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Class Notes RCC Floors-1
Class Notes RCC Floors-1
Class Notes RCC Floors-1
Introduction: Reinforced concrete floor system in the RCC building influences almost all the major design
and planning issues like cost, speed of construction , optimization of space usage, ease to accommodate
services, etc. The overall objectives in building design in relation to floor system and there benefits along
with possible means of achieving the objectives, in the building project are listed below.
1. Flat Plate
2. Flat Slab
3. Ribbed Slab
4. Waffle Slab
5. Band beam & Slab
6. Pre-stressed Slab
Flat Slab: A flat slab is a reinforced concrete slab supported directly by concrete columns without the use of
beams. It may have a column head and/or a drop panel to take care of shear. When a drop panel or column
head is not provided it is also referred to as flat plate.
A flat slab is a one-way or two-way system with thickenings in the slab at the columns and load bearing walls
called 'drop panels’. Drop panels act as T-beams over the supports. They increase the shear capacity and the
stiffness of the floor system under vertical loads, thus increasing the economical span range. The plan
dimensions of the drop panels are a minimum of 1/3 of the span in the direction under consideration,
usually rounded to the nearest 100 mm. The overall depth of the drop panel is typically taken as 1.75 to 2
times the depth of the slab, again rounded to suit timber sizes or the nearest 25 mm. The principal features
of a flat slab floor are a flat soffit, simple formwork and easy construction. The economical span 'L' of a
reinforced concrete flat slab is approximately D x 28 for simply supported, D x 32 for an end span and D x 36
for an interior span. Pre-stressing the slab increases the economical span to D x 35, D x 40 and D x 45
respectively, where D is the depth of the slab excluding the drop panel.
Uses of column heads: •increase shear strength of slab •reduce the moment in the slab by reducing the
clear or effective span
Uses of drop panels : •increase shear strength of slab •increase negative moment capacity of slab •stiffen
the slab and hence reduce deflection
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1 REINFORCED
Advantages:
2 PRESTRESSED
Simple formwork allows faster construction
Reduced services and cladding costs Flat slab construction places no restrictions on the positioning
of horizontal services and partitions and can minimize floor-to-floor heights when there is no
requirement for a deep false ceiling. This can have knock-on benefits in terms of lower building
height, reduced cladding costs and prefabricated services. Minimum structural depth will result in
Lower storey height which in turn will reduce building weight due to lower partitions and cladding to
façade, approx. saves 10% in vertical members, reduce foundation load.
Usually does not require shear reinforcement at the columns due to drop panel.
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Disadvantages:
Medium spans
Generally not suitable for supporting brittle(masonry) partitions
For reinforced flat slabs, deflection at the middle strip may be critical.
Flat Plate:
A flat plate is a one- or two-way system usually supported directly on columns or load bearing walls. It is one
of the most common forms of construction of floors in buildings. The principal feature of the flat plate floor
is a uniform or near-uniform thickness with a flat soffit which requires only simple formwork and is easy to
construct. The floor allows great flexibility for locating horizontal services above a suspended ceiling or in a
bulkhead. The economical span of a flat plate for low to medium loads is usually limited by the need to
control long- term deflection and may need to be sensibly pre-cambered (not overdone) or pre-stressed. An
economical span for a reinforced flat plate is of the order of 6 to 8 m and for pre-stressed flat plates is in the
range of 8 to 12 m. The span 'L' of a reinforced concrete flat-plate is approximately D x 28 for simply
supported, D x 30 for an end span of a continuous system, to D x 32 for internal continuous spans. The
economical span of a flat plate can be extended by pre-stressing to approximately D x 30, D x 37 and D x 40
respectively, where D is the depth of slab.
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Advantages:
Simple formwork and suitable for direct fix or sprayed ceiling
Disadvantages:
Medium spans
IP 1 REINFORCED
2 PRESTRESSED
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Reinforcement: In flat slab a slab-column connection’s resistance to punching shear may be enhanced
adopting some actions, as the increase of the column section, or the slab thickness, or the flexural
reinforcement ratio, or the compressive strength of concrete, or by using drop panels and column capitals.
