Comparison of code provisions on lap splices

The code provisions on lap splices are critically assessed in the light of 203 beams without transverse reinforcement and 278 beams with transverse reinforcement. For comparison, the provisions given in the ACI 318, Eurocode 2, and TS 500 Codes are considered. The ACI Committee 408 recommended provision and a new proposal are also taken into account throughout the assessment. The comparison with real beam tests where the splice region was subjected to constant moment indicates that current provisions in the Codes do not agree acceptably with test results. The steel stress prediction graphs calculated by means of the Code provisions show high scatter and remain unsafe especially for test data without transverse reinforcement. Both the recent recommended provision by ACI Committee 408 and a new design expression proposed by the author have much less scatter with fewer unsafe predictions. The simplified design provision proposed by ACI Committee 408 does not yield similar results to that of the advanced design provision proposed by the same committee and therefore it could conveniently be replaced with the simpler equation proposed by the author.