STRUCTURAL CONCRETE BUILDING CODE (ACI 318M-11) AND COMMENTARY

American Concrete Institute Copyrighted Material—www.concrete.org

7.10 — Transverse reinforcement for
compression members
7.10.1 — Transverse reinforcement for compression
members shall conform to the provisions of 7.10.4 and
7.10.5 and, where shear or torsion reinforcement is
required, shall also conform to provisions of Chapter 11.
7.10.2 — Transverse reinforcement requirements for
composite compression members shall conform to
10.13. Transverse reinforcement requirements for
tendons shall conform to 18.11.
7.10.3 — It shall be permitted to waive the transverse
reinforcement requirements of 7.10, 10.13, and 18.11
where tests and structural analysis show adequate
strength and feasibility of construction.
R7.10 — Transverse reinforcement for
compression members
R7.10.3 — Precast columns with cover less than 40 mm,
prestressed columns without longitudinal bars, columns
smaller than minimum dimensions prescribed in earlier
Code editions, columns of concrete with small size coarse
aggregate, wall-like columns, and other unusual cases may
require special designs for transverse reinforcement. Wire,
MW25, MD25, or larger, may be used for ties or spirals. If
such unusual columns are considered as spiral columns for
load strength in design, the volumetric reinforcement ratio
for the spiral, 
s, is to conform to 10.9.3.
R7.10.4 — Spirals
For practical considerations in cast-in-place construction,
the minimum diameter of spiral reinforcement is 10 mm
(10 mm round, No. 10 bar, or equivalent deformed or plain
wire). This is the smallest size that can be used in a column
with 40 mm or more cover and having concrete compressive
strengths of 21 MPa or more if the minimum clear spacing
for placing concrete is to be maintained.
Standard spiral sizes are 10, 13, and 16 mm diameter for hot
rolled or cold drawn material, plain or deformed.
The Code allows spirals to be terminated at the level of
lowest horizontal reinforcement framing into the column.
However, if one or more sides of the column are not
enclosed by beams or brackets, ties are required from the
termination of the spiral to the bottom of the slab, drop
panel, or shear cap. If beams or brackets enclose all sides of
the column but are of different depths, the ties should extend
from the spiral to the level of the horizontal reinforcement
of the shallowest beam or bracket framing into the column.
These additional ties are to enclose the longitudinal column
reinforcement and the portion of bars from beams bent into
the column for anchorage. See also 7.9.
Spirals should be held firmly in place, at proper pitch and
alignment, to prevent displacement during concrete placement.
The Code has traditionally required spacers to hold the
fabricated spiral cage in place but was changed in 1989 to
allow alternate methods of installation. When spacers are
used, the following may be used for guidance: for spiral bar
7.10.4 — Spirals
Spiral reinforcement for compression members shall
conform to 10.9.3 and to the following:
7.10.4.1 — Spirals shall consist of evenly spaced
continuous bar or wire of such size and so assembled
to permit handling and placing without distortion from
designed dimensions.
7.10.4.2 — For cast-in-place construction, size of
spirals shall not be less than 10 mm diameter.
7.10.4.3 — Clear spacing between spirals shall not
exceed 75 mm, nor be less than 25 mm. See also 3.3.2.
7.10.4.4 — Anchorage of spiral reinforcement shall
be provided by 1-1/2 extra turns of spiral bar or wire at
each end of a spiral unit.
7.10.4.5 — Spiral reinforcement shall be spliced, if
needed, by any one of the following methods:
(a) Lap splices not less than the larger of 300 mm
and the length indicated in one of (1) through (5) below:
(1) deformed uncoated bar or wire,
or deformed zinc-coated
(galvanized) bar ...................................... 48db
(2) plain uncoated bar or wire,
or plain zinc-coated (galvanized) bar ...... 72db
CODE COMMENTARY
7
STRUCTURAL CONCRETE BUILDING CODE (ACI 318M-11) AND COMMENTARY 99
American Concrete Institute Copyrighted Material—www.concrete.org
(3) epoxy-coated deformed bar or wire,
or zinc and epoxy dual-coated
deformed bar .......................................... 72db
(4) plain uncoated bar or wire, or plain
zinc-coated (galvanized) bar, which have
a standard stirrup or tie hook in
accordance with 7.1.3 at ends of
lapped spiral reinforcement.
The hooks shall be embedded
within the core confined by the spiral
reinforcement.......................................... 48db
(5) epoxy-coated deformed bar or wire,
or zinc and epoxy dual-coated deformed
bar, which have a standard stirrup
or tie hook in accordance with 7.1.3
at ends of lapped spiral reinforcement.
The hooks shall be embedded within
the core confined by the spiral
reinforcement.......................................... 48db
(b) Full mechanical or welded splices in accordance
with 12.14.3.
7.10.4.6 — Spirals shall extend from top of footing or
slab in any story to level of lowest horizontal reinforcement
in members supported above.
7.10.4.7 — Where beams or brackets do not frame into
all sides of a column, ties shall extend above termination
of spiral to bottom of slab, drop panel, or shear cap.
7.10.4.8 — In columns with capitals, spirals shall
extend to a level at which the diameter or width of
capital is two times that of the column.
7.10.4.9 — Spirals shall be held firmly in place and
true to line.
7.10.5 — Ties
Tie reinforcement for compression members shall
conform to the following:
7.10.5.1 — All nonprestressed bars shall be
enclosed by transverse ties, at least No. 10 in size for
longitudinal bars No. 32 or smaller, and at least No. 13
in size for No. 36, No. 43, No. 57, and bundled longitudinal
bars. Deformed wire or welded wire reinforcement of
equivalent area shall be permitted.
7.10.5.2 — Vertical spacing of ties shall not exceed 16
longitudinal bar diameters, 48 tie bar or wire diameters,
or least dimension of the compression member.
7.10.5.3 — Rectilinear ties shall be arranged such
that every corner and alternate longitudinal bar shall
have lateral support provided by the corner of a tie
or wire smaller than 16 mm diameter, a minimum of two
spacers should be used for spirals less than 500 mm in
diameter, three spacers for spirals 500 to 750 mm in diameter,
and four spacers for spirals greater than 750 mm in diameter.
For spiral bar or wire 16 mm diameter or larger, a
minimum of three spacers should be used for spirals 600 mm
or less in diameter, and four spacers for spirals greater than
600 mm in diameter. The project specifications or subcontract
agreements should be clearly written to cover the supply of
spacers or field tying of the spiral reinforcement. In the
1999 Code, splice requirements were modified for epoxycoated
and plain spirals and to allow mechanical splices.
R7.10.5 — Ties
All longitudinal bars in compression should be enclosed
within transverse ties. Where longitudinal bars are arranged
in a circular pattern, only one circular tie per specified
spacing is required. This requirement can be satisfied by a
continuous circular tie (helix) at larger pitch than required
for spirals under 10.9.3, the maximum pitch being equal to
the required tie spacing (see also 7.10.4.3).
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