However, the increase of the column section or the use drop panels and capitals usually generate problems
from the architectural point of view. The increase of the slab thickness may mean a substantial elevation of
the structure and foundation costs. Finally, increasing either the flexural reinforcement ratio or the
compressive strength of concrete would have poor efficiency. Thus, when it is desirable to increase the
punching resistance, one of the most practicable solutions may be the use of shear reinforcement in
addition to the flexural reinforcement, locally in the shear zone around the vertical support (column or wall).
Stirrups, studs and structural sections are the alternative types of reinforcement, that are employed to
counter shear near the column. Please refer to the appendix for details of the same.
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Ribbed and waffle slab: Ribbed slabs are made up of wide band beams running between columns with
narrow ribs spanning the orthogonal direction. Normally the ribs and the beams are the same depth. A thin
RIBBED SLAB
They are either one-way spanning systems known as ribbed slab or a two-way ribbed system known as a
waffle slab. A rib thickness of greater than 125 mm is usually required to accommodate tensile and shear
reinforcement. Ribbed slabs are suitable for medium to heavy loads, can span reasonable distances, are very
stiff and particularly suitable where the soffit is exposed. Slab depths typically vary from 75 to 125 mm and
rib widths from 125 to 200 mm. Rib spacing of 600 to1500 mm can be used. The overall depth of the floor
typically varies from 300 to 600 mm with overall spans of up to 15 m if reinforced, longer if post-tensioned.
The use of ribs to the soffit of the slab reduces the quantity of concrete and reinforcement and also the
weight of the floor. The saving of materials will be offset by the complication in formwork and placing of
reinforcement. However, formwork complication is minimised by use of standard, modular, reusable
formwork, usually made from polypropylene or fibreglass and with tapered sides to allow stripping. For ribs
at 1200-mm centres (to suit standard forms) the economical reinforced concrete floor span 'L' is
approximately D x 15 for a single span and D x 22 for a multi-span, where D is the overall floor depth. The
one-way ribs are typically designed as T-beams, often spanning in the long direction. A solid drop panel is
required at the columns and loadbearing walls for shear and moment resistance.
Advantages:
Savings on weight and materials
Long spans
Attractive soffit appearance if exposed
Economical when reusable formwork pans used
Vertical penetrations between ribs are easy.
Disadvantages:
Depth of slab between the ribs may control the fire rating
Requires special or proprietary formwork
Greater floor-to-floor height
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Large vertical penetrations are more difficult to handle.
Waffle slab
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Ribbed Slab
Band Beam: This system consists of a series of parallel, wide, shallow beams (known as band beams or
thickened slab bands) with the floor slab spanning transversely between the bands. The floor slab is
designed as a continuous slab, with the shallow band beams carrying all loads from the slab. Band beams or
thickened slab bands are a two-way slab system. Band beams are commonly used for longer span structures
often with the bands post-tensioned and the slabs reinforced. Sometimes, composite concrete/metal
decking is used for the slabs, provided the slab spans are not too large. The band beam has a relatively wide,
shallow cross section which reduces the overall depth of floor while permitting longer spans similar to the
traditional concrete beam. The concrete section simplifies both the formwork and services which can pass
under the beams.
Advantages:
Relatively simple formwork
Shallow beams to allow services to run under the floor
Minimum structural depth and reduced floor-to floor height
Long spans
Good cost/time solution
Allows the use of flying forms.
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Disadvantages:
Long-term deflection may be controlling factor and post-tensioning may be required
May need service penetrations through beams which are difficult to handle.
In a single-span floor, the spacing of the band beams may coincide with the columns, or the bands may be
more closely spaced to reduce the thickness of the slab spanning between walls or beams. For single span
reinforced concrete floors the economical span 'L' of the band beam is D x 20 to D x 22 depending on the
width and spacing of the band beam, where D is the depth of the slab plus band beam.
