Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study on the effect of transverse reinforcement on the axial compressive strength of rectangular and circular cross sectional shape reinforced concrete (RC) columns under axial compression. Twenty specimens of small scale RC columns specimens were considered in the experimental tests. Ten of the columns specimens have a square cross sectional shape with dimensions of (150×150) mm and the other ten specimens have a circular cross sectional shape with a diameter of 150mm. For each cross sectional shape, the columns are classified into two groups of five columns: the first group contains short columns according to ACI-Code requirements (ACI318, 2011) and the other group consists of long columns. Each group uses same longitudinal reinforcement ratio but with five different transverse reinforcement ratios represented as a volumetric ratio of the transverse reinforcement. An experimental test has been conducted to determine the maximum axial compressive load at which each concrete column would fail. The experimental test results have shown that increasing of the volumetric ratio of the transverse reinforcement leads to a considerable increase of the axial load resistance of the column for both rectangular and circular columns and for both cases of long and short columns. The study has also showed that using equations suggested by the ACI-Code to determine the axial compressive strength of RC columns with tie reinforcement that are spaced at distances exceed that suggested by the code, gives over- estimated predictions of the column axial resistance which may results unsafe design.
