) and (11-12), re-

At t x1 y1 f y
s

(7)

in which
At = area of one leg of a closed
stirrup resisting torsion within
a distance s
fy = specified yield strength of
mild steel reinforcement
x1 = shorter center-to-center dimension of closed rectangular
stirrup
y1 = longer center-to-center dimension of closed rectangular stirrup
s = spacing of shear or torsion reinforcement in direction parallel to longitudinal reinforcement
t = torsion coefficient as a function of y1/x1
Note that the torsion coefficient
must be:

t = 0.66 + 0.33( y1 / x1 ) 1.5

(8)

To avoid brittle failure, a minimum

amount of web reinforcement must be
provided to resist both shear and torsion. For lack of sufficient research
PCI JOURNAL

data, Zia and McGee1 had suggested

that a beam should be reinforced for
no less than its cracking torque. However, a subsequent study made by Hsu
and Myers 7 indicated that the minimum area of closed stirrups for shear
and torsion may be determined from:
(9)

Av + 2 At =
50

bw s
bw s

1 + 12 200
fy
fc
fy
(9)

where
Av = area of shear reinforcement in
section
At = area of torsion reinforcement
in section
Fig. 3 shows the comparison of Eq.
(9) with the experimental data.7 Note
that the web reinforcement index r in
Fig. 3 is (Av + 2At)/bws.
Longitudinal bars distributed around
the perimeter of the closed stirrups, At,
must be provided to resist the longitudinal component of the diagonal tension induced by torsion. This longitudinal reinforcement, A l , should be
approximately of equal volume as that
of stirrups for torsion.
Therefore:

Al = 2 At

x1 + y1
s

Fig. 3. Comparison of Eq. (9) with test data (Ref. 1).

(10)

or

Al =

x +y
400 xs T

u
1 1

2
A

t
s
f y T + Vu
u

3Ct

(11)

Fig. 4.
Comparison of
Eq. (15) with
experimental
data (Ref. 1).

whichever is greater. In Eq. (11):

b d
Ct = w 2
x y

(12)

The values of Al computed by Eq.

(11) need not exceed that obtained by
substituting:
bw s
50 bw s

for 2 At
1 + 12 200
fy
fc
fy
(13)
May-June 2004

It should be emphasized that prestressed concrete beams without longitudinal mild steel reinforcement would
fail abruptly under high torsion.
Therefore, it is essential that a reasonable amount of longitudinal mild reinforcing steel be provided even if there
is an excess of prestressing steel (i.e.,
more than what is required for flexure). This reinforcement must be properly distributed around the perimeter
of the closed stirrups.

Maximum Torsional Moment

In proportioning a member to resist
torsion, consideration should be given
to the possible danger of over-reinforcing the beam so that a compressive failure of the concrete might
occur before the reinforcement yields.
To avoid this type of failure, a maximum limit of factored torsional moment to be carried by a member must
be established.
37

Based on the study by Zia and

McGee,1 and incorporating the torsion
coefficient of one-third rather than
in the basic torsion stress equation,1 it
can be shown that:

Tu

(1/ 3)C

fc x 2 y

CVu
1+

30Ct Tu

(14)

in which the coefficient, C, is:

C = 12 10( /fc)

(15)

A comparison of Eq. (15) with the

experimental data is shown in Fig. 4.
It can be seen that the data points representing those members which developed compression failure all lie well
above the line for Eq. (15). Thus, the
equation represents a fairly conservative limit.
Note that and fpc (average compressive stress in concrete after prestress losses) are interchangeable as
shown in the design example of Appendix B.
Torsional Strength of Box Sections
The torsional strength of a rectangular box section may be taken as a solid
section provided its wall thickness, h,
is at least x/4. A box section with wall
thickness less than x/4 but greater than
x/10 may be taken as a solid section
except that the quantity x2y shall be

multiplied by 4h/x. Similarly, the multiplying factor, 4h/x, shall be applied

to Eq. (7).

DESIGN PROCEDURE
The following design procedure
may be used to determine the shear
and torsional reinforcement in prestressed concrete flexural flanged
members:
1. Determine the deck load to be
supported by the beam.
2. Calculate the factored shear force
and factored torsional moment.
3. Divide the section of the member
into separate rectangular sections.
4. Calculate the required sectional
properties of the member.
5. Calculate the shear and torsional
constant Ct shown in Eq. (12).
6. Perform the design for the right
(or left) support of the member.
7. Check minimum torsion.
8. Check maximum torsion.
9. Calculate nominal shear strength
provided by concrete.
10. Calculate nominal torsional
strength provided by concrete.
11. Compute web reinforcement for
torsion.
12. Compute web reinforcement for
shear.
13. Check minimum reinforcement.
14. Determine longitudinal steel reinforcement.
15. Repeat the same design procedure
for the other support of the member.

