STRUT & TIE MODELS (S-T-M)

Module 2

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Topics
• Introduction
• Development
• Design Methodology
• IS and ACI provisions
• Applications
– Deep beams
– Corbels
– Beam-column joints
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• Hydrostatic state of stress
– Nodal zone dimensions
proportional to the applied
compressive forces
– One dimension by the bearing
area
– Other two, for a constant level
of stress ‘p’
– Preselected strut dimensions ,
non hydrostatic
• Extended Nodal zone
– Inadequate length of
hydrostatic zone for tie
anchorage
– Intersection of the nodal zone
and associated strut
– The portion of the overlap
region between struts & ties,
not already counted as part of
a primary node
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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
#
2) Compute the resultant forces on each D-region
boundary #
3) Select a truss model to transfer the forces across
a D-region #
#
5) Verify the capacity of node and strut; for struts
at mid-length and nodal interface #
6) Design the ties and tie anchorage #

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Strength and serviceability

– ACI A.2.6

– Strength reduction factor 0.75

– Spacing of reinforcement within ties

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design HOME

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
2) Resultant forces on D-
region boundaries
– Helps in constructing the
geometry of the truss
model
– Subdividing the
boundary into segments
– Distributed load
– Moments at faces of
beam column joints

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
3) The Truss model
– Multiple solutions
– Axes of truss members to
coincide with centroids of
stress fields
– Struts must intersect only
at nodal zones; ties may
cross struts
– Effective model-minimum
energy distribution through
D-region
– Stiffest load path
– Minimum no. of ties
– Equilibrium ,structural
stiffness
– Effectively mobilizes ties -
cracking
– Points of maximum stresses
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Strut and Tie design Methodology

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
4) Selecting dimensions for
Struts and Nodal zones
– Width on magnitude of
forces & dimensions of
adjoining elements
– External effects bearing plate
area on Nodal zone
dimensions
– Angle between struts and
ties at a node>25◦
– Design of nodal zones
• Principal stresses within the
intersecting struts and ties
are parallel to the axes of
these truss members
• Width of struts and ties α
forces in the elements
• Width of strut by Geometry
of bearing plate / tension tie
– non-hydrostatic

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
4) Selecting dimensions for
Struts and Nodal zones
– Thickness of strut, tie
and nodal zone typically
equal to that of the
member
– If thickness of bearing
plate < thickness of
member, reinforcement
perpendicular to the
plane of the member to
be added – confinement,
splitting
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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
5) Capacity of Struts
– Based on, the strength of the strut & strength of
nodal zone
– Insufficient capacity of strut – revising the
design
• Add compression reinforcement
• Increase size of nodal zone
• Bearing area of plate and column

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Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
6) Design of Ties and Anchorage
o At service loads, stress in reinforcement well
below yield stress (crack control)
o Geometry of tie – reinforcement fits within tie
dimensions, full anchoring
o Anchorage – nodal and extended nodal zones +
available regions on far side

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Length available
for anchorage of
ties la
• Extended nodal
zone
• Extend beyond or
hooks for full
development

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 Strut and Tie design Methodology
• Steps in design
7) Design details and minimum reinforcement
requirements
o Complete design demands the verification
 Tie reinforcement can be placed in the section
 Nodal zones confined by compressive forces or ties
 Minimum reinforcement requirements
o Tie details – development length, mechanical
anchorage
o Shear reinforcement – permissible shear force(code),
controlled longitudinal cracking of bottle shaped
struts, minimum reinforcement (code)

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 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of struts

Strength of nodal zones

Strength of ties

Shear reinforcement requirements

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 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of struts

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ACI Code Provisions

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ACI Code Provisions

• When compression steel is provided, strength is

increased to
• fs' depends on the strain in concrete at peak stress

– Code says ‘it shall be permitted to assume the

compressive force in the strut spreads at a slope of 2
longitudinal to 1 transverse to the axis of the
strut’(cl.A.3.3)
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 ACI Code Provisions

• For fc' ≤ 6000 psi, A.3.3

transverse reinforcement
- axis of the strut being
crossed by layers of
reinforcement satisfying

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 ACI Code Provisions

• Rectangular or bottle-shaped strut?

