Simplified Design Procedure for Reinforced Concrete Columns Based on Equivalent Column Concept

Axially loaded reinforced concrete columns are hardly exist in practice due to the development of some bending moments. These moments could be produced by gravity loads or the lateral loads. First, the current paper presents a detailed analysis on the overall structural behavior of 15 eccentrically loaded columns as well as one concentrically loaded control one. Columns bent in either single curvature or double curvature modes are tested experimentally up to failure under the effect of different end eccentricities combinations. Three end eccentricities ratio were studied, namely, 0.1b, 0.3b and 0.5b, where b is the column width. Second, an expression correlated the decay in the normalized axial capacity of the column and the acting end eccentricities was developed based on the experimental results and then verified against the available formula. Third, based on the equivalent column concept, the equivalent pin-ended columns were obtained for columns bent in either single or double curvature modes. And then, the effect of end eccentricity ratio was correlated to the equivalent column length. Finally, a simplified design procedure was proposed for eccentrically loaded braced column by transferring it to an equivalent axially loaded pin-ended slender column. The results of the proposed design procedure showed comparable results against the results of the ACI 318-14 code.