CONCLUDING REMARKS
The equations presented in this
paper provide a unified approach for
the design of shear and torsion in both
prestressed and non-prestressed concrete flexural members. Expressed in
terms of forces and moments rather
than nominal stresses, these equations
are similar to the shear and torsion design provisions in the current ACI
Code (ACI 318-02).
While the general design approach
follows that of the Zia-McGee
method, new expressions are proposed
for torsion-shear interaction and minimum torsion reinforcement and longitudinal steel. Application of these
equations is illustrated by a fully
worked numerical design example.
Experience has shown that the
method outlined in this paper is accurate, safe and easy to use.
The shear and torsion provisions in
the Sixth Edition of the PCI Design
Handbook are based on the principles
outlined in this article, which will also
be referenced in the next edition of the
ACI Building Code (ACI 318-05).

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to express
their gratitude to George Nasser, editor emeritus, PCI JOURNAL, for his
helpful comments and assistance in
modifying the original preprint.

REFERENCES
1. Zia, Paul, and McGee, W. Denis, Torsion Design of Prestressed Concrete, PCI JOURNAL, V. 19, No. 2, March-April
1974, pp. 46-65.
2. ACI Committee 438, Tentative Recommendations for the Design of Reinforced Concrete Members to Resist Torsion, ACI
Journal, V 66, No. 1, January 1969, pp. 1-8.
3. ACI Committee 318, Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete (ACI 318-71), American Concrete Institute,
Detroit, MI, 1971, 144 pp.
4. ACI Committee 318, Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete (ACI 318-77), American Concrete Institute,

38

Detroit, MI, 1977, 102 pp.

5. PCI Design Handbook Precast and Prestressed Concrete,
Sixth Edition, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago,
IL, 2004.
6. ACI Committee 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-02), American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, MI, 2002.
7. Myers, G., Minimum Torsional Web Reinforcement for Prestressed Concrete, M.S. Thesis under the supervision of
Thomas T. C. Hsu, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 1978.

PCI JOURNAL

APPENDIX A NOTATION
Ag
Al

= gross area of section, sq in.

= total area of longitudinal reinforcement to resist
torsion, sq in.
Aps = area of prestressed reinforcement in tension zone,
sq in.
As = area of non-prestressed tension reinforcement, sq in.
Av = area of shear reinforcement in section
At = area of one leg of torsion reinforcement in section, sq in.
b
= width of compression face of member, in.
bw = width of web, in.
C
= a coefficient defined in Eq. (15) = 12 10( /fc)
Ct = a factor relating shear and torsional stress properties = bwd/x2y
d
= distance from extreme compression fiber to centroid of longitudinal tension reinforcement, but
need not be less than 0.80h for prestressed concrete members, in.
e
= eccentricity of prestressing force
F
= effective prestress force, kips
fc = specified compressive strength of concrete, psi
fd
= stress due to unfactored dead load at extreme
fiber of section where tensile stress is caused by
externally applied loads, psi
fpc = average compressive stress in concrete due to effective prestress force only, psi (same as )
fpe = compressive stress in concrete due to effective
prestress force (after allowance for prestress
losses) at extreme fiber of section where tensile
stress is caused by applied loads, psi
fy
= specified yield strength of non-prestressed reinforcement, psi
h
= wall thickness of box section, in., or height of
beam
I
= moment of inertia of section, in.4
Mcr = moment causing flexural cracking at section due
to externally applied loads, in.-lb
MD = service dead load moment, in.-lb
Mmax = maximum factored moment at section due to externally applied loads, in.-lb
P
= applied load on member, kips
s
= spacing of shear or torsion reinforcement in direction parallel to longitudinal reinforcement, in.
Tc = nominal torsional moment strength provided by
concrete in combined loading, in.-kips
Tc = nominal torsional moment strength provided by
concrete under pure torsion, in.-kips
Tn = nominal torsional moment strength, in.-kips
Ts = nominal torsional moment strength provided by

