The flexural strength of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) T-beams reinforced with the minimum amount of longitudinal reinforcement could be conservatively predicted by the conventional procedure using the equivalent stress block specified in concrete code provision.

The minimum reinforcement ratio is an important design factor to prevent a brittle failure in RC flexural members. A minimum reinforcement ratio is presented by assuming an effective depth of cross-section and moment arm lever in CDC and KHBDC. In this study, it suggests that a rational method for minimum reinforcement ratio is calculated by material model and force equilibrium. As results, a minimum reinforcement ratio using a p-r curve in KHBDC is evaluated about 52~80% of recent design code’s value and it induces an economical design. And also, a ductility capacity in case of placing this minimum reinforcement amount is evaluated about 89% of recent design code’s value, but ductility in a member is 7 or more, so it has a sufficient ductility capacity. Therefore, it is judged that a minimum reinforcement ratio using p-r curve has a theoretical rationality, safety and economy in a flexural member design.

Spiral reinforcement in a circular column plays an effective role in the ductile behavior of a column through position fixing and buckling restraining of the longitudinal reinforcement, and confining core-concrete. Each country has suggested the minimum volumetric ratio of spiral reinforcement in order to secure the ductility of concrete columns. The minimum volumetric ratio of spiral reinforcement suggested by ACI 318-14 and the national concrete structure design standard was developed based on the theory of Richard et al. (1928); furthermore it has been used until now. However, their theory cannot consider the effects of high strength concrete and high strength reinforcement, and arrangement condition of the spiral reinforcement. In this study, a modified minimum volumetric ratio equation is suggested, which is required to improve the ductility of reinforced concrete circular columns and to recover their stress. The modified minimum volumetric ratio equation suggested here considers the effect of the compressive strength of concrete, the yield strength of spiral reinforcement, the cross sectional area of columns, the pitch of spiral reinforcements and the diameter of spiral reinforcement. In this paper, the validity of the minimum volumetric ratios from ACI 318-14 and this study was investigated and compared based on the results of uniaxial compression experiment for specimens in which the material strength and the spiral reinforcements ratio were used as variables. In the end of the study, the modification method for the suggested equation was examined.

A minimum reinforcement ratio is an important factor to prevent a brittle failure for RC flexural members. In this paper, a parametric study of minimum reinforcement ratio is performed according to concrete strength, steel yield strength and cover depth ratio for each design provisions. A minimum reinforcement ratio using a stress-strain model is suggested. And results show that this mode is able to reflect material strength and cross-section properties properly.