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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

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What is a difference between a tie Beam
and a Plinth Beam?
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Basic difference between plinth beam and tie beam is that tie
beam can be at any level but plinth beam is at plinth level. But
wait that is just the basics of many other differences that exists
between both tie beam and plinth beam. Ads

So Now i am going to discuss in depth about the following contents


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Four Benefits of Choosing Function
1. What is purpose of beam in building? over Form

2. What is plinth level in building? How 3D building models can aid


3. What is Plinth Beam? construction projects in sustainability

4. Types of Plinth Beam 4 Tips on How to Build Your Own


5. Purpose of Plinth beam? Property
6. Plinth Beam height
7. What is Tie Beam?
8. Difference between Tie Beam and Plinth beam
9. Purpose of Tie Beam Recent Comments
10. Design of Tie Beam admin on What is Pile cut-off Level?
11. Height of Tie Beam Pile Foundation

12. Foundation Tie Beams Mesay Lanta on What is Pile cut-off


13. Tie beam & Plinth Beam construction Level? Pile Foundation
14. What is Lintel Beam? admin on Download Handbook of
15. Types of Lintel beams Material Testing Book by Shiv Kumar
16. Purpose of Lintel Beam [PDF]

17. Is plinth beam necessary? admin on Instruments used in chain


17.1. What next? surveying

Tade Gugsa on Download Handbook o


What is purpose of beam in Material Testing Book by Shiv Kumar

building? [PDF]


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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

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What is plinth level in building?


Plinth level is basically the level of the ground floor top which is
usually kept higher than the ground level. Top 5 Posts
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building and on the other hand provide sufficient drainage to the Surveying?

surface water of the building.


“ The extent of level is decided keeping in the
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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

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Now you know what plinth level is; as for the plinth beam, in
simple words, it is the beam at the plinth level.

Plinth beam in a frame structure is meant to join all the columns


thereby reducing the effective length and thus reducing the
slenderness of the columns.

Types of Plinth Beam


Well the plinth beam is actually a band beam i.e. it runs throughout
the periphery of the structure at plinth level and is mostly reinforced
with minimum 2 main rebars at top and 2 rebars at bottom with
minimum diameter of 10 mm.

To avoid shrinkage shear failures in plinth beam stirrups of minimum


#3 are used at 150 mm spacing.

Purpose of Plinth beam?


Plinth beams are usually used in case the foundations are bit deeper
and thus they act like a bracing or tying element.

One more reason to provide plinth beam is to avoid differential


settlement in a building this is due to the reason that all the load of
the wall is than carried by the plinth beam underneath.

In a skeletal system which is the other name of a framed structure;


plinth beam is the first beam to be constructed after foundation.

As the finish floor level of the ground floor is a kept higher than the
ground level; the empty gap and void is filled with a compacted soil
so as to achieve a stable surface for the floor to be constructed.

You might like to learn some of the basic definitions in construction


of buildings like plinth level, lintel level etc.

The plinth beam is usually expected to be strong enough to carry the


superimposing brick wall as well tying the columns and the structure.

Keeping in view the structural requirement of a building; plinth beam


can either be reinforced or non-reinforced.

However, usually these days plinth beam is reinforced which is also



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recommended as per the seismic codes of certain countries.
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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

Plinth Beam in a Building (Plinth Level & Plinth height is visible)

Plinth Beam height


Well this is a very interesting question because there are a lot of
factors that are to be considered for deciding the ideal height of
plinth beam. The two major factors you must consider while deciding
the plinth height for your building are –

1. Road level
2. Re-carpeting cycles of pavement in your area.

Mostly the natural ground level of the plot are deeper than the road
highway level so if the plinth is not provided the plot would be mostly
immersed in water until dried naturally by sun. So keeping in view
the road surface runoff level and draining condition of your area you
must decide such a level which would make your house safe from
any runoff from surroundings.

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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

Height of Plinth

In most municipalities the overlaying of concrete local roads is


usually done after a year or so without chipping off the original road
surface so you must decide such a height for your plinth so that any
re-carpeting may not effect your house from dampness and surface
runoff.

What is Tie Beam?

Tie beam in structural engineering is like a primary beam which


connects two columns at any height above the floor level.

Difference between Tie Beam and


Plinth beam
As for the tie beam; you will be amazed to read that plinth beam is
actually called a tie beam. Actually the word tie beam is a broader
term; one type of tie beam is a plinth beam. The main difference
between a tie beam and plinth beam is the “elevation” at which the
beams are provided. The plinth beam is provided at plinth level while
tie beam is provided somewhere above plinth level and floor level.

