Eurocode 2
Eurocode 2 and EC2 are both abbreviations
for BS EN 1992, Eurocode 2: Design of concrete
structures. There are four parts to BS EN 1992 but when
referring to Eurocode 2 most people mean BS EN 1992-1-1
general rules and rules for buildings.
Although there continues to be a transition period, Eurocode
2 replaces all national codes dealing with the design of
structural concrete (such as BS 8110, BS 8007, BS 5400 in the UK).
All the parts of Eurocodes relevant to the design of concrete have
been published, and BS 8110 is no longer being supported by the
relevant British Standards Institute committee.
Eurocode 2 has four parts:
- BS EN 1992-1-1:2004 Design of concrete structures. General
rules and rules for buildings
- BS EN 1992-1-2:2004 Design of concrete structures. General
rules. Structural fire design
- BS EN 1992-2:2005 Design of concrete structures. Concrete
bridges. Design and detailing rules
- BS EN 1992-3:2006 Design of concrete structures. Liquid
retaining and containing structures
What are the main changes?
Eurocode 2 deals with the phenomenon, rather than elements
types
Design is based on characteristic cylinder strength
It allows high strength concrete (C90/105)
Does not contain derived formulae (eg only the details of the
stress block is given, not the flexural design formulae)
Unit of stress is MPa
Durability requirements more explicit: cmin + Δc,dev
Plain or mild steel not covered
Notional horixontal loads considered in addition to lateral
loads
Load combinations are given in EN 1990
Eurospeak (verify, actions, imperfections) and
subscripts
The design process will not change as a result of using EC2.
Whilst Eurocode 2 is laid out to deal with phenomena rather than
elements, there are also specific rules dealing with beams,
slabs, flat slabs, columns, walls, deep beams, foundations, tying
systems and precast concrete. In the long term, it is anticipated
that EC2 will result in more economic structures so conceptual
design done to, say, BS8100 may confidently be taken through to
detail design using EC2.
Resources
The Concrete Centre has a wide range of resources available to assist engineers with
desiging to Eurocodes.