Eurocode 2: Reinforced concrete - Checking serviceability limits

Part 1.1 of Eurocode 2 EC2 "General rules and regulations for buildings" covers reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, lightweight aggregate concrete, unreinforced or lightly reinforced concrete and precast structures. In what follows, we have confined ourselves to presenting only the specifications relating to reinforced concrete (roughly equivalent to Part A of the BAEL Rules). We have not included the distinction made in EC2 between "Principles" and "Application Rules", as it is of little interest to a planner of everyday constructions.

In EC2, comments printed in small type are presented as "notes". A "note" generally specifies that the numerical values of certain tables or literal coefficients in the formulas that precede it are the responsibility of the National Annex, and simply gives the "recommended" values. In fact, EC2 contains a number of parameters that each Member State is responsible for setting, to enable the rules to be applied to building and civil engineering projects in the country concerned. At the time of writing, the French National Annex, the future standard P 18-711-2 , was still in provisional form.

The following text does not always reproduce the wording of the EC2 notes to the letter, as the recommended numerical values have, in most cases, been adopted by the National Annex. Boxed sections are comments by the author.

We have not considered it useful to conclude each example with a comparison with what would have resulted from the application of the BAEL Rules. After 25 years of discussion, it's no longer time to ask whether the use of EC2 will lead to savings or additional expenditure compared with previous texts. We must apply the document as it stands and as it will be taught to the next generation of designers. Except for those who will have to check the performance of structures built according to previous rules, they will know nothing else. For them, the comparison would be of no interest.

The drafting of Eurocode 2 specifications for reinforced concrete is the subject of several dossiers:

• Provisions and general data ;

• Verification of ultimate limit states ;

• Verification of serviceability limits ;

• Constructive provisions ;

• Formulas and useful data.