HOW TO DESIGN

CONCRETE
STRUCTURES
Beams
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How to design concrete structures using Eurocode 2

4. Beams

Designing to Eurocode 2
Introduction
This guide covers the analysis and design of concrete beams to
This is to be redrafted as appropriate in Eurocode 21. The layout and content of Eurocode 2 may appear
each country unusual to some designers. Eurocode 2 does not contain the derived
formulae or specific guidance on determining moments and shear
forces. This has arisen because it has been European practice to give
principles in the codes and for the detailed application to be presented in
other sources such as textbooks.

The first guide in this series, How to design concrete structures using
Eurocode 2: Introduction to Eurocodes2, provides an overview of
Eurocodes, including terminology.

Where NDPs occur in the text in this publication, recommended values

in EN 1992 are used and highlighted in yellow. The UK values have
been used for NDPs embedded in figures and charts and the relevant
NDPs are scheduled separately to assist other users in adapting the
figures and charts.

A list of symbols related to beam design is given at the end of this guide.

Design procedure
A procedure for carrying out the detailed design of beams is shown in
Table 1. This assumes that the beam dimensions have previously been
determined during conceptual design. Concept designs prepared
assuming current practice may be continued through to detailed design
using Eurocode 2. More detailed advice on determining design life,
actions, material properties, methods of analysis, minimum concrete
cover for durability and control of crack widths can be found in the
accompanying guide How to design concrete structures using Eurocode
2: Getting started3.

Fire resistance
Eurocode 2, Part 1–2: Structural fire design4, gives a choice of
advanced, simplified or tabular methods for determining the fire
resistance. Using tables is the fastest method for determining the
minimum dimensions and cover for beams. There are, however, some
restrictions and if these apply further guidance on the advanced and
simplified methods can be obtained from specialist literature. Rather
than giving a minimum cover, the tabular method is based on nominal
axis distance, a (see Figure 1). This is the distance from the centre of
the main reinforcing bar to the top or bottom surface of the member.

Continues page 3
Note
It is a nominal (not minimum) dimension. The designer
should ensure that:
a ≥ cnom + φlink + φbar /2 and asd = a + 10 mm, where asd
is the axis distance to the side face.

Table 2 gives the minimum dimensions for beams to

meet the standard fire periods.

Flexure
The design procedure for flexural design is given in
Figure 2; this includes derived formulae based on the
simplified rectangular stress block from Eurocode 2.
Table 3 may be used to determine bending moments
and shear forces for beams, provided the notes to the
table are observed.
Eurocode 2 offers a number of alternatives for the stress-
strain relationship of concrete. For simplicity the method
presented here is the simplified rectangular stress block,
(see Figure 3).

Eurocode 2 gives recommendations for the design of

concrete up to class C90/105. However, for concrete
greater than class C50/60, the stress block is modified. It is
important to note that concrete strength is based on the
cylinder strength and not the cube strength (i.e. for class
C30/37 the cylinder strength (fck) is 30 MPa, whereas the
cube strength is 37 MPa).

Vertical shear
Eurocode 2 introduces the strut inclination method for
shear capacity checks. In this method the shear is resisted
by concrete struts acting in compression and shear
reinforcement acting in tension.

The angle of the concrete strut varies, depending on the

shear force applied (see Figure 4). The procedure for
determining the shear capacity of a section is shown in
Figure 5 and is in terms of shear stress in the vertical plane
rather than a vertical force as given in Eurocode 2. Where
shear reinforcement is required, then the angle of the
concrete strut should be calculated. For many typical
beams the minimum angle of strut will apply (when cotθ =
2.5 or θ= 21.8º) i.e. for class C30/37 concrete the strut
angle exceeds 21.8º only when the shear stress is greater
than 3.27 N/mm2 (refer to Table 7). There is a maximum
permitted shear capacity, vRd,max associated with the strut
angle. The maximum value of vRd,max occurs with θ = 45º.

