Basis of design

Abstract

A commentary to Basis of Design according to Eurocode 2 ""Design of Concrete Structures"" is presented and compared to the Spanish Codes EH-90 and EP-80. The concepts compared are: - Ultimate and service Limit States. - Safety coefficients. - Load combinations. - Structural analysis. - Imperfections. - Structural Models. In general, between the two codes there is a great similarity not only at the conceptual but also at the detail level. The Eurocode 2 may provide advantage to the engineer in the determination of the design values of actions and to build Advanced Structural Models when required.