Introduction

• Apart from precast systems, reinforced concrete floors, roofs,

decks, and beams are almost always monolithic. Forms are built
for beam soffits and sides and for the underside of slabs, and the
entire construction is cast at once, from the bottom of the deepest
beam to the top of the slab. Beam stirrups and bent bars extend
up into the slab.
• Therefore, that a part of the slab will act with the upper part of the
beam to resist longitudinal compression. The resulting beam cross
section is T-shaped rather than rectangular. The slab forms the
beam flange, while the part of the beam projecting below the slab
forms what is called the web or stem.

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Beam placement

Slab placement

3
or stems
4
5
 a. Effective Flange Width
• It is convenient to make use of an effective flange width bf, which
may be smaller than the actual flange width but is considered to
be uniformly stressed . This effective flange width has been found
to depend on the beam span length and the relative thickness of
the slab.

Figure: Effective flange width of T beams

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 a. Effective Flange Width
• The criteria for effective width bf given in ACI Code can be
summarized as follows:
1. For T beams with flanges on both sides of the web, the effective
width bf shall not exceed

𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑚ൗ
4
𝑏𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 16ℎ𝑓 + 𝑏𝑤
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒

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 a. Effective Flange Width
2. For beams having a slab on one side only, the effective width bf
shall not exceed

𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑚ൗ
𝑏𝑤 + 12
𝑏𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 6ℎ𝑓 + 𝑏𝑤
𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑚ൗ
2

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 a. Effective Flange Width
3. For isolated beams

1
ℎ𝑓 > 𝑏𝑤
2

𝑏𝑓 < 4 𝑏𝑤

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 b. Strength Analysis
• The neutral axis of a T beam may be either in the flange or in the
web, depending upon the proportions of the cross section, the
amount of tensile steel, and the strengths of the materials.
bf

NA

bw
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b. Strength Analysis
bf

NA

bw

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (a): If the calculated depth to the neutral axis is less than or
equal to the flange thickness hf , the beam can be analyzed as if it
were a rectangular beam of width equal to bf , the effective flange
width.

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 b. Strength Analysis
• The reason is illustrated in Fig. a, which shows a T beam with the
neutral axis in the flange. The compressive area is indicated by the
shaded portion of the figure. If the additional concrete indicated
by areas 1 and 2 had been added when the beam was cast, the
physical cross section would have been rectangular with a width
bf. No bending strength would have been added because areas 1
and 2 are entirely in the tension zone, and tension concrete is
disregarded in flexural calculations. The original T beam and the
rectangular beam are equal in flexural strength, and rectangular
beam analysis for flexure applies.

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (b): When the neutral axis is in the web, as in Fig. b, the
preceding argument is no longer valid. In this case, methods must
be developed to account for the actual T-shaped compressive
zone.

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (a): a T beam may be treated as a rectangular beam if the
depth of the equivalent stress block is less than or equal to the
flange thickness.

𝑎 ≤ ℎ𝑓

𝑎 = 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (a): 𝑎 ≤ ℎ𝑓 (rectangular analysis)
bf 𝑎
𝜙𝑀𝑛 = 𝜙𝐴𝑠 𝑓𝑦 (𝑑 − )
2
𝑎 NA ℎ𝑓 Asfy
a=
0.85fc′bf

Check 𝜙

𝑎 𝑐
𝑐=
𝛽1 𝑑𝑡
As bw

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (b): 𝑎 > ℎ𝑓
bf

ℎ𝑓
𝑎
NA

As bw

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (b): 𝑎 > ℎ𝑓

bf − bw bf − bw
bf 2 2 bw

ℎ𝑓 𝑎
𝑎
NA

= +

Asf As−Asf
As bw

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (b): 𝑎 > ℎ𝑓
bf − bw bf − bw
2 2 bw

ℎ𝑓
𝑎
ℎ𝑓 𝑎
𝑑− 𝑑−
2 2
Asf + As−Asf
ℎ𝑓 𝑎
Mn1 = Asf fy (d - ) Mn2 = (As − Asf) fy(d - )
2 2

Mn = Mn1 + Mn2
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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (b): 𝑎 > ℎ𝑓 𝐴𝑠
bf − bw bf − bw 𝜌𝑤 =
2 2 bw 𝑏𝑤 𝑑

ℎ𝑓
𝑎
ℎ𝑓 𝑎
𝑑− 𝑑−
2 2
Asf + As−Asf
ℎ𝑓 𝑎
Mn1 = Asf fy (d - ) Mn2 = (As − Asf) fy(d - )
2 2
0.85fc′ (bf − bw) hf
Asf = (As − Asf) fy
𝑓𝑦 a=
0.85fc′b
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 b. Strength Analysis
• Case (b): 𝑎 > ℎ𝑓

Mn = Mn1 + Mn2

• This moment is reduced by the strength reduction factor 𝜙 in

accordance with the safety provisions of the ACI Code to obtain the
design strength.
• As for rectangular beams, the tensile steel should yield prior to
sudden crushing of the compression concrete.
• Yielding of the tensile reinforcement and code compliance are
ensured if the net tensile strain ϵt is greater than 0.004. If ϵt ≥ 0.005,
a strength reduction factor ϕ = 0.90 may be used.

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 b. Strength Analysis
• From the geometry of the section given below,
𝑐 ϵu
≤
𝑑𝑡 ϵu +ϵt

Setting ϵu = 0.003 and ϵt = 0.005 provides a maximum c/dt ratio of

0.375.

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 b. Strength Analysis
• Thus, as long as the depth to the neutral axis (𝑐) is less than 0.375dt,
the net tensile strain requirements are satisfied, as they are for
rectangular beam sections. This will occur if
ρw, actual < ρw, 0.005
where ρw, actual = As/bwd and
ρw, 0.005 = ρ0.005 + ρf and
ρf = Asf/bwd and
ρ0.005 is as previously defined for a rectangular cross section.
• For c/dt ratios between 0.375 and 0.429, 𝜙 must be calculated.
• The ACI Code restriction that the tensile reinforcement ratio for beams
not be less than ρmin = 3 𝑓𝑐 ′ /fy and ≥ 200/fy
ρmin < ρw, actual < ρw, 0.005
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