High Strength Reinforcing Steel
The design of reinforced concrete structures in the United
States is dominated by the use of steel reinforcement with
yield strength, fy, equal to 414 MPa (60 ksi). Design with
steel having higher yield strength values is permitted
although the yield strength used in strength calculations is
limited. Currently, ACI 318 (2011) permits design using steel
reinforcement with yield strength not exceeding 552 MPa
(80 ksi). The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications
(AASHTO 2010) similarly limit the use of reinforcing steel
yield strength in design to no less than 414 MPa (60 ksi) and
no greater than 517 MPa (75 ksi), although exceptions are
permitted with owner’s approval. Both ACI and AASHTO
limits have been written and interpreted to not exclude the
use of higher strength grades of steel, but only to limit the
value of yield strength that may be used in design, thus,
reducing the efficiency of using these materials.
The limits on yield strength are required to ensure adequate
ductility of a section and are related to the prescribed
limit on concrete compressive strain of 0.003. The limits on
yield strength also serve to control of crack widths at service
loads. Crack width is a function of steel strain and consequently
steel stress (Nawy 1968). Therefore, the stress in the
steel reinforcement will always need to be limited to some
extent in order to prevent cracking from affecting
serviceability of the structure. However, with recent
improvements to the properties of concrete, the ACI 318
limit of 552 MPa (80 ksi) and AASHTO limit of 517 MPa
(75 ksi) on the steel reinforcement yield strength are
believed to be unnecessarily conservative for new designs.
Additionally, an argument can be made that if a higher
strength reinforcing steel is used but not fully taken into
account in design, there may be an inherent overstrength in
the member that has not been properly incorporated in
design.
Steel reinforcement with yield strength exceeding
552 MPa (80 ksi) is commercially available and being used
in the United States. ASTM A1035 (2009) is specified to
exceed 690 MPa (100 ksi) or 827 MPa (120 ksi).