Pre-stressing the band beam gives economical band-beam spans in the range of D x 24 to D x 28. In a multi-
span floor, the spacing of the band beams is fixed by the transverse spacing of the columns. For initial sizing
of the slab, the span-to-depth ratios from Section 6.3 can be used. For internal spans the slab thickness is
based on the clear span between band beams, and for an external bay is from the edge
of band to the column line of the external band. The depth of the band is typically 1.5 to 2 times the depth
of the slab and the minimum economical span for a band beam is about 7–8 m. In multiple spans using
reinforced concrete, the economical slab of the band beam 'L' is approximately D x 22 for 1200-mm-wide
band beams and D x 26 for a 2400-mm-wide beams at 8400-mm centres. Pre-stressing increases the
economical span 'L' to D x 24 to D x 28 for similar beam widths. D is the depth of slab plus band beam in
each case. The maximum span for reinforced concrete bands should not normally exceed 12 m. Above this
span, bands should be pre-stressed. The slab band width should be between band-spacing/3 to band-
spacing/4 and, where possible, should be based on a module of a standard sheet of ply of 2.4 m x 1.2 m.
Vertical sides should be used if possible to simplify formwork. Sloping sides are sometimes used where
bands are exposed to view or where the effective span of the slab needs to be reduced.
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RCC Floor Systems
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Reinforcement is Passive. It crosses the crack but does not prevent it.
How to not allow the concrete below neutral zone to go in tensile stress beyond the tensile strength of
concrete which leads to excessive deflection and cracking?
Principle of pre-stressing: The prestress in form of compressive stresses can be introduced in the member
without the use of steel by means of external jack at the end. However it is rarely practical. The ulternative
method is stretching or tensioning high tensile steel bars or wires which are then bound or anchored to
concrete member. In the process of steel’s tendency to release the tension by contracting to the original
unstretched length, a compressive force is applied to the concrete. The distribution of the pre stress across
the section depends upon the point of application of the pressure. It will be seen that by applying the
pressure at some point within the the lower third, compressive stresses are induced in the bottom portion
and the smaller tensile stresses in the top portion of the beam. By selecting appropriate magnitude of
tension and appropriate point of application, the stresses across the section may be so apportioned that
when acting together with those setup by the dead load of the beam the resulting stress at the top is zero
while the stress at the bottom represents the maximum permissible compressive stress of the concrete.
Since the forces due to prestressing and the dead load acts simultaneously the upper fibres of he concrete
are not subjected to tensile stresses due to prestressing, nor the lower fibres to excessive compression.
When the live load is applied additional compressive stresses are setup in the top and additional tensile
stresses in the bottom fibres, and these forces , acting together with the residual forces from the
combination of dead and prestressing loads, result in a compressive stress in the top fibre and a small
compression or zero stress in the bottom. Greatest economy is obtained if the maximum compressive stress
in the bottom fibres, due to dead and prestressing load, is equal to the maximum tensile stress set up by the
live load, thus producing zero stress at the bottom and maximum permissible compressive stress at the top
when beam is under load.
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Definition of Pre-stress:
Pre-stress is defined as a method of applying pre-compression to control the stresses resulting due to
external loads below the neutral axis of the beam tension developed due to external load which is more
than the permissible limits of the plain concrete. The pre-compression applied (may be axial or eccentric)
will induce the compressive stress below the neutral axis or as a whole of the beam c/s. Resulting either no
tension or compression.
Pre-stressed concrete is basically concrete in which internal stresses of a suitable magnitude and distribution
are introduced so that the stresses resulting from the external loads are counteracted to a desired degree.
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Pre-stress concrete requires concrete, which has a high compressive strength reasonably rapid hardening
with comparatively higher tensile strength than ordinary concrete. Higher the grade of concrete higher the
bond strength which is vital in pre-tensioned concrete, Also higher bearing strength which is vital in post-
tensioned concrete. Further creep & shrinkage losses are minimum with high-grade concrete.
