An experimental study on the behaviour of lap splices in concrete columns under uniaxial compression is summarized herein. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of the distance between the spliced bars on the behaviour of the lap splice. The study included tests of two columns with spliced longitudinal bars under uniaxial compression: one column with bars in contact with each other in the splice and the other with bars spaced at twice the longitudinal bar diameter φl. In the tested columns, it was observed that the distance between the spliced bars has an insignificant influence on the mean bond stress in the splice. At ultimate load, in both columns, the normal stress at the tip of the bars was much higher than the uniaxial concrete compressive strength.
reinforced concrete columns; bond stress; space between spliced bars