Advanced Reinforced Concrete Design

By Prof. S. Suriya Prakash | IIT Hyderabad

Learners enrolled: 701 | Exam registration: 7

ABOUT THE COURSE:

It is an intensive course covering material aspects of concrete, specifications, analysis, and design of reinforced concrete (RC) components using the limit state method. The focus will be given to the background and mechanics of the code provisions and their limitations. Particularly, the students will learn advanced topics related to the behaviour and design of reinforced concrete. The advanced topics include flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete, the behaviour and design of slender columns, two-way slab systems, strut and tie modelling for the design of structural components, frame joints, torsion, and walls. Special topics will also include the design of shear walls, curved beams, moment redistribution in continuous beams; bond and development length, and curtailment of reinforcing steel. Finally, a design project will be given to bridge the theory and practice.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: PG and PhD.

PREREQUISITES: Basic course on concrete technology and reinforced concrete Design
NPTEL: Design of reinforced concrete structures, Prof Nirjhar Dhang, IIT Kharagpur
https://nptel.ac.in/courses/105/105/105105105/

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: L&T Constructions India, Shapoorji Palonji Construction Limited, Tata Consulting Engineers Limited, Engineers India Limited, All practising structural engineers

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Civil Engineering Structural Design
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Postgraduate
Start Date :	21 Jul 2025
End Date :	10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	28 Jul 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	15 Aug 2025
Exam Date :	26 Oct 2025 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Module 1: Introduction
History of Reinforced Concrete (RC); Advantages of RC; Load paths; Introductions to different structural systems used in modern concrete construction; Introduction to design concepts & philosophies.

Module 2: Materials
Types of cement; Basic hydration process; Stress-strain behaviour of concrete under compression and tension; Behaviour of concrete under multi-axial stress; High strength concrete; Lightweight concrete; Failure theories for concrete under Combined stress state; Grades of steel; stress-strain behaviour of steel rebars; Tension-stiffening of Concrete; Effects of creep, shrinkage, and temperature on material and structural behaviour.

Module 3: Durability Aspects in Reinforced Concrete Design
Deterioration mechanisms of concrete; Alkali silica reaction; Sulphate attack; Corrosion of steel; Durability considerations in concrete mix design; Methods to check loss of durability in concrete; Cover to reinforcement; Cracking and spalling of concrete; Periodic maintenance and its cost; Breakdown of concrete due to freezing and thawing effect.

Module 4: Behaviour under Pure Axial Loads
Basic Laws of Mechanics; Load-displacement behaviour of RC members under pure axial compression and tension; Role of concrete and steel in compression and tension; Differences in behaviour of high strength and normal strength concrete.

Module 5 and 6: Behaviour and Design under Flexure
Analysis at ultimate; Moment-curvature and load-deflection relationships; Effect of reinforcement ratios, concrete strength, and axial compression on moment-curvature behaviour; Flexural design aspects using IS Code- Singly reinforced vs Doubly reinforced with examples.

Module 7: Analysis and Design for Shear
Relationship between flexure and shear; Effect of shear span to depth ratio; Definition of nominal shear; Critical sections for shear; Concept of Mohr circle; Different failure modes in shear; Internal resisting mechanisms under shear; Shear design aspects using IS code; Design example.

Module 8: Analysis and Design for Torsion
Behaviour of reinforced concrete members subjected to Torsion; Design methods of Torsion; Difference between equilibrium and compatibility torsion; Concepts behind the derivation of code equations; Concept of equivalent shear and bending; Design examples; Design for combined loading (Torsion + Bending + Shear).

Module 9 and 10: Columns
Concept of effective length; Short columns vs slender column; Effect of confinement; Derivation of axial compression and bending interaction curves; Design of slender columns; Design for biaxial bending; Examples as per IS code.

Module 11: Serviceability Checks
Difference between short-term and long-term deflections; Estimation of deflections; Estimation of crack widths and shrinkage cracks; Vibrations and fatigue; IS code Examples.

Module 12: Analysis and Design of Two-way Slabs
Difference between one-way and two-way slabs; Limitations of code coefficient method; Direct design method; Equivalent frame method; Design examples.

Module 13: Tutorial- Analysis and Design of a Residential RC Building using ETABS.

Books and references

S. Unnikrishna Pillai and Devdas Menon, Reinforced Concrete Design, 3rd Edition, 2009, Tata Mcgraw Hill
J. Wight and J.G. MacGregor, Reinforced Concrete - Mechanics & Design, 6th Edition, Prentice-Hall, 2011
A Nilson, D Darwin, C Dolan Design of Concrete Structures, McGraw-Hill Education; 14 edition (16 August 2009), 816 pages.

Codes and Standards:

1. IS 456: 2000 — Plain and reinforced concrete – Code of practice (fourth revision)

2. SP 16: 1980 — Design Aids (for Reinforced Concrete) to IS 456: 1978.

3. IS 875 (Parts 1-5): 1987 — Code of practice for design loads (other than earthquake) for buildings and structures (second revision)

4. SP 24: 1983 — Explanatory Handbook on IS 456: 1978

5. SP 34: 1987 — Handbook on Concrete Reinforcement and Detailing

Instructor bio

Prof. S. Suriya Prakash

IIT Hyderabad

Prof. Suriya Prakash is currently a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Hyderabad. Before joining IIT Hyderabad, he worked as a design engineer at Structural Group Inc., Baltimore, USA. He received his PhD from Missouri University of Science and Technology, the USA, in 2009. He obtained his M.S degree specializing in Structural Engineering from IIT Madras in 2005. His research interests include understanding reinforced and prestressed concrete behaviour, precast systems for affordable housing, and repair and rehabilitation of structures. He has sixteen years of research and teaching experience, guided 5 Ph.Ds., published more than 75 research papers in internationally reputed journals and presented more than 50 papers in national and international conferences. He is also serving as the associate editor for the ASCE Journal of bridge engineering and on the editorial board of ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction and Indian Concrete Journal. He is a member of various professional bodies, including ACI, ASCE, ICI, IIBE and ASTR. He is also an executive member of the Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers. He has received many accolades, including prestigious Ramanujan fellowship from the Government of India, DAAD-DUO fellowship and teaching excellence awards from IIT Hyderabad.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams : October 26, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Hyderabad. It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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