May-June 2004

torsion reinforcement, in.-kips

factored torsional moment at section, in.-kips
maximum torsional moment, in.-kips
minimum torsional moment, in.-kips
nominal shear strength provided by concrete in
combined loading, kips
Vc = nominal shear strength provided by concrete
without torsion, kips
Vci = nominal shear strength provided by concrete
when diagonal cracking results from combined
shear and moment, kips
Vcw = nominal shear strength provided by concrete
when diagonal cracking results from excessive
principal tensile stress in web, kips
Vd = shear force at section due to unfactored dead load,
lb
Vi = factored shear force at section due to externally
applied loads occurring simultaneously with
Mmax, lb
Vn = nominal shear strength, kips
Vp = vertical component of effective prestress force at
section, lb
Vs = nominal shear strength provided by shear reinforcement, kips
Vu = factored shear force at section, kips
wd = dead load, lb per ft
x, x = shorter dimension of rectangular component of
cross section, in.
y, y = longer dimension of rectangular component of
cross section, in.
2
x
y
=
torsional section properties, in.3

yb = distance form neutral axis to bottom fiber of

member, in.
yt
= distance from neutral axis to top fiber of member,
in.
x1 = shorter center-to-center dimension of closed rectangular stirrup
y1 = longer center-to-center dimension of closed rectangular stirrup

= torsion coefficient in original Zia-McGee equation1

t = coefficient as a function of y1/x1

= strength reduction factor

= a prestress factor = 1 + 10 / fc

= correction factor related to unit weight of concrete

= average prestress in member after losses, psi

(same as fpc)
summation symbol
=

Tu
Tmax
Tmin
Vc

=
=
=
=

39

APPENDIX B DESIGN EXAMPLE

Given: A prestressed concrete spandrel beam with dimensions shown in Fig. B1. The beam is loaded (transmitted
through the deck) with concentrated loads, P, as shown in
Fig. B2. The span is 30 ft (9.14 m) long with a 12 in. (305
mm) wide bearing at each end.
Ag = 696 sq in. (449,031 mm2)
yb = 33.15 in. (842 mm)
yt = 41.85 in. (1063 mm)
I = 360,400 in.4 (1.5 1011 mm4)
Six 1/2 in. (12.7 mm) diameter 270 ksi (1862 MPa) strands
Aps = 0.918 sq in. (592 mm2)
d = 69 in. (1753 mm) throughout
e = 69 41.85 = 27.15 in. (690 mm)
fc = 5000 psi (normal weight concrete)
fy = 60,000 psi
Note that = 1 for normal weight concrete.
wD = 725 lb per ft (1080 kg/m)
Torsion arm (assumed) = 8 in. (203 mm)
Deck to be supported by spandrel beam:
Span = 60 ft (18.3 m)
Spacing between stems = 4 ft (1.22 m)
Dead load = 89.5 psf (4.29 kPa)
Live load = 50.0 psf (2.39 kPa)
Find: Required shear and torsional reinforcement of
spandrel beam.
1. Calculate Factored Shear Force and Torsional Moment
Dead load of beam = 1.2 0.725
= 0.87 kips per ft (12.70 kN/m)
Dead load of deck = 1.2 0.0895 30 4
= 12.90 kips per stem (57.33 kN/stem)
Live load
= 1.6 0.050 30 4
= 9.60 kips per stem (42.70 kN/stem)
Vu at right support
7(14)
= 0.87 15 +
(12.9 + 9.6)
30
= 86.55 kips (385 kN)
h/2 from edge of bearing
= (75/2 + 6)/12
= 3.62 ft (1.10 m)
Vu at h/2 = 86.55 3.62 0.87
= 83.4 kips (371 kN)
Vu at left support
7(16)
= 0.87 15 +
(12.9 + 9.6)
30
= 97.05 kips (432 kN)
Vu at h/2 = 97.05 0.87 3.62 (12.9 + 9.6)
= 71.4 kips (318 kN)
Right support torque:
7(14)
Tu = (12.9 + 9.6)
(8)
30

= 588 in.-kips (66.4 kN-m)

40

Left support torque:

7(16)
Tu = (12.9 + 9.6)
1(8)
30

= 492 in.-kips (55.6 kN-m)

2. Calculate Ct (see Fig. B3)

x2y

Area
A
B

x
8
12

y
63
16
x2y =

x2y
4032
2304
6336 in.3

bwd = 8 69 = 552 sq in. (356,128 mm2)

Ct = bwd/ x2y = 552/6336 = 0.0871 per in.

