20 March 2006
A Major Revision
of the Standard for concrete design is now available. It will result in safer concrete structures and improved efficiency of design for structures using concrete. NZS 3101:2006 Concrete Structures Standard is sponsored by the Cement and Concrete Association (CCANZ), the Department of Building and Housing (DBH) and the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and will be used primarily by engineers and territorial authorities.
Dene Cook from CCANZ and chair of the Committee that developed the Standard says a number of factors including the new loading Standard (NZS 1170.5:2004), new technical information, and the need to provide a more user-friendly Standard, led to the revisions. In addition, recent updates of the Australian concrete Standard and of the American Concrete Institute Standard (ACI 318) contributed to the need for a revision of the 1995 version of the Standard.
Engineering design knowledge is constantly evolving as a result of research undertaken both in New Zealand and internationally, experience gained from evaluating the damage caused by major earthquakes around the world, and the introduction of new materials such as steel fi bre reinforcing. New Zealand is recognised internationally as one of the leading nations in safer earthquake design,
therefore periodically updating the concrete design Standard ensures that our world class knowledge is available to engineers to apply when designing our buildings.
The Concrete Structures Standard includes the following essential information:
- Minimum requirements for the design of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures, which is intended to provide a verifi cation method for compliance with the New Zealand Building Code.
A commentary, which:
- Assists with understanding the requirements needed to comply with the Building Code;
- Provides guidance on test and design methods for steel fi bre reinforced concrete; and
- Includes summary tables suitable as quick reference guides to the sections on beams, columns, walls and joints.
Key Updates to the Standard
Several critical areas of the Standard have been updated:
- The Standard includes new information on Grade 500 reinforcing steel.
- Design section – now component based as opposed to force based.
- Seismic design section – now compatible with the recently released loading Standard NZS 1170.5:2004 Structural design actions –earthquake actions – New Zealand.
- Wall section – reflects the latest developments in ACI 318 and testing conducted in New Zealand, including new formulas to address the potential issue of buckling of thin panel walls.
- Fire section – The fire amendments to AS 3600:2001 Concrete structures have been included.
Durability section – now includes:
- New information for structures with a specified life-span of 100 years
- Revised provisions for zone C marine exposure classifications
- Guidance on chemical exposure, aggressive soils, abrasion resistance and fastening protection.
- The appendices have been revised and include:
- Design information on strut and tie models (based on ACI 318).
- Provisions for the seismic design of ductile jointed precast concrete structural systems.
A series of seminars will be held to assist users of the Standard to
understand how it has changed. To order a copy of the Standard (NZS 3101:2006) please call Standards New Zealand 0800 782 632.