Reinforced concrete (RCC) beams — locating the actual neutral axis: State whether the following is correct: “The actual neutral axis in an RCC beam is found by the principle that the moment of areas of the compression and tension zones about the neutral axis are equal.”

Introduction / Context:
In reinforced concrete flexural analysis, correctly locating the actual neutral axis (N.A.) is essential to determine stresses and to verify whether the section is under-reinforced, balanced, or over-reinforced. The criterion used must satisfy internal force equilibrium between concrete in compression and steel in tension (and compression steel if present).

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Transformed section or modular ratio approach for elastic analysis.
• Concrete carries compression; tension is carried by steel (for singly reinforced sections).
• Plane sections remain plane (linear strain distribution).

Concept / Approach:
The location of the actual N.A. is obtained from the condition of axial force equilibrium: total compressive force in concrete equals total tensile force in steel (and compression steel if any). This is fundamentally a balance of forces, not a balance of first moments of area. First moments determine centroid locations, but the N.A. in RCC depends on material participation with different moduli, not merely geometrical areas.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
For doubly reinforced beams, include compression steel force C_s; still, the governing condition is the equality of internal tensile and compressive forces.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Agree/conditional: Moments of areas equality about N.A. is not the governing condition; force equilibrium is.
• “Depends on loading only”: The N.A. position depends on material properties and steel ratio, not just external loading pattern.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing centroidal axis of a homogeneous section (pure geometry) with N.A. in RCC (composite, different moduli and cracking in tension).

Final Answer:
Disagree