ACI 318-14:

Reorganized for Design

Chapter 11 - Walls

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Walls
Chapter sub-headings

11.1 Scope
11.2 General
11.3 Design limits
11.4 Required strength
11.5 Design strength
11.6 Reinforcement limits
11.7 Reinforcement detailing
11.8 Alternative method for out-of-plane slender
wall analysis

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Scope
Scope of walls

11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

Ordinary structural walls

Precast and Tilt-up walls
Cantilever retaining walls

Not covered
Plain concrete walls Ch. 14
Special structural walls Ch. 18
Grade beams Ch. 13

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Load distribution

Lesser of:
Center-to-center of loads
Bearing width + 4h

Shall not cross wall joints

height of wall

Effective length of wall

for load distribution

conc. load
bearing plate

wall

Effective horizontal
length of wall
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11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Minimum wall thickness, h

Bearing
Nonbearing
Basement wall

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

wall
} Bearing
Ht > 8-4 controls
wall
} Nonbearing
Ht > 10-0 controls

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11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Required strength
Loads Ch. 5
Analysis Ch. 6

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

Slenderness effects Ch. 6

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11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Simplified method
Axial load and out-of-plane
moment
Resultant is within middle third

0.55

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

P
e = M/P

h/3 h/3 h/3

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11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

In-plane shear
Very similar to beam/slab shear

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

Vn = 2fchd + Avfytd/s 10fchd

If wall height 2 w, strut-and-tie

method can be used

d = 0.8w

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11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Reinforcement limits
In-plane Vu 0.5Vc

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

Min. reinf. Table 11.6.1

In-plane Vu > 0.5Vc

Min. is greater of:

Transverse
bars

0.0025
= 0.0025 + 0.5(2.5 - hw/w)(t 0.0025)
But need not exceed t

Longitudinal
bars

Min. t = 0.0025

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Spacing of longitudinal bars

Maximum spacing s = lesser of 3h,
18 in.

11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

If in-plane shear steel required, s

w/3
If wall thickness h > 10 in.
Two layers of bars
to 2/3 of reinf. placed near exterior face
Balance of reinf. placed near interior face

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Longitudinal
bars

10

11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Spacing of transverse bars

Maximum spacing s = lesser
of 3h, 18 in.

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement 5etailing

If in-plane shear steel required,

s w/5

Transverse
bars

11

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Reinforcement around openings

One No. 5 bar required for each
layer of reinforcing
Anchored to develop fy in tension
Window and door sized openings

11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7

Scope
General
Design limits
Required strength
Design strength
Reinforcement limits
Reinforcement detailing

1-No. 5 each
layer of bars

d (typ.)
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11.1 Scope
11.2 General
11.3 Design limits
11.4 Required strength
11.5 Design strength
11.6 Reinforcement limits
11.7 Reinforcement detailing
11.8 Alternative slender wall
analysis

Alternative slender wall analysis

Limitations

Constant cross section

Tension-controlled
Mn Mcr
Pu 0.06fcAg
s c/150

For walls within these limitations:

Better estimate of deflections
Better estimate of slenderness effects

13

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Chapter 18 Earthquake resistant structures

Ordinary Systems
(Min. for SDC B)

Beams
Columns

Special Systems
(SDC D, E, F)

Intermediate Systems
(Min. for SDC C)

Beams
Columns
Two-way slabs
Precast structural
walls

Beams
Columns
Beam-column joints
Moment frames
using precast
concrete
Diaphragms
Members not part
of seismic force
resisting system
Structural walls
Foundations

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Mu

Ch. 18 Special structural wall *

Pu

Two curtains of steel

minimum in some walls
Several changes to
requirements for walls and hw
boundary elements.
Clarify connection to
code strain limits
Walls and boundary
elements need to meet
minimum thickness

Vu

Special
boundary
element

w
Shear wall

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Reinforcement 18.10.2
Vu > Acvfc, and t
0.0025
Vu > 2Acvfc or hw/w
2.0 *, must have two
curtains of steel
ACI 318-14, 18.10.2.2: At least two
curtains of reinforcement shall be
used in a wall if Vu > 2Acvfc or
hw/w 2.0, in which hw and w refer
to height and length of entire wall.
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Reinforcement 18.10.2
Long. bars extend 0.8w past where no
longer needed (except at top)
Develop 1.25fy in long. bars at yielding
locations
Mechanical and welded splices develop
1.25fy

17

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Shear strength 18.10.4

Vn = Acv(cfc + tfy)
For segments of walls, hw/w is
greater of entire wall or
segment
If hw/w < 2.0, then t
For horizontal wall segments,
the longitudinal bars are
horizontal and the transverse
bars are vertical

c
3.0
2.0

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1.5 2.0

hw/w

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Wall segments
For vertical wall segments
Overall Vn 8Acvfc
Segment Vn 10Acwfc

Acv wall = Acw1+Acw2+Acw3

1

For horizontal wall segments

Acw2

Vn 10Acwfc

Vertical wall segments

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19

Boundary elements 18.10.6

Two procedures
18.10.6.2
Walls or wall piers with hw/w 2 * and continuous
Special compression zone boundary elements
required where c w/[600(1.5u)/hw] *

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10

Special boundary element

ACI 318-14, 18.10.6.2
c = depth of wall neutral axis to extreme
compressive fiber
Need boundary element if *

600 1.5

Ratio u/hw shall not be taken less than 0.005.

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Boundary element requirements

Requirement per 18.10.6.2, 18.10.6.4, and
18.10.6.5

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11

Hoop spacing for boundary bars *

ACI 318-14, 18.10.6.5 (a): If the boundary
reinforcement ratio exceeds 400/fy, hoop
spacing < the lesser of 8 in. and 8db of the
smallest vertical bars, except hoop spacing <
the lesser of 6 in. and 6db within the greater of
w and Mu/4Vu above and below critical
sections where yielding of longitudinal
reinforcement is likely to occur as a result of
inelastic lateral displacements.

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Hoop spacing for boundary bars *

For walls without special boundary
elements
Confinement of boundary bars

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Boundary elements 18.10.6

Second procedure
18.10.6.3
Calculate c using linear model with gross
section properties
Special boundary elements at edges and
openings when c > 0.2fc

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Boundary element requirements

Requirement per 18.10.6.3, 18.10.6.4, and
18.10.6.5

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Boundary element dimensions

be greater of (c-0.1w)
and c/2
b hu/16 *
b 12 in. if hw/w 2.0 *
and c/w 3/8
Develop horizontal bars
in special boundary
element with hooks or
straight bars
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Ch. 18 Wall & boundary element width *

Width of wall compression zones (ACI 318-14,
18.10.6.4)

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Transverse reinforcement
Transverse reinforcement configuration per
18.7.5.2(a) to (e) and 18.7.5.3 for special
moment frame columns
Amount of trans. reinf. in Table 18.10.6.4(f)
Spacing
Within w or Mu/4Vu from critical section, s lesser
of 6 in. or 6db *
> 400/fy, s lesser of 8 in. or 8db *

29

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Ch. 18 Structural truss elements *

ACI 318-14, 18.12.11.1: For high

axial forces in the strut of a
structural truss (Pu > 0.3Agfc) for
high concrete compressive
strength (fc > 10.000 psi)
every perimeter bar shall have
lateral support, and hx shall not
exceed 8 in.

xi
xi

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hx is the largest xi

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