The most common reinforced masonry beam is a lintel. Lintels are beams that support masonry over openings. Strength design of reinforced beams and lintels follows the steps given below:
1. Shear design a. Calculate the design shear, and compare it with the corresponding resistance. Revise the lintel depth if necessary.
2. Flexural design a. Calculate the design moment. b. Calculate the required flexural reinforcement. Check that it fits within minimum and maximum reinforcement limitations.
In many cases, the depth of the lintel is determined by architectural considerations. In other cases, it is necessary to determine the number of courses of masonry that will work as a beam. For example, consider the lintel in Fig. 6.4.
The depth of the beam, and hence the area that is effective in resisting shear, is determined by the number of courses that we consider to comprise it. Because it is not very practical to put shear reinforcement in masonry beams, the depth of the beam may be determined by this. In other words, the beam design may start with the number of courses that are needed to that shear can be resisted by masonry alone.