• Horizontal struts as rectangular, inclined as
bottle-shaped

&page number HOME

 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of Nodal zones
• Nominal compressive strength of a nodal zone

• f ce ,effective strength of concrete in nodal zone

• Anz , is the smaller of (a) and (b)

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 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of Nodal zones
• Unless confining reinforcement is provided in
the nodal zone ,maximum
(A.5.2)
• fc' , compressive strength of concrete in nodal
zone
• βn , factor for degree of disruption –
incompatibility between strains in struts and ties

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 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of Ties (cl. A.4)
• Nominal strength of a tie

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 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of Ties (cl. A.4)
• Effective width of a tie, wt
– Distribution of tie reinforcement
– If placed in single layer, wt = diameter of the
largest bars in the tie + 2*the cover to surface of
bars
– Or width of anchor plates
–

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 ACI Code Provisions
Strength of Ties (cl. A.4)
– The axis of reinforcement in a tie shall coincide
with the axis of the tie in STM
– Anchor the reinforcement as required by
mechanical devices, post-tensioning anchorage
devices, standard hooks etc.
– Ties must be anchored before they leave the
extended nodal zone at a point defined by the
centroid of the bars in the tie and the extensions
of either the strut or the bearing area.

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Extended nodal zone showing the distribution of force

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 ACI Code Provisions
ACI Shear Requirements for Deep Beams
– Deep beams Beams with clear span less than
or equal to 4 times the total member depth or with
concentrated loads placed within twice the
member depth of the support
– Design either by Non-linear analysis or by Strut and
Tie method
– Nominal shear ≤ (11.7.3)
– Minimum reinforcement perpendicular to the span

– Minimum reinforcement parallel to the span

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 ACI Code Provisions
• s and s2 may not exceed d/5 or 12 inches
• For STM, bw is thickness of element b

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 Applications
• Deep beams
• Beam-column joints
• Corbel

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• One of the principal application
• Alternative solution –nonlinear analysis
• Question: A transfer girder is to carry two 24in. Square
columns, each with factored loads of 1200kips located at
third points of its 36 ft span, as in the fig, The beam has a
thickness of 2ft and a total height of 12ft. Design the beam
for the given loads, ignoring the self weight. Use fc’=5000psi
& fy=60000psi
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•
•
•

•
•
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• Solution:
• Span/depth =3.0
deep beam
• Use strut and tie model
• Step 1 : Define D-region
– Entire structure as D-region

– Thickness of struts and ties =

thickness of beam = 2ft=24in

– Assume effective depth

=0.9h=0.9x12=10.8ft

– Maximum shear capacity of the

beam , Vn  10 f c 'bwd Dividing by 1000, to convert to
= 0.75x10x√5000x24x(10.8x12/1000) kips
=1650kips > Vu=1200kips

– Thus design may continue

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• Step 2 : Force Resultants on D-region boundaries
– Reactions at supports = 1200kips (equilibrated by the
column loads on the upper face of beam)
– Assume centre to centre distance between horizontal
strut and tie = 0.8h = 9.6ft
– Angle between trial diagonal struts and horizontal tie
=38.66 0
– Analyze the truss to find the forces in struts and tie

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• Step 3 : Truss model
– Based on the geometry and loading, a single truss as shown, is
sufficient to carry the column loads

– Nodes that are not true pins and instability within the plane of
truss. Not a concern in Strut and Tie models. Hence this is an
acceptable solution
– The truss geometry is established by the assumed intersection
of the struts and ties used to determine θ

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• Step 4 : Selecting dimensions for struts and
nodal zone
– Two approaches 1) constant level of stress 2)
minimum strut width

– CCC node βn =1.0

– = 0.75 x 0.85 x 1.0 x 1.0 x 5000/1000 = 3.19 ksi
– >2.08 ksi, demand from the column, smaller sizes
possible
– Width of the strut ac

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• Step 4 : Selecting
dimensions for struts and
nodal zone
– wab=?, wtie=?

