Example

Design suitable beam and column arrangement for a floor to cover an area 9mx 9m.

The imposed load on the floor is 4.0 kN/m2.

For this illustrative example, we will omit stairs or lift shafts to keep things as simple as
possible.

Structures E2 1
Option 1

To cover an area 9m x 9m I need to suggest a column

arrangement. 9m

I suggest just 4 columns, one at each corner (but you

may disagree).

Primary Beam

Primary Beam

9m
Structures E2 2
 9m

Secondary Beam
Option 2:

3m
Secondary Beam

Primary Beam

Primary Beam
A slab span of 9m is (in my opinion) too large, so I

3m
will use a series of primary and secondary beams.
Secondary Beam

The SOLUTION is to provide secondary beams at

3m
3m centres supported on primary beams. Secondary Beam

Comments: IN MY OPINION (and it’s MY design) a 3m slab span is too small Of course.
We could add more columns, but I do not want to do.
Structures E2 3
Option 3: 9m
Secondary Beam
It consists to provide secondary beams at 4.5m
centres supported on primary beams.

4.5 m
Primary Beam

Primary Beam
Secondary Beam
Comments: IN MY OPINION this is better solution

4.5 m
(But you may disagree)
Secondary Beam

Structures E2 4
 9m
Secondary Beam

4.5 m
Primary Beam

Primary Beam
Design parameters (general)
Secondary Beam
Reinforcement yield strength fy =500 N/mm2

4.5 m
(reminder fd =fy/1.15 =0.87fy =435 N/mm2
Secondary Beam
Concrete strength C 30/35 fck =30 N/mm2

The above parameters are both decided by the Design Engineer.

fy is generally standard.

ONCE DECIDED UPON, THESE PARAMETERS MUST BE USED BY THE WHOLE GROUP
Structures E2 5
 9m
Secondary Beam

4.5 m
Primary Beam

Primary Beam
There are then other parameters for the slab and
beams: Secondary Beam

4.5 m
Slab c over 20mm
Beam cover 40mm Secondary Beam

Reinforcement diameter (slabs) 10mm

Reinforcement diameter (beams) 25mm

These calculations are to ESTIMATE member sizes, so the above values will be used
throughout the design AT THIS STAGE
Structures E2 6
 9m
Secondary Beam

4.5 m
In order to establish the loads, we need to estimate

Primary Beam

Primary Beam
a suitable slab thickness. Secondary Beam
For this we use span to depth (L/d) ratios.

4.5 m
For a continuous slab L/d=30
In this case: Secondary Beam
L/d = 4500/d = 30 → d=4500/30 = 150mm

Strictly speaking this is the ‘effective depth’ of the slab, giving an overall depth:

h =d +c over +φ/2 =150 +20 +10/2 =175mm

This is an ESTIMATE. In this case I decide toStructures

use an E2 overall thickness of 175mm 7
Ihave established a slab thickness, so can now move on to estimating the beam size.

In order to do this, I have no alternative but to calculate the loads on the slab:

Characteristic Loads:

Dead Load: Self: 25 x 0.175 (slab h, in m) = 4.4 kN/m2

Finishes = 1.0 kN/m2
Total dead = 5.4 kN/m2

=5.0 kN/m2
Imposed Load:

Structures E2 8
Ultimate load

(1.35 x DL) +(1.5 x IL)

(1.35 x 5.4) +(1.5 x 5) =14.8 kN/m2

At this stage Iwill add 10%for beam self weight:

Design Load =16.3 kN/m2

I now have two alternatives.

I can simply apportion the loads on the beam according to the width of the slab that
the beam carries, or I can use an ‘ac c urate’ slab analysis.

