Lab experiments for reinforced concrete design course

Undergraduate civil engineering programs typically contain a course that introduces students to the fundamentals of reinforced concrete analysis and design. At the University of Michigan, the senior level design course entitled 'Design of Reinforced concrete Structures' is a 3-credit course consisting of two 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour design lab each week. Students enrolled in this course fabricated and tested three beams and three columns. The goal of the testing was to demonstrate that the ACI Code design procedures for beams and columns are reasonable and conservative. The students enjoyed the opportunity to cast and test small-scale reinforced concrete beams and columns as part of the design lab. They were able to use the beam and column theories presented in class to accurately predict the ultimate loads and failure modes for all four specimens constructed with only reinforced concrete.