Purpose of Tie Beam


Tie beams are meant to act as a length breaker for the columns to
reduce their effective length and reducing slenderness ratio in case
the roof height is bit more.

“ Tie beams are also different from primary and


secondary beam. Primary and secondary beam
in a frame structure carries the load of a floor,
whereas tie beam does not take the load of any
floor and only takes the load of wall.


Design of Tie Beam
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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

The tie beams are designed to carry the superimposed load of the
walls either brick or blocks above and also the different settlement
load of the building.

Height of Tie Beam


A tie beam is usually recommended for a column when its height is
more than 4 to 5 meters. However, the designer must keep in check
the bending length of the column to make them non slender.

Have you ever thought why the foot-rest is provided in a chair? It is


actually meant to tie the four legs of the chair so as to reduce the
opening or the dispatching force within the legs of the chair.


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I hope you are now able to answer what is the difference between
plinth beam and a tie beam along with some bonus questions like
what is plinth level; what are primary beams; what are secondary
beams. You have also understood why the plinth beam is provided
and why the tie beam is provided. What is the effect of the tie beam
on the columns or what is the effect of the plinth beam on the
columns.

Foundation Tie Beams


Have your ever heard of a strap footing? Strap footing arrangement
is mostly used when the columns are eccentric due to property
restriction.

So in order to avoid the extra moment due to eccentricity of columns


a tie beam is provided which connects two isolated footings.

This type of tie beam is also called a strap beam. The horizontal
main reinforcement of strap beams are developed into the isolated
footings and the level of strap tie beam is slightly higher than the
foundation level of the footing.


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Foundation Tie Beam

Tie beam & Plinth Beam


construction

The construction procedure of plinth beam and tie beam are similar
in nature. After achieving the level of construction for either of plinth
and tie beam reinforcement are fixed including the main
reinforcement at both top and bottom. Ties are properly fixed are
designed space keeping in view the cover of the beam. The
formwork and shuttering is then fixed properly the supports are
checked so as to avoid any displacement or offset in construction.
The concrete is poured either by Transit Mixer machine or manually
through buckets depending on the nature and scope of project.

What is Lintel Beam?

“ While reading about the plinth beam does not


get confused about the lintel beam also; lintel
beam is meant to have a clear space for the
window to be constructed or for the opening of a
door.

Lintel beam is a comparitively thin horizonal member which is


provided on the openings in walls like windows, doors etc so as to
carry the load of the wall above the opening and transfer it to the
sides of the opening. Sometimes a band lintel beam is also provided
in some buildings if the lintel level of all the building openings are
uniform.

Types of Lintel beams


There are different types of lintel beams used on the basis of
strength and servicaiblity requirements such as :-

1. Reinforced concrete lintels 


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2. steel
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12/10/2018 Tie Beam and Plinth Beam, The difference you must know before dying

3. reinforced brick lintels


4. stone lintels
5. timber lintels
6. prestressed lintels

Purpose of Lintel Beam


One purpose of providing lintel beam is also to make the building
sustainable in case of seismic effects. As the weight of the brickwork
above the opening is transfered directly to the lintel beams and as
the opening area is a comparitively weaker area where cracks and
ultimate failure may occur in the absense of lintel beam. Lintel
beams can also be decorative, load-bearing or a combined
ornamental structural beam.

Is plinth beam necessary?


Well the answer to all the questions about necessity of plinth beam;
depends on type of structure, type of loads the structure is exposed
to bear, purpose of the building etc. According to different codes of
the regions; plinth beam is mandatory for areas that are prone to
earthquakes. The plinth beam also protects the brick or block
masonry walls from dampness and thus eliminating the need for a
Damp Proof Course (DPC) which includes application of bitumen
and polythene sheets.

Another very common problems in old buildings was reported to be


differential settlement which damages the walls in the absence of
plinth beam. So if the plinth beam is provided the differential
settlement can be avoided and thus the walls can be saved from
damage.

What next?
If you think I have missed anything related to what is the difference
between plinth beam and a tie beam than do comment it below so
that we can have a healthy discussion about such an important
question about structures.

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2 Comments

Chinmoy January 25, 2018 at 3:51 pm


Its a beautiful shearing.Can we use polythin sheet under the plinth beam to
isolate it from the gird wall under the plinth beam. So that if the gird wall gets
lower down over time the plinth beam will still be in position.Please Reply .

 Reply

 saadiqbal March 18, 2018 at 7:24 am


Actually the polytin sheet will work only for avoidance of dampness
and is a good choice but mostly in cases where plinth level is bit
higher than the road level the dpc is not needed.

 Reply

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