DESIGN OF RIGHT SUPPORT

3. Check Minimum Torsional Moment
Effective prestress (assume a 22 percent loss)
F = 0.918(0.7 270)(0.78)
= 135.33 kips (602 kN)

= fpc = F/Ag
= 135.33/696
= 0.194 ksi (1.34 MPa)
/fc = 0.194/5 = 0.04

= 1 + 10 / fc = 1.18

Tmin = 0.5 fc x 2 y

= 0.75(0.5) 5000 (1.18)(6336) / 1000

= 198 in.-kips (22.4 kN-m)
198 in.-kips (22.4 kN-m) < 588 in.-kips (66.4 kN-m)
Therefore, torsion design is required.
4. Check Maximum Torsional Moment
C = 12 10(/fc ) = 11.6

Tmax =

(1 / 3)C

fc x 2 y

CVu
1+

30Ct Tu

(1 / 3)(11.6)(1.18)
=

5000
(6336)
1000

(11.6)(1.18)(83.4)
1+

(30)(0.0871)(588)

= 1640.84 in.-kips (185.4 kN-m)

Therefore, 1640.84 in.-kips is greater than 588 in.-kips.
PCI JOURNAL

M y
ffdd == MDD ybb
II
(34.62)(33.15)(12)
== (34.62)(33.15)(12)
360
360,, 400
400
== 00..03
0388 ksi
ksi (0.262
(0.262 MPa)
MPa)
II
66 ffcc ++ ffpe
M
f
Mcrcr ==
pe fdd
yybb
Fig. B3. Subdivision
360, 400
of beam section into
532
38
1000
/
== 360, 400 66 5000
+

5000 + 532 38 / 1000

33
rectangles.
33..15
15
Fig. B2. Loads and reaction forces acting
on spandrel
beam.
in.-kips
(1128
kN-m)
== 9983
9983 in.-kips (1128 kN-m)

77((14
14)) (12.9 + 9.6)
V
(12.9 + 9.6)
Vii ==
30
30
== 73.5
73.5 kips
kips (326.9
(326.9 kN)
kN)
(
3
.
62
)(
12
)
=
M
V
=
3
62
12
(
.
)(
)
Mmax
V
i
max
i
== 33193
193 in.-kips
in.-kips (360.8
(360.8 kN-m)
kN-m)
Fig. B1. Spandrel beam section.

5. Calculate Nominal Shear Strength and

Torsional Moment Strength Provided
by Concrete
From Eq. (11-12), ACI 318-02:
Vcw = (3.5 fc + 0.3fpc)bwd + Vp
= [3.5 5000 + 0.3(194)](8)(69)/1000
= 168.74 kips (750.6 kN)
Note that Vp is zero.
f pe =

F Feyb
+
Ag
I

= 0.194 + 135.33(27.15)(33.15)/360,400
= 0.532 ksi (3.67 MPa)
MD = 0.725(15)(3.62) 0.725(3.62)2/2
= 34.62 ft-kips (46.9 kN-m)
M D yb
I
M
(
34
62
D.y
b )(33.15)(12 )
fd =
I 360, 400
(34.62)(33.15)(12)
=
= 0.038 ksi (0.262 MPa)
I 360, 400
fc + f ACI
M
6(11-11),
From
cr =
pe f318-02:
d
= 0Eq.
y.b038 ksi (0.262 MPa)
I , 400
360
Mcr =
fd+ 532 38 / 1000
= y 6 fc +6 f pe
5000
b33.15
fd =

(
(

)
)

(
)
360, 400
=
(1128+ kN-m)
6 5000
532 38) / 1000
= 9983 in.-kips
(
.
33
15
7(14)

Vi =
(12.9 + 9.6)
= 9983
30 in.-kips (1128 kN-m)
7(14)
= 73.5 kips
(12.(326.9
9 + 9.6)kN)
Vi =
30
Mmax = Vi (3.62)(12)
= 73.5 kips (326.9 kN)
= 3193 in.-kips (360.8 kN-m)
Mmax = Vi (3.62)(12)
Vd = 0.725(15 3.62)
= 3193
May-June
2004in.-kips (360.8 kN-m)
= 8.25 kips (36.7 kN)
Vd = 0.725(15 3.62)

V
725((15
15 33..62
62))
Vdd == 00..725
== 88..25
25 kips
kips (36.7
(36.7 kN)
kN)
From Eq. (11-10), ACI 318-02:

Vci = 0.6bw d fc + Vd + Vi

Mcr
Mmax

= (0.6)(0.552) 5000 + 8.25 + 73.5(9983 / 3193)

= 261.5 kips (1163 kN)
Now, 1.7bwd fc = 66.35 kips (295.1 kN) < 261.5 kips
Since 261.5 kips is greater than 168.74 kips, Vcw governs.

