S9 DSGN GDLN
S9 DSGN GDLN
S9 DSGN GDLN
Alberta Environment
9.0
STRUCTURAL DESIGN
9.1
REINFORCED CONCRETE
9.1.1
Design Approach
Reinforced concrete water control structures must be designed to satisfy both strength and
serviceability requirements. The Limit States design approach is normally used, and the structures,
structural members, and connections are designed such that the factored resistances are equal to
or greater than the effects of factored loads.
Two CSA standards that have some applicability for aspects of water control structures are CSAA23.3-94 Design of Concrete Structures and CAN/CSA-S6-00 Canadian Highway Bridge Design
Code. The former is primarily intended for use in the design of structures for buildings, and the
latter for the design of highway bridges including buried structures such as concrete pipes and box
sections.
Thus, for water control structures, significant judgement is required in evaluating and establishing
load factors that are appropriate for: a) various components; b) the importance of the structure; and
c) various loading conditions (i.e. Usual, Unusual, or Extreme). Less stringent requirements may be
appropriate when designing for loads due to an Unusual or Extreme Condition (i.e. that may be
highly improbable over the design life of the structure and short in duration), for example.
Subject to the foregoing qualifications, CSA-A23.3-94 can generally be applied to reinforced
concrete components of water control structures. For walls, pipes, and box sections that are
subjected to earth loadings and for bridges, the provisions of CAN/CSA-S6-00 should be given
consideration in establishing the appropriate load factors.
In addition to strength requirements, the serviceability of structure components should be checked
using specified loads to ensure that they satisfy performance and durability criteria (deflection, crack
width).
The applicability of crack control requirements specified in CSA-A23.3-94 and CAN/CSA-S6-00
should be reviewed relative to the performance requirements and exposure conditions of the
structure or component thereof. For structure components that are exposed to continuous or
almost continuous contact with water and, where leakage is a concern, the resulting crack width
using specified loads due to Usual Conditions should generally be limited to a maximum value of
0.2 mm. In cases such as a syphon conduit, where the structure will operate under significant
hydrostatic pressure, a narrower crack width limit should be considered. For example, a crack
width limit of 0.17 mm was used in the design of the conduit for the recently completed East
Arrowwood Syphon (1999).
In general, other non-hydraulic components may be designed in accordance with CSA-A23.3-94,
and vehicle access bridge components in accordance with CAN/CSA-S6-00.
November 2004
Alberta Transportation
Alberta Environment
9.1.2
Reinforcement Details
It is generally preferred that the concrete cover for reinforcement conform to the values shown on
Table 9-1, AENV (2000). For water control structures with thin elements, lower cover than shown
on Table 9-1 (e.g. such as those indicated in CSA-A23.3-94) may be considered, however in no
case should it be less than 50 mm. For very thick elements with heavy reinforcement greater cover
than shown on Table 9-1 should be considered.
In addition, depending on the exposure condition, the minimum concrete cover should be at least
1.5 times the nominal maximum aggregate size or 1.5 times the diameter of the reinforcing bar, as
noted in CAN/CSA-A23.1-00.
Table 9-1
Concrete Cover for Reinforcement
Exposure Condition
Face of concrete exposed to water velocities less than or equal to 3 m/s
Face of concrete exposed to water velocities greater than 3 m/s
Face of concrete exposed to water velocities greater than 3 m/s and
potential abrasion erosion damage.
Concrete cast directly against earth or rock
Concrete cast directly against foundation concrete or insulation
Concrete exposed to weather or earth
Face of concrete at contraction and expansion joints
Decks not exposed to chlorides (1)
Decks exposed to chlorides (1)
(1)
(2)
Cover(2)
(mm)
75
100
125 to 150
100
75
75
50
50
75
Waterborne sand, gravel, rocks and other debris flowing over the concrete surface can cause
abrasion erosion damage. In general, the floor slab, blocks, and end sill within hydraulic jump
basins, and the floor slab within flip buckets are particularly susceptible to abrasion damage. Since
increasing the concrete cover will only have a limited benefit on its resistance to abrasion, the
hydraulic design of the structure should include provisions, where practicable, to minimize or
eliminate the potential for abrasion erosion damage to occur.
