Abstract
Confinement is major contribution to bond strength between reinforcement steel bars and concrete. Cover thickness, bar spacing and transverse reinforcement are the key confinement factors of current provisions for the development and splices of reinforcement. However, current provisions are still too complicated to determine the values of the confinement, which need to be well delineated in the process of design. In this study, an experimental work using beam-end and splice specimens was performed to examine the effect of concrete cover on bond strength. The results of this experiment and previously available data are analyzed to identify the effects of confinement on bond strength. From this reevaluation, new provisions for the development and splices of reinforcement are proposed. The provisions suggest some limitations in the confinement index. The new provisions will allow the engineers to use a simple and yet satisfactory and appropriate method or a precise approach for design to determine the values of confinement on the calculation of development and splice lengths.