Title:
Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Large- Diameter High-Strength Tension-Spliced Bars
Author(s):
Yongjae Yu, Cheska Espanol, Elias I. Saqan, and Oguzhan Bayrak
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
122
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
119-132
Keywords:
crack width; development length; high-strength reinforcing bar; large-scale tests; reinforced concrete (RC) beam; tension lap splice
DOI:
10.14359/51742243
Date:
5/1/2025
Abstract:
Design codes such as ACI 318-19 and AASHTO LRFD permit
the use of high-strength steel in specific provisions. Particularly,
reinforcing bars with yield strength of 100 ksi (689 MPa) and size
as large as No. 11 (No. 36) are permitted for use in tension lap
splices. However, the test data using larger-diameter bars, especially
No. 11 high-strength bars, is limited. In this study, four largescale
reinforced concrete beams with No. 11 bars were tested in
four-point bending. The beams were grouped in two groups: one
used Grade 60 (420) steel while the other used Grade 100 (690)
steel. Within each group, one beam had continuous bars, while the
second beam had spliced bars. Test results showed that splicing
No. 11 (No. 36) high-strength reinforcing bars had adequate
load-carrying capacity; however, the crack width may not be
adequate. Therefore, test results indicate that using No. 11 (No. 36)
high-strength reinforcing bars in tension lap splice applications
should be used with caution.