Deflection
Eurocode 2 has two alternative methods for checking
deflection, either a limiting span-to-depth ratio may be used
or the theoretical deflection can be assessed using the
expressions given in the Code. The latter is dealt with in
detail in another guide in this series, How to design
concrete structures using Eurocode 2: Deflection5.

The span-to-depth ratios should ensure that deflection is

limited to span/250 and this is the procedure presented in
Figure 6.

Flanged beams
The assessment of the flange width of flanged beams is
more sophisticated (see Figures 9 and 10) and Eurocode 2
contains a check to confirm that the shear stress at the

Continues page 7
Note
Note
interface of the flange and web can be resisted by the
transverse reinforcement in the flange.

The position of the neutral axis should be determined and then

the area of reinforcement can be calculated depending
whether it lies in the flange or web (see Figure 11).

At supports the tension reinforcement to resist hogging

moments should be distributed across the full width of the
effective flange as shown in Figure 12.

The span-to-depth deflection checks using ratio of tension

reinforcement should be based on area of concrete above
centre of tension steel.

Longitudinal shear
The shear stress in the vertical plane between the flange and
web should be assessed according to section 6.2.4 and Figure
6.7 of the Eurocode (reproduced here as Figure 13). The
change in force in the flange can be assessed from the
moment and lever arm at a particular location. The Eurocode
states that the maximum length that can be considered for the
change in force is half the distance between the maximum
moment and the point where the moment is zero. Clearly, the
maximum longitudinal force will occur where the change in
moment, and therefore force, is the greatest; for a uniformly
distributed load on a continuous beam this will be the length of
beam closest to the support.

Figure 14 shows a flow chart for assessing the longitudinal

shear capacity; in many cases the transverse reinforcement in
the slab will be sufficient to resist the shear force. This check
is included to ensure that where particularly thin flanges are
used there is adequate reinforcement. The longitudinal shear
capacity is based on the variable strut inclination method,
which was described in the section on vertical shear.

Rules for spacing and quantity of

reinforcement
Minimum area of longitudinal reinforcement
The minimum area of reinforcement is As,min = 0.26 fctm bt d/fyk
but not less than 0.0013btd, where bt is the mean width of the
tension zone (see Table 6). For a T-beam with the flange in
compression, only the width of the web is taken into account in
calculating the value of bt.

Maximum area of longitudinal reinforcement

The maximum area of tension or compression reinforcement,
outside lap locations should not exceed As,max = 0.04 Ac

Minimum spacing of reinforcement

The minimum clear distance between bars should be the
greater of:
■ 1 x Bar diameter
■ Aggregate size plus 5 mm
■ 20 mm

Selected symbols for slabs are shown

References
1 EN 1992-1-1, Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures - Part 1-1 General rules and rules for buildings.
2 NARAYANAN, R S & BROOKER, O. How to design concrete structures using Eurocode 2: Introduction to
Eurocodes. The Concrete Centre, 2005.
3 BROOKER, O. How to design concrete structures using Eurocode 2: Getting started. The Concrete Centre, 2005.
4 EN 1992-1-2, Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures. General rules - structural fire design.
5 WEBSTER, R & BROOKER, O. How to design concrete structures using Eurocode 2: Deflection. The Concrete
Centre, 2006.

Further guidance and advice

■ Guides in this series cover: Introduction to Eurocodes, Getting started, Slabs, Beams, Columns, Foundations, Flat
slabs and Deflection. For free downloads, details of other publications and more information on Eurocode 2 visit
www.eurocode2.info
■ This guide is taken from The Concrete Centre's publication, How to design concrete structures using Eurocode 2
(Ref. CCIP-006)
■ For information on all the new Eurocodes visit www.eurocodes.co.uk

Acknowledgements

This guide was originally published by the Concrete Centre and the BCA in the UK. The authors were R M Moss BSc,
PhD, CEng, MICE, MIStructE AND O Brooker BEng, CEng, MICE, MIStructE

Europeanised versions of Concise EC2 and How To Leaflets

Convention used in the text
1. Nationally determined parameters that occur in the text have been highlighted yellow

2. Text is highlighted in pink indicates that some action is required on the part of the
country adapting the documents for its use