Design Philosophies of RCC Structures

The object of reinforced concrete design is to achieve a structure that will results in a safe and
economical solution. For a given structural system. The design problem consists of the following
steps

Idealization of structure for analysis

Estimation of loads
Analysis of idealized structural model to determine axial thrust, shears, bending moments
and deflections.
Design of structural element, and
Detailed structural drawings and schedule of reinforcing bars.

Working Stress Method of RCC Structures

Working Stress method has been the traditional method used for reinforced concrete design where
it is assumed that concrete is elastic, steel and concrete act together elastically, and the
relationship between loads and stresses linear right up to the collapse of the structure. The basis
of the method is that the permissible stress for concrete and steel are not exceeded anywhere in
the structure when it is subjected to the worst combination of bending assuming that both
materials obey the Hookes law. The elastic theory assumes a linear variation of strain and stress
from zero at the neutral axis to a maximum at the extreme fibre.
The permissible stresses are prescribed by a building code to provide suitable factors of safety to
allow for uncertainties in the estimation of working loads and variation in properties of materials
IS:456-2000 user a factor of safety equal to 3 on the 28 days cube strength to obtain the
permissible compressive stress in bending in concrete; and equal to 1.78 on the yield strength of
steel in tension to obtain the permissible tensile stress in reinforcement.

Hooke's law
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a law stating that the strain in a solid is proportional to the applied stress within the elastic
limit of that solid.
Hooke's law is a principle of physics that states that the force F needed to extend or
compress a spring by some distance X is proportional to that distance. That is: F = kX,
where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring: its stiffness, and X is small
compared to the total possible deformation of the spring.

Ultimate Load Method of RCC structures

In ultimate load method, the working loads are increased by suitable factors to obtain ultimate
loads. These factors are called load factors. The structure is then designed to resist the desired
ultimate loads. This structure is then designed to resist the desired ultimate loads. This method
takes into account the non-linear stress-strain behaviour of concrete.
The term safety factor has been used in the working stress method to denote the ratio between
the yield stress and the permissible stress. It had little meaning as far as the ratio between
collapse loads and working load was concerned. The team load factor has been traditionally used
to denote the ratio between the collapse or ultimate load to the working load. The knowledge of
load factor is more important than the knowledge of factor of safety.
Several ultimate load theories have been proposed in the past. In each of these theories and
idealized stress-strain curve has been adopted for concrete which is the only difference among
them. This theory is based on the assumption that ultimate strain in concrete is 0.3% and the
compressive stress at the extreme edge of the section corresponds to this strain. Whitney replaced
the actual parabolic stress diagram by a rectangular stress diagram such that the centre of gravity
of both diagrams lies at the same point and their areas are also equal.

Limit State Method of RCC structures

Limit state design has originated from ultimate or plastic design. The object of design based on the
limit state concept is to achieve an achieve an achieve an acceptable probability that a structure
will not become unserviceable in its life time for the use for which it is intended, that is, it will not
reach a limit state. A structure with appropriate degrees of reliability should be able to withstand
safely all loads that are liable to act on it throughout its life and it should also satisfy the
serviceability requirements.
In other words, all relevant limit states must be considered in design to ensure and an adequate
degree of safety and serviceability.

What is the difference between working stress approach and limit state
approach?
For working stress approach, service loads are used in the whole design and the strength of
material is not utilized in the full extent. In this method of design, stresses acting on structural
members are calculated based on elastic method and they are designed not to exceed certain
allowable values. In fact, the whole structure during the lifespan may only experience loading
stresses far below the ultimate state and that is the reason why this method is called working
stress approach. Under such scenario, the most economical design can hardly be obtained by using
working stress approach which is now commonly used in the design of temporary works.

For limit state approach, for each material and load, a partial safety factor is assigned
individually depending on the material properties and load properties. Therefore, each element of
load and material properties is accurately assessed resulting in a more refined and accurate
analysis of the structure. In this connection, the material strength can be utilized to its maximum
value during its lifespan and loads can be assessed with reasonable probability of occurrence. Limit
state approach is commonly used for the majority of reinforced concrete design because it ensures
the utilization of material strength with the lowest construction cost input.