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• Step 5 : Capacity of struts
– Horizontal rectangular strut, inclined bottle shaped
ac

ab

ab b

ac b 37
• Step 5 : Capacity of struts
• Capacity at the end of the struts and at the
nodes exceeds the factored loads
• Hence the struts are adequate

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• Step 6 : Design of ties and anchorage
– Selection of area of steel
– Design of the anchorage
– Validation that tie fits within the available tie width
– Area of steel,

– Provide 22 No.s No.11 bars,

– Placing the bars in two layers of 5 bars each and
three layers of 4 bars each, total tie width

matching tie dimensions

Note 2.5 in. clear cover, 4.5in. clear spacing b/w layers
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• Step 6 : Design of ties and anchorage
– Anchorage length Ld, chapter 12 of ACI 318-11
– For no. 11 bars,
– Length of nodal zone and extended nodal zone =
24 + 0.5 x 30.7 x cot 380 = 43.6 in. < Ld
– Provide 900 hooks / mechanical anchorage
– 1.5 in cover on both sides, side face
reinforcement No.5 bars transverse & horizontal,
2db spacing between No.11 bars
– required total thickness

– Fit within the 24 in. beam thickness 40

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• Step 7 : Design details and minimum
reinforcement requirement
• Shear reinforcement requirement in deep
beams- ACI

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• Step 7 : Design details and minimum
reinforcement requirement

– Av = 0.0025 x 24 x 12 =0.72 in2/ft

– Providing No. 5 (0.625in,0.31in2) bars,
s = 12 x 0.31x2faces /0.72 = 10.33 in.
At spacing 10 in,
Av provided = 12 x 0.31 x 2 /10 = 0.74 in2/ft

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• Step 7 : Design details and minimum
reinforcement requirement

– Avh = 0.0015 x 24 x 12 =0.43 in2/ft

– Providing No. 4 (0.5 in,0.20in2) bars,
s = 12 x 0.20x2faces /0.43 = 11.16 in.
At spacing 10 in,
Av provided = 12 x 0.20 x 2 /10 = 0.48 in2/ft

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• Step 7 : Design details and minimum
reinforcement requirement
• Read & understand RA 3.3 ACI 318-11
• Two No. 5 bars Av =0.62 in2 ; Two No.4 bars
Avh = 0.4 in2

• This ensures sufficient reinforcement is

present to control longitudinal splitting
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• Step 7 : Design details and minimum
reinforcement requirement
• Staggered hooks used for anchorage
• Horizontal U-shaped No.4 bars @ 4 in (3db) across the end of
the beam to confine No. 11 hooks

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Column brackets or Corbel

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 Column brackets & Corbels
• Brackets – in precast construction - to support
precast beams at columns
• When brackets are projected from a wall, rather
than from a column, they are properly called
corbels
• Both terms may be used interchangeably
• Design - Vertical reaction Vu at the end of
supported beam
• Horizontal force Nuc if adequate measures are
not taken to avoid horizontal forces by shrinkage,
creep, temperature change
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 Column brackets & Corbels
• Bearing plates or angles on the top surface of
the bracket
• Elastomeric bearing pads – frictional forces –
volumetric change
• Account for horizontal forces
• Strut and Tie model
• The steel required by STM , main bars
anchorage

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Corbel

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Corbel

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Corbel

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 Beam-Column Joints
• Inadequate attention to the detailing of
reinforcement
• Mainly at the connection of main structural
elements
• The basic requirement at joint – all of the
forces existing at the ends of the members
must be transmitted through the joint to the
supporting members

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 References:
• Design of concrete structures, by A H Nilson

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