Temperature and shrinkage reinforcement should be uniformly distributed along side faces of
structure elements to control cracking due to temperature changes, creep, and shrinkage. The
minimum ratio of reinforcement, based on the gross concrete cross sectional area, recommended in
AENV (2000) is shown on Table 9-2. These ratios are similar to those suggested in ETL 1110-2340 (1993). In cases where the concrete element is greater than 0.8 m in thickness, a thickness of
0.8 m may be used in determining the minimum temperature and shrinkage reinforcement required
in each face. For a very long continuous member, the minimum reinforcement requirements to limit
November 2004
Alberta Transportation
Alberta Environment
the width and spacing of cracks as derived for a continuously reinforced member should be
considered as discussed in Section 12.6.4.
Depending on the thickness of the structural element, it is preferred that the centre-to-centre
spacing of the primary and secondary reinforcement be equal to or less than 300 mm; however, in
no case should it exceed 450 mm. The minimum clear distance between bars should not be less
than 1.4 times the bar diameter or 1.4 times the nominal maximum size of the coarse aggregate,
whichever is greater. This requirement also applies to the clear distance between a contact lap
splice and adjacent splices and bars.
Table 9-2
Temperature and Shrinkage Reinforcement
Face
Face adjacent to earth with joints (both ends
free) not exceeding 9 m.
Face not adjacent to earth nor exposed to
freezing or direct sun and with joints (both ends
free) not exceeding 9 m.
Face not adjacent to earth but exposed to
freezing or direct sun and with joints (both ends
free) not exceeding 9 m.
If a member exceeds 9 m in a direction parallel
to the temperature and shrinkage reinforcement
being considered, increase the ratio of
reinforcement to account for the increased
length. If a member is fixed at one end and free
at the other, double the length of the member to
determine whether it exceeds the 9 m length.
0.0020
+ 0.0005
(Add to above values to account for the
increased length)
Splices for reinforcement should be clearly shown and detailed. Normally, splices at points of
maximum tensile stress should be avoided, however where such splices must be made they should
be staggered so that no more than half of the bars are spliced within the required lap length. The
length of lap splices should conform to the requirements of CSA-A23.3-94.
9.2
STEEL
9.2.1
Design Approach
In general, the structural design of large steel components subjected to hydraulic loads (e.g. gates)
on the Provinces projects has been performed using the Working Stress design method. For a
water control structure that is not subjected to significant dynamic loading and is maintained and
inspected on a regular basis, the allowable steel stresses using the WSD method have generally
been limited to the following, where Fy is the specified minimum yield strength of steel.
November 2004
Alberta Transportation
Alberta Environment
0.50Fy
0.66Fy
0.80Fy
In addition to the loading condition, the importance of a particular element to the overall integrity
and performance of the structure is also considered in establishing the allowable steel stress for
that element. For example, for a radial gate, a higher allowable stress may be permitted on the
gate skin assembly versus the trunnion assembly under a particular loading condition.
More recently the USACE, which had previously also used the Working Stress method for the
design of hydraulic steel structures, has moved toward a Load and Resistance Factor Design
(LRFD) method as outlined in EM 1110-2-2105 (1993), EM 1110-2-2701 (1997), and EM 1110-22702 (2000). The LRFD method is a Limit States design approach. Therefore, the applicability of
the USACE LRFD method for the design of a particular hydraulic steel structure should be reviewed
and, where deemed appropriate, considered in the design.
Further information on the Limit States design of steel structures is available in CAN/CSA-S16.1-94
(steel structures) and CAN/CSA-S6-00 (bridges). Although these standards are not designated
specifically for water control structures, they provide additional information, particularly related to
load and resistance factors that may be useful in determining the appropriate factors that should be
used.
Significant judgement is required in evaluating and establishing load factors that are appropriate
under each condition of loading (i.e. Usual, Unusual, and Extreme) for a specific structure.
In addition to structural requirements, serviceability and performance criteria such as deflection,
expansion/contraction, fatigue and fracture control need to be considered.
In general, other non-hydraulic components should be designed in accordance with CAN/CSAS16.1-94, and vehicle access bridge components in accordance with CAN/CSA-S6-00.
November 2004