Generally minimum M30 grade concrete is used for post-tensioned & M40 grade concrete is used for pre-
tensioned members. 20 mm cover is required for pre-tensioned members.
The prestressing of concrete has several advantages as compared to traditional reinforced concrete (RC)
without prestressing. A fully prestressed concrete member is usually subjected to compression during
service life. This rectifies several deficiencies of concrete.
The following text broadly mentions the advantages of a prestressed concrete member with an equivalent
RC member. For each effect, the benefits are listed.
1. The use of high strength concrete and steel in prestressed members results in lighter and slender
members than is possible with RC members.
2. In fully prestressed members the member is free from tensile stresses under working loads, thus
whole of the section is effective.
4. Prestressed concrete member posses better resistance to shear forces due to effect of compressive
stresses presence or eccentric cable profile.
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5. Use of high strength concrete and freedom from cracks, contribute to improve durability under
aggressive environmental conditions.
6. Long span structures are possible so that saving in weight is significant & thus it will be economic.
9. Prestressed concrete structure deflects appreciably before ultimate failure, thus giving ample warning
before collapse.
10. Fatigue strength is better due to small variations in prestressing steel, recommended to dynamically
loaded structures.
Prestressing of concrete can be classified in several ways. The following classifications are discussed.
1. Source of prestressing force
This classification is based on the method by which the prestressing force is generated. There are four
sources of prestressing force: Mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical. Hydraulic Prestressing
This is the simplest type of prestressing, producing large prestressing forces. The hydraulic jack used for the
tensioning of tendons, comprises of calibrated pressure gauges which directly indicate the magnitude of
force developed during the tensioning. Mostly used for post tensioning in buildings.
a) Mechanical Prestressing
In this type of prestressing, the devices includes weights with or without lever transmission, geared
transmission in conjunction with pulley blocks, screw jacks with or without gear drives and wire-winding
machines. This type of prestressing is adopted for mass scale production.
b) Electrical Prestressing
In this type of prestressing, the steel wires are electrically heated and anchored before placing concrete in
the moulds. This type of prestressing is also known as thermo-electric prestressing.
3. Pre-tensioning or post-tensioning
This is the most important classification and is based on the sequence of casting the concrete and
applying tension to the tendons.
a) Pre-tensioning: In which the tendons are tensioned before the concrete is placed, tendons are
temporarily anchored and tensioned and the prestress is transferred to the concrete after it is
hardened. The pre-compression is transmitted from steel to concrete through bond over the
transmission length .
.
Post-tensioning: In which the tendon is tensioned after concrete has hardened. Tendons are placed in
sheathing at suitable places in the member before casting and later after hardening of concrete. The pre-
compression is transmitted from steel to concrete by the anchorage device (at the end blocks).
a) Full Prestressing
When the level of prestressing is such that no tensile stress is allowed in concrete under service loads, it is
called Full Prestressing.
b) Limited Prestressing
When the level of prestressing is such that the tensile stress under service loads is within the cracking stress
of concrete, it is called Limited Prestressing.
c) Partial Prestressing
When the level of prestressing is such that under tensile stresses due to service loads, the crack
width is within the allowable limit, it is called Partial Prestressing
The most widely used method for prestressing of structural concrete elements is longitudinal tensioning of
steel by different tensioning devices.
(2) Post-tensioning:
In post-tensioning the tendons are stressed and anchored at the ends of the concrete member after the
member has been cast and attained sufficient strength. Commonly, a mortar-tight metal pipe or duct (also
called sheath) is placed along the member before concrete casting. The tendons could be preplaced loose
inside the sheath prior to casting or could be placed after hardening of concrete. After the concrete has
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attained the required strength the tendons are stressed using prestressing jacks at the ends of the concrete
member (from one or both ends simultaneously) and anchored. After stressing and anchoring, the void
between each tendon and its duct is filled with a mortar grout which subsequently hardens. Grouting
ensures bonding of the tendon to the surrounding concrete, improves the resistance of the member to
cracking and reduces the risks of corrosion for the steel tendons Tendons are made of;
Wires
Strands (individual or group)
Bars (tensioned one at a time)
Unbonded tendons: Use grease or bituminous material instead of grout, or put outside the RC section.
