When reinforcement is included in a section property definition (i.e., section properties are specified as rectangular, circular, T, Angle, encased rectangle, or encased circle concrete members), use the Frame Section Property Reinforcement Data form to also specify some of the reinforcing information for those members.
Rebar Material (on the right side of the form)
Longitudinal
Bars drop-down list and
Confinement Bars (Ties) drop-down
list. The Material Property for the bars is shown in the drop-down
list. Click the 
button to the right of the drop-down
list to access the Define
Materials form and define
a new material property, if necessary.
Design Type -- The options available and the parameters defined using this form depend on the Design Type selected.
P-M2-M3 Design (Column) option. When this option is selected, the following parameters can be specified.
Confinement Bars -- Choose Ties or Spirals.
Check/Design. Specify whether the Concrete Frame Design postprocessor is to check or design the reinforcement.
Reinforcement to be Checked option. If the reinforcement is to be checked, all information in the Reinforcement Data form is used.
Reinforcement to be Designed option. If the reinforcement is to be designed, all information in the Reinforcement Data form is used except the bar size, which is ignored and the total required steel area is calculated.
If reinforcing in a concrete column frame section property that has been defined using the Section Designer utility is being specified, the Concrete Frame Design postprocessor checks the column for the specified reinforcing or designs new reinforcing, depending on the option selected when the section was specified on the SD Section Data form.
Reinforcement Configuration - Rectangular option. When this option is selected, the following parameters are available:
Longitudinal Bars
Clear Cover for Confinement Bars edit box. This is the distance from the edge of the column to the outer face of the confinement bar. In the special case of rectangular reinforcement in a circular column, the cover is taken to be the minimum distance from the edge of the column to the confinement bar.
Number of Longitudinal Bars Along 3-dir Face edit box. This is the number of longitudinal reinforcing bars (including corner rebar) on the two faces of the column that are parallel to the local 3 axis of the section.
Number of Longitudinal Bars Along 2-dir Face edit box. This is the number of longitudinal reinforcing bars (including corner rebar) on the two faces of the column that are parallel to the local 2 axis of the section.
Longitudinal Bar Size and Area drop-down list and edit box. This is the specified size of reinforcing steel for the section. Only one bar size can be specified for a given concrete frame section property.
Corner Bar Size and Area drop-down list and edit box. Use these options to specify the rebar at the corners of the section separately.
Confinement Bars
Confinement Bar Size and Area drop-down list and edit box. This is the specified size of confinement reinforcing steel for the section. Only one confinement bar size can be specified for a given concrete frame section property.
Longitudinal Spacing of Confinement Bars (Along 1-Axis) edit box. Use the default or specify another value for the spacing of the confinement bars.
Number of Confinement Bars in 3-dir edit box. This is the number of confinement reinforcing bars that run parallel to the local 3 axis of the section.
Number of Confinement Bars in 2-dir edit box. This is the number of confinement reinforcing bars that run parallel to the local 2 axis of the section.
Reinforcement Configuration - Circular option. When this option is selected, the following parameters are available:
Clear Cover for Confinement Bars edit box. This is the distance from the edge of the column to the outer face of the confinement bar. In the special case of circular reinforcement in a rectangular column, the cover is taken to be the minimum distance from the edge of the column to the confinement bar.
Number of Longitudinal Bars edit box. This is the number of longitudinal reinforcing bars in the section.
Longitudinal Bar Size and Area drop-down list. This is the specified size of reinforcing steel for the section. Only one bar size can be specified for a given concrete frame section property.
Confinement Bars -- Confinement Bar Size and Area drop-down list and edit box. and Longitudinal Spacing of Confinement Bars (Along 1-Axis) edit box -- This is the same as for Rectangular Confirmation -- see description above.
M3Design Only (Beam) option
Cover to Longitudinal Rebar Group Centroid edit boxes. Specify rebar cover at the top and bottom of the beam. The Top cover is measured from the top of the beam to the centroid of the top longitudinal reinforcing. The Bottom cover is measured from the bottom of the beam to the centroid of the bottom longitudinal reinforcing.
Reinforcement Area Overwrites for Ductile Beams edit boxes. Specify areas of longitudinal reinforcing steel that occur at the top and bottom of the left and right ends of the beam. These overwrites are used by the Concrete Frame Design postprocessor as follows:
When the design shear in a concrete beam is to be based on provided longitudinal reinforcement (that is, the shear design is based on the moment capacity of the beam), ETABS compares the calculated required reinforcement with that specified in the reinforcement overwrites and uses the larger value to determine the moment capacity on which the shear design is based.
When the minimum reinforcing in the middle of a beam is to be based on some percentage of the reinforcing at the ends of the beam, ETABS compares the calculated required reinforcement at the ends of the beam with that specified in the reinforcement overwrites and uses the larger value to determine the minimum reinforcing in the middle of the beam.
When the shear design of columns is to be based on the maximum moment that the beams can deliver to the columns, ETABS compares the calculated required reinforcement with that specified in the reinforcement overwrites and uses the larger value to determine the moment capacity of the beam.
For any degree of freedom in the frame nonlinear hinge properties assigned to a concrete member that is specified as default, ETABS calculates the hinge force-deformation properties based on the larger of the calculated required reinforcement at the ends of the beam (assuming that the design has been run through the Concrete Frame Design postprocessor) and the specified reinforcement overwrites.
Access the Reinforcement Data form as follows:
Click the Define menu > Section Properties > Frame Sections command to display the Frame Section Properties form. Then do one of the following:
Click the Add New Property button to display the Frame Property Shape Type form, select the Tee, Angle, Rectangular, or Circle shape and a concrete Material type; click the OK button (or double click the Section shape) to display the Frame Section Property Data form.
Highlight a previously defined Tee, Angle, Rectangular, or Circle section definition and click the Add Copy of Property or the Modify/Show button to display the Frame Section Property Data form.
Click the Modify/Show Rebar button.