JUNEL V.

VILLARIN

BS ARCH 4

BT 5 (ACTIVITY 1 – MIDTERM)

WHAT IS RIBBED SLAB?

IN MY UNDERSTANDING RIBBED SLABS PROVIDE A LIGHTER AND STIFFER

SLAB THAN AN EQUIVALENT FLAT SLAB, REDUCING THE EXTENT OF FOUNDATIONS.
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. 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 TO 1500 MM CAN BE USED. ADVANTAGES OF RIBBED SLAB IS THE TENSION
STRESS IS ELIMINATED IN THE TENSION SIDE OF THE SLAB. THE STRENGTH OF
CONCRETE IN TENSION IS VERY SMALL AND SO ELIMINATION OF MUCH OF THE
TENSION CONCRETE IS DONE BY THE USE OF PAN FORMS. ECONOMICAL WHERE THE
LIVE LOADS ARE FAIRLY SMALL SUCH AS APARTMENT HOUSES, HOTELS. LONG SLAB
SPANS CAN BE CONSTRUCTED THROUGH RIBBED AND WAFFLE SLABS. IN MANY
CASES, LONG SPANS ARE DESIRABLE IN THE BUILDING. RIBBED OR WAFFLE SLABS
ARE AN EASY SOLUTION FOR THIS PURPOSE. ALL THE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES CAN
BE INSTALLED EASILY IN THE GAP OF THE RIBS WHICH CAN BE ARCHITECTURALLY
AESTHETIC. SLAB THICKNESS OF RIBBED OR WAFFLE SLABS IS LESS THAN OTHER
SLAB SYSTEMS. THEREFORE, THE WEIGHT OF SLAB IS REDUCED. THIS SAVING OF
WEIGHT CAN CHANGE IN STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTIC. LIGHTER AND STIFFER
SLAB THAN AN EQUIVALENT FLAT SLAB. REDUCING THE EXTENT OF FOUNDATIONS
BY REDUCING THE ULTIMATE LOAD. THEY PROVIDE A VERY GOOD FORM WHERE
SLAB VIBRATION IS A VIABLE ISSUE. THE DISADVANTAGES OF THIS SLAB ARE THAT
THEY ARE NOT SUITABLE WHERE THE LIVE LOADS ARE HUGE AS HEAVY
MANUFACTURING BUILDINGS, WAREHOUSES. THE THICKNESS OF THE SLAB IS
CONTROLLED AS THE REQUIREMENT OF FIRE RESISTANCE. FORMWORK COST IS HIGH.
SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO INSTALL THE ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT.