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Calculating The Length of Bent Bars

The document discusses how to calculate the precise length of bent reinforcing bars to account for elongation during bending. It describes using a friction factor to model how the bar's neutral axis shifts inward due to friction against the bending mandrel. The document also notes that factors like bar size, steel grade, bending speed, and temperature all affect the friction factor.

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Paul Karija
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359 views

Calculating The Length of Bent Bars

The document discusses how to calculate the precise length of bent reinforcing bars to account for elongation during bending. It describes using a friction factor to model how the bar's neutral axis shifts inward due to friction against the bending mandrel. The document also notes that factors like bar size, steel grade, bending speed, and temperature all affect the friction factor.

Uploaded by

Paul Karija
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1/16/2015

CalculatingtheLengthofBentBars

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Calculating the Length of Bent Bars


ByDickBirley,PresidentofCondorRebarConsultants,Inc.
FirstpublishedinConcreteInternationalMagazine,March2006

Tighttolerancesleadtosomeinterestingobservations
Whenreinforcingbarsarefabricatedwithbends,thestraightbarisinitiallycuttoalengththatislessthanthesum
ofthespecifieddimensionsofthebentbar.Thedifferencebetweenthedetailedlengthandthecutlengthisthe
"bendcurvaturededuction"andmaybeknowninthetradebyothernamessuchasgain,creep,andgyp.Generally,
fabricatorsandprogrammersobtainthebendcurvaturedeductionfromabenddeductiontable,suchastheone
showninTable1,thatliststhedeductionsfor45and90degreebendsofcommonbarsizes.

AParadigmShift
ConstraintsonReinforcingBarModeling
ReinforcingBarsExceedingStockLengths
RebarandWaterstops
DesigntoMinimumDimensions
Shearwalls&BoundaryElements
SlopedvsSteppedFootings
CalculatingtheLengthofBentBars
BeamColumnJoints
AvoidingtheDeadZone
PlacingDrawingsarenotShopDrawings

TheToleranceCloud
PlacementToleranceClouds
FormingToleranceCloud
Detailing&FabricationToleranceCloud

Figure1showsaNo.8(No.25)barwithastandardhookandsidesmeasuring1ft4in.and4ft(400and1220
mm).Thedetailedlengthofthisbarwouldbethesumofthetwosides,or5ft4in.(1620mm).FromTable1,the
deductionfora90degreebendonaNo.8(No.25)baris21/2in.(65mm).Thus,inthiscase,thecutlengthof
thebarwouldbe5ft11/2in.(1555mm).

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Theusualstandardformeasuringthecutlengthofabarisalongtheactualcenterlineofthebar,which
correspondstotheneutralaxisofthebarcrosssectionpriortobending.Thecutlengthofabentbarisshorterthan
thesumofthefinisheddimensionsfortworeasons.Thefirstreasonisobviousthefilletscreatedatthebend
pointshaveanarclengththatisshorterthanthesumoftheintersectingtangents.Thiscomponentofthebend
deductioncanbefoundwithasimplemathematicalcalculation.Thesecondreasonisn'tsoobvious.Whiletheouter
fibersofthebararefreetoelongate,theinnerfibersofthebararerestrainedbyfrictionagainstthebending
mandreltheneutralaxisthereforeshiftsinwardtowardthemandrel.Thiscomponentcannotbeeasilycalculated.
Fortunately,however,thediscrepancyresultingfromcalculatinglengthsbasedontheactualcenterlineisrarelya
concern.
Afewyearsago,someinterestingsurpriseswerefoundwhiledetailingthereinforcingforalargeprecastsegmental
bridge.Thereweremorethan200differentbarshapes,ofwhichmostweremultisided,closedstirrupswithvarying
angles.Theclientinsistedthatthecutlengthofthebarshadtobewithinatoleranceof10mm(3/8in.),
regardlessofthenumberofbendsonthebarortheangles.Obviously,thiscouldnotbeaccomplishedbyusinga
chart.Theabilitytocalculatetheprecisebenddeductionforeachbendatanyangleoneachbarsizehadtobe
introducedintothedetailingsoftware.
Tomeetthischallenge,thecalculationshadtoincludeatermthatwouldallowtheeffectivecenterlineofthebend
toshiftinwardfromtheactualcenterline.Onewaytoincludethiseffectinthearclengthcalculationsistousean
effectivecenterlinelocatedadistance(db/2)fromtheinsideofthebend,whereisavariablelabeledthefriction
factor.Withzerofriction,=1andtheeffectivecenterlineislocatedattheactualcenterline.Withzeroslip,=0
andtheeffectivecenterlineislocatedattheinsidefaceofthebend.
Foragivenbarsizeandmandrel,acalibrationforthevaluecanbemadebycarefullymeasuringthelengthsof
straightbars,bendingthemtothesameangle,measuringandsummingthedimensionsofthetworesultingsides,
deductingtheoriginalstraightlengthfromthissumtofindthetotalbendcurvaturededuction,andsolvingthe
equationsdefinedinFig.2.

Manyfactors,includingbarsize,steelgrade,angleoftheribtothemandrel,themandrelmaterial,theamountof
wearonthemandrel,thebendingspeed,andthebartemperature(theshopoperatedthroughwinterandsummer),
werefoundtoaffectthevalueof.Therewerefourbendingmachinesintheshop,andeachonewasassigneda
valueforforeachbarsize.Bendingspeedwassetataconstantprescribedrateforeachbender,andthewhole
processwasrecheckedeverycoupleofweeks.The10mm(3/8in.)tolerancecouldbesuccessfullymet,provided
theclientcouldsuccessfullycontrolthevariousfactorsaffecting.
Surprisingly,thevalueofwasusuallyabout0.2to0.25andrarelyapproached0.3.Ifthebendingspeedwas
increased,woulddroptoaslowas0.1.TherewasasmallamountofGrade75(520MPa)barontheprojectfor
whichhadtobesettozero.Thisseemedtoindicatethatfrictionwiththemandrelwassohigh(duetotheforce
requiredtobendthebar)thattherewasnoslipalongtheinnercurveandthatalloftheelongationwasalongthe
outsidecurveofthebar.
DESIGNCONSIDERATIONS
Consideringthevaluesfor,itbecameapparentthat,whenabarwasbent,therewasmuchmoreelongationalong
theoutsideofthebendthananticipated.Ifthemandrelwasnewandverysmooth,thereseemedtobelessfriction
withthemandrel,whichincreasedthevalueof.Increasingthebendingspeedseemedtoincreasefrictionagainst

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themandrel,whichdecreasedthevalueof.InthecaseofGrade75(520MPa)barswithanof0,thedifference
betweenelongationsalongtheoutsideandinsideofthebendwasextreme.
Asanaside,theclientfoundthetaskofmonitoringthefactorsaffectingthebendingsoonerousthatthe
requirementforthe10mm(3/8in.)cuttingtolerancewasquietlydropped,andtheshopgraduallyreturnedto
normalfabricatingpractices.
Acknowledgments
ThankstoM.Lount,FACI,forcontributingthecalculationsforthebendcurvaturedeductionandidentifyingthe
frictionfactor.
ContinuetoBeamColumnJoints>

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2012CondorRebarConsultantsInc.Allrightsreserved

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