Ground Bearing Slabs

The ground floor of most buildings without a basement is

constructed as a ‘ground bearing slab’. That is, the concrete
slab is simply cast onto the ground with no requirement for
supporting beams.

In most cases a perfectly adequate slab can be specified

simply by adhering to a set of ‘good practice’ rules.
 Ground Bearing Slabs
The design needs to take account of a number of potential
issues.

• Irregularities in the supporting soil.

• Differential settlement between the slab and the
remainder of the structure.
• Cracking of the slab due to shrinkage or thermal
movement.
• Non uniform applied loads (such as fork lift truck wheels).
 Ground Bearing Slabs
Wearing Surface
Concrete Slab
Membrane
Sub-base

Subgrade

Components of a Ground Slab

 Ground Bearing Slabs
A typical ground bearing slab has 5 components:

Subgrade – the naturally occurring ground, excavated down

to formation level, or made up ground of imported fill
material. If imported, the material should be graded and
compacted.

Sub-base – Selected material imported to form a level,

smooth working platform on which to construct the slab.
Typically this is 150-200mm thick, although on very good
subgrades such as firm sandy gravel the sub-base may be
omitted.
 Ground Bearing Slabs
Slip membrane –

Normally a 1200 gauge plastic sheet introduced to reduce

friction between the slab and the sub-base. Where the sheet
is lapped, a minimum of 300mm lap is required. It is
important to ensure the sheet is not damaged in the
construction process.

The plastic sheet will inhibit the loss of water and fines from
the concrete as it cures and also act as a barrier against
rising damp. It can also act as a barrier against other ground
borne gases such as methane, radon or carbon dioxide.
 Ground Bearing Slabs
Reinforced concrete slab – the floor slab will generally
contain either a square fabric mesh or steel/composite
fibres. In some instances a layer of blinding concrete (low
strength concrete) is laid below the slab.

Wearing surface – the exposed surface of the floor is usually

subject to some surface treatment which could be paint, a
sealant or screed.
Ground Bearing Slabs
 Ground Bearing Slabs
Floors are usually constructed by the long strip technique
which has proved both economical and rapid.

Generally, alternate strips are laid continuously for the whole

length of the building , or up to a movement joint or end of
day construction joint. Infill strips are then placed several
days later when the adjacent concrete has hardened
sufficiently not to be damaged by the action of the
compacting beams on the ‘new’ strips.

A strip width of 4.5m – 6m has been found to be most

practical, as it enables the placing and accurate finishing to
be best achieved by a gang of 2 men.
 Ground Bearing Slabs
Classification Subgrade / Minimum
types Soil Sub base
Thickness
Clays
Poor Silts 200 mm
(CBR < 10%) Silty Clays
Sandy Clays
Good Sands 130.mm
(CBR > 10%) Sandy gravels

Sub Grade / Sub Base

 Ground Bearing Slabs
Slab Use Concrete Type of finish
Grade or flooring

Light foot or trolley 30 Thin sheet of tile

traffic. E.g. Offices, flooring or carpets
shops
General industrial use 40 Structural slab
Heavy abrasive 35 Applied toppings to suit
conditions conditions
Heavy industrial use; 50 Structural slab
moderate chemical
conditions

Concrete Grade
 Ground Bearing Slabs
Longitudinal Direction of Slab Transverse Direction of Slab
Required fabric Maximum Spacing of free movement Maximum Spacing of free movement
reinforcement joints (m) joints (m)
Slab Thickness (mm) Slab Thickness (mm)
125 150 175 200 225 125 150 175 200 225
Unreinforced 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
A142 25 21 18 16 14 25 21 18 16 14
A193 or B196 34 28 25 21 19 34 28 25 21 19
A252 44 37 31 28 25 44 37 31 28 25
B283 49 42 36 31 28 34 28 25 21 19
C283 49 42 36 31 28 18* 18* 18* 18* 18*
B385 67 56 48 43 37 34 28 25 21 19
C385 67 56 48 43 37 18* 18* 18* 18* 18*
A393 69 58 49 44 38 69 58 49 44 38
B503 - 74 64 55 49 - 73 31 28 25
C503 - 74 64 55 49 - 18* 18* 18* 18*
C636 - - 81 74 65 - - 18* 18* 18*

Slab Thickness / Reinforcement & Joint Spacing

 Ground Bearing Slabs
Joints

There are generally 3 types of joint in ground slabs. The

joints are present for one of 2 reasons, crack control or
buildability.

• Considering buildability, most floor slabs will have joints in

them simply due to the amount of concrete that can be
poured in a day. Such joints are known as construction
joints or ‘day’ joints.
• For crack control, when slabs are reinforced with mesh
they are cast in strips and have crack inducing joints.
Ground Bearing Slabs

Crack Inducing Joint

Ground Bearing Slabs

Movement Joint
Ground Bearing Slabs

Wall Isolation Joint

Ground Bearing Slabs

Detail Around a RC Column

Ground Bearing Slabs

Cross Section