Concrete Frame Buildings FAQ

A frame is a structure used to resist vertical forces (for example gravity loading) and lateral forces (for example wind, and earthquakes). They are used to prevent rotations in the structures.

Reinforced concrete design is the design of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures.

A concrete column is simply a round or square column that is made out of concrete. The size, shape, and placement of a column depends on its purpose. Concrete is a versatile building material because it can be moulded into many sizes and shapes, making it appealing to architects and designers for use in columns. A concrete column is an important part of the structural integrity of a building. In fact, it is common for a concrete column to carry part of a structural load. This means that the column is used to keep the building from collapsing or shifting in a way that could cause damage to the overall structure.

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural integrity. It contains short discrete fibers that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers and natural fibers. The characteristics of fiber reinforced concrete are changed by the alteration of certain factors: type and quantity of fibers, geometric configuration, dispersal, direction, and concentration.

Concrete frame buildings have structural systems consisting of a framework of reinforced concrete columns, beams, and girders. Exterior walls may be either glass curtain walls or various kinds of cladding material such as metal or precast concrete panels. Lateral forces are resisted by the concrete frame.

• Rigid Frames
– Rigid frame structures are built at the site which may or may not be poured monolithically.
– Rigid frame structures provide more stability.
– Rigid frame structures resist rotations more effectively.

• Braced Frames
– Braced frame structures resist lateral forces by the bracing action of diagonal members.
– Braced frame structures are used to resist sideway forces.
– Buildings are braced by inserting diagonal structural members into the rectangular areas of a structural frame.

• Pin-Ended Frames
– A pinned frame has members connected by pins considered non-rigid if it would collapse when the supports are removed. A frame is considered to be rigid if it retains its original shape when the supports are removed.

• Fix-Ended Frames
– The structure in which one or more than one members are fully constrained.

• Gabled Frames
– Gabled Frames show a peak.

• Portal Frames
– It resembles like a door. Multi-story, multi-bay portal frames are commonly used for commercial and industrial construction.
– The members are usually made up of curved laminates and the members are thickened in the region of the knee or eaves joint to allow for the large moment.

A reinforced concrete column is designed to carry compressive loads, composed of concrete with an embedded steel frame to provide reinforcement. For design purposes, the columns are separated into two categories: short columns and slender columns.