Welded Splices of Reinforcing Bars: Both Contractor and Engineer Must Be Aware of Special Requirements

Welded splices of
reinforcing bars
Both contractor and engineer must be aware of special requirements
BY DAVID P. GUSTAFSON
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
CONCRETE REINFORCING STEEL INSTITUTE
P roper splicing of reinforcing bars is crucial to
the integrity of reinforced concrete. The ACI

Building Code1 states: “Splices of re i n f o rc ement
shall be made only as required or permitted
on the design drawings, in the specifications, or as
authorized by the engineer.” Great responsibility for design,
specification and performance of splices rests with
the engineer, and only the engineer who is familiar with
the structural analysis and design stress, probable construction
conditions and final conditions of service can
properly evaluate the variables to select the most efficient
and economical splice method.
Three methods are used for splicing reinforcing bars:
• Lap splices
• Mechanical connections
• Welded splices
The traditional lap splice, when it will satisfy all req
u i re m e n t s, is generally the most economical splice,
and welded splices generally require the most expensive
field labor. Howe ve r, lap splices cause congestion at
the splice locations, sometimes making their use impossible.
The location of construction joints, provision for
future construction, and the particular method of construction
can also make lap splices impractical. In addition,
the ACI Building Code does not permit lap splices
in “tension tie members,” or in #14 and #18 bars except
for compression only, when spliced to smaller size footing
dowels.
In column design, consideration must also be given to
the fact that lapped offset bars may have to come inside
of the bars above and therefore reduce the moment arm
in bending. When the amount of column vertical reinforcement
is greater than 4 percent, and particularly in
combination with large applied moments, the use of
butt splices—either mechanical connections or welded
splices—should be considered to reduce congestion,
and to provide for greater design moment strength of
the section at the splice locations.
Thus, if lap splices are not permitted or are impractical
to use, mechanical connections or welded splices
must be used. Mechanical connections are made with
p ro p ri e t a ry splice devices. Pe rf o rmance information
and test data should be secured directly from manufacturers
of the splice devices.
The purpose of this brief article is simply to answer
some of the questions concerning welded splices. Although
only welded splices are discussed here, it should
not be construed that welded splices are being advocated.
Each splice method has its advantages and suitability
for particular applications. For projects of all sizes,
manual arc welding will usually be the most costly
method, due to direct and indirect costs of proper inspection.
Building code requirements for welded splices
The model building codes, which are the basis for
many statutory building codes, have some special requirements
for welded splices. The Basic Building Code2
and the Standard Building Code3 adopt the ACI Building
Code by re f e re n c e. Except for A706 bars, the Uniform
Building Code4 prohibits welding unless the carbon
equivalent (explained below) is known. The UBC permits
the building official to waive this requirement for
minor details or repairs, provided the welding procedures
are the same as those for a carbon equivalent exceeding
0.75 percent.
Some key items included in the ACI Building Code requirements
for welded splices are: welding must conform
to AWS D1.4-79;5 in a full welded splice, as required
in a “tension tie member” or in compression, the
bars have to be butted and the splice must develop at
least 125 percent of the specified yield strength, fy, of the
bar. For tension splices where the area of the bars is
twice that required by structural analysis, the splices can
be designed for less than 125 percent fy of the bar. There
are also rules for staggering the splices, and tack welding
is not permitted unless authorized by the engineer. The
basic welding requirements given in AWS D1.4-79,
“St ru c t u ral Welding Code— Reinforcing Steel,” include

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Welded splices of

P roper splicing of reinforcing bars is crucial to

the integrity of reinforced concrete. The ACI

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