Vc = 168.74 kips (750.6 kN)

Vc = 168.74 kips (750.6 kN)
Tc = 0.8 fc x 22y(2.5 1.5) / 1000
Tc = 0.8 fc x y(2.5 1.5) / 1000
= 519.71 in.-kips (58.72 kN-m)
= 519.71 in.-kips (58.72 kN-m)
Tc
Tc
Tc =
2
Tc =
Tc Vu 2

T
V

1 + c u
1 +Vc Tu
Vc Tu
519.71
519.71
=
2
=
(519.71)(83.4) 2
1 + (519.71)(83.4)
1 + (168.74)(588)
(168.74)(588)
= 476.25 in.-kips (53.82 kN-m)
= 476.25 in.-kips (53.82 kN-m)
Vc
Vc
Vc =
2
Vc =
V T 2
1 + Vcc Tuu
1 +Tc Vu
Tc Vu
168.74
168.74
=
2
=
(168.74)(588) 2
1 + (168.74)(588)
1 + (519.71)(83.4)
(519.71)(83.4)
= 67.55 kips (300.5 kN)
= 67.55 kips (300.5 kN)
41

6. Calculate Web Reinforcement for Torsion

Assume 11/4 in. (32 mm) cover and No. 4 reinforcing bars.
y1 = 75 2(1.5) = 72 in. (1829 mm)
x1 = 8.0 2(1.5) = 5 in. (127 mm)
Ts = Tu / Tc
= 588/0.75 476.25
= 307.8 in.-kips (34.77 kN-m)
t = 0.66 + 0.33(y1/x1)
= 0.66 + 0.33(72/5)
= 5.41 > 1.5 (Use 1.5)

Ts
At
=
s t x1 y1 f y
307.8
=
(1.5)(5.0)(72.0)(60)
= 0.0095 sq in. per in. (0.24 mm 2 / mm)

x1 + y1
4
5 + 72
=
4
= 19.25 in. (489 mm)

smin =

Since 19.25 in. is greater than 12 in., use bars with 12 in.
(305 mm) maximum spacing.

At Av
+
= 0.0095 + 0.0053 = 0.0148
s 2s
Use No. 4 bars at 12 in. (305 mm) spacing.
x1 + y1
s
= (2)(0.0095)(5 + 72)

Al = 2 At

= 1.46 sq in. (942 mm 2 )

7. Calculate Web Reinforcement for Shear

Av Vu / Vc
=
s
d fy
=

(83.4 / 0.75) 67.55

(69)(60)

= 0.0105 sq in. per in. (0.27 mm 2 / mm)

8. Check Minimum Reinforcement and

Design Longitudinal Steel
Av 2 At
+
= 0.0105 + 2(0.0095)
s
s
= 0.030 sq in. per in. (0.76 mm 2 / mm)
Av + 2 At = 501 + 12 bw

s
s min
fc f y

194
8
= 501 + 12

5000 60, 000

= 0.010

Since 0.010 is less than 0.030, minimum reinforcement

does not govern.

42

x +y
400 xs T

u
2 At 1 1
Al =

s
f y T + Vu
u

3
C

5 + 72
( 400)(8)(12)

588
=
(2)(0.20)

.
83
4
12
60, 000 588 +

(3)(0.0871)
= 0.1 sq in. (64.5 mm 2 )

Equal volume governs. Therefore, Al = 1.46 sq in. (942

mm 2). Use sixteen No. 4 bars (at each end of member)
spaced around stirrups at 12 in. maximum spacing.
9. Repeat the Same Design Procedure for Left Support
A similar analysis for the left support shows that the same
web reinforcement for torsion and shear as well as longitudinal torsion reinforcement should be used even though the
factored shear and factored torsion at the left support are
less than those at the right support.
10. Repeat the same design at other sections, especially
at the load points where Vci may govern.

PCI JOURNAL