This technique is widely used in slab systems of residential and parking structures with several bays(up to 10
bays), because of its efficiency an economy.
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Post-tensioning is primarily an in situ operation - used in large projects such as continuous long span slabs of
buildings or bridges etc.
In post-tensioning we use a small number of large tendons as opposed to a large number of individual
strands in pretensioning.
Reasons for this are:
1. In pretensioning we rely on bond between concrete and steel, and thus we wish to
maximize bond surface, whereas in post-tensioning where we rely on mechanical
anchorage at end of a tendon bond is not an issue.
2. Fewer larger tendons results in less labour, and thus less cost, in terms of the stressing
Operation.
In post-tensioned concrete, steel tendons are usually grouted after anchoring to prevent corrosion. The
prestressing steel is under a relatively high level of stress and is susceptible to stress corrosion.
Cement (or epoxy) grout > bonded member
Grease (or no grout) > unbonded member
Grout is pumped into duct under pressure to ensure that duct is completely filled with grout.
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The behaviour of bonded and unbonded members is the same as long as concrete is not cracked - once
cracking occurs there is a distinct difference in behaviour.
1. In pre-stress concrete member steel plays active role. The stress in steel prevails whether external load is
there or not. But in R.C.C., steel plays a passive role. The stress in steel in R.C.C members depends upon
the external loads. i.e., no external load, no stress in steel.
2. In pre-stress concrete the stresses in steel is almost constant where as in R.C.C the stress in steel is
variable with the lever arm.
3. Pre-stress concrete has more shear resistance, where as shear resistance of R.C.C is less.
4. In pre-stress concrete members, deflections are less because the eccentric pre-stressing force will induce
couple which will cause upward deflections, where as in R.C.C., deflections are more.
5. In pre-stress concrete fatigue resistance is more compare to R.C.C. because in R.C.C. stress in steel is
external load dependent where as in P.S.C member it is load independent.
6. Pre-stress concrete is more durable as high grade of concrete is used which are more dense in nature.
R.C.C. is less durable.
7. In pre-stress concrete dimensions are less because external stresses are counterbalance by the internal
stress induced by pre-stress. Therefore reactions on column & footing are less as a whole the quantity of
concrete is reduced by 30% and steel reduced by about 60 to 70%. R.C.C. is uneconomical for long span
because in R.C.C. dimension of sections are large requiring more concrete & steel. Moreover as self-
weight increases more reactions acted on columns & footings, which requires higher sizes.
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1. In pre-tensioned pre-stress concrete, steel is 1. Concreting is done first then wires are
tensioned prior to that of concrete. It is released tensioned and anchored at ends. The stress
once the concrete is placed and hardened. The transfer is by end bearing not by bond.
stresses are transferred all along the wire by
means of bond.
2. Suitable for short span and precast products 2. Suitable for long span bridges.
like sleepers, electric poles on mass production.
3. In pre-tensioning the cables are basically 3. The post tensioning cables can be aligned in any
straight and horizontal. Placing them in curved or manner to suit the B.M.D due to external load
inclined position is difficult. However the wire’s system. Therefore it is more economical
can be kept with eccentrically. Since cables cannot particularly for long span bridges. The curved or
be aligned similar to B.M.D. structural advantages inclined cables can have vertical component at
are less compare to that of post-tensioned. ends. These components will reduce the design
shear force. Hence post-tensioned beams are
superior to pre-tensioned beams both from
flexural and shear resistances point.
4. Pre-stress losses are more compare to that of 4. Losses are less compare to pre-tensioned
post-tensioned concrete. concrete.