I will illustrate both: Structures E2 9

 9m
Outer Secondary Beam
carries 4.5/2 = 2.25 m width
Method 1: of slab

4.5 m
Beam Loads using SIMPLE Slab Analysis apportioning
Centre Secondary Beam
load according to width of slab carried : carries 4.5/2 + 4.5/2 = 4.5m
width of slab

4.5 m
Load on outer secondary beam
=16.3 x 2.25 = 36.7 kN/m Outer Secondary Beam
carries 4.5/2 = 2.25 m width
of slab
Load on inner secondary beam
=16.3 x 4.5 = 73.4 kN/m

Structures E2 10
Method 2:

Beam Loads using ‘accurate’ Slab Analysis.

Note that the slab is CONTINUOUS over the central support.

As such it is statically indeterminate.

At this stage (before we have dealt with indeterminate beams in the analysis course) we
need to use computer software to analyse the beams.

All we are interested in at this stage is the shear force diagram. (which gives us
the load applied to the supporting beams)

Structures E2 11
 w kN/m

If we use Linpro to analyse the slab below: Lm Lm

w = (16.3 kN/m2 )*1m; L=4.5 m

We get the following BM diagram And the shear force diagram

5wL/8
2
wL /8 hogging
3wL/8

3wL/8

9wL2/128 sagging Structures E2 12

5wL/8
 9m
Outer Secondary Beam
carries 4.5/2 = 2.25 m width
of slab

4.5 m
From the shear force diagram :
Centre Secondary Beam
Load on outer secondary beam carries 4.5/2 + 4.5/2 = 4.5m
width of slab

4.5 m
=3WL/8 = 3 x 16.3 x 4.5/8 =27.5 kN/m
Load on inner secondary beam Outer Secondary Beam
carries 4.5/2 = 2.25 m width
=2 x 5WL/8 =2 x 5 x 16.3 x 4.5/8 =91.7 kN/m of slab

For ESTIMATING SIZES either of these methods is allowed.

Note that both methods give the same TOTAL load on all
beams:
27.5 +91 7 +27.5 =146.7 kN/m
36.7 +73.4 +36.7 = 146.8 kN/m Structures E2 13
I will use the Method 1 (simpler) method. Beam 1

Beam 1
Load on outer secondary beam

Beam 3
Beam 3
Beam 2
=16.3 x 2.25 =36.7 kN/m

Beam 2 Beam 1
9.0m
Load on inner secondary beam
=16.3 x 4.5 =73.4 kN/m

Structures E2 14
(Secondary) Beam 1: simply supported
Beam 1

In this case the beam 1 analysis is very simple

M max =WL2/8 =36.7 x 92/8 =372 kNm

Beam 3
Beam 3
Beam 2

Vmax =WL/2 =36.7 x 9/2 =165 kN

Decide upon a beam size: Beam 1

9.0m
Let’s try (overall depth) H=450mm

d =450 – 40 – 25/2 =397.5mm

Structures E2 15
 𝑀 372 𝑥 106
𝑏≥ = = 470 𝑚𝑚
(0.167 𝑥 𝑑 2 𝑥 𝑓𝑐 ) 0.167 𝑥 397.52 𝑥 30

Try: b=500mm A suitable beam size is 450dp x 500 w

Maybe a deeper, narrow beam would be better. (in my opinion)

Try h =550; d =497.5; b =300mm

In my opinion this is a better size (but you may disagree).

Structures E2 16
(Secondary) Beam 2 Beam 1

Again, the beam 2 analysis is very simple

Beam 3
Beam 3
M max =WL2/8 =73.4 x 92/8 =744 kNm Beam 2

Vmax =WL/2 =73.4 x 9/2 =330 kN

Beam 1
Decide upon a beam size: 9.0m

Let’s try (overall depth) H=550mm, as before:

𝑀 744 𝑥 106
𝑏≥ = = 600 𝑚𝑚 Use beam size 550dp x 600w
(0.167 𝑥 𝑑 2 𝑥 𝑓𝑐 ) 0.167 𝑥 497.52 𝑥 30
Structures E2 17
Secondary beams dimension:

Beam 1: depth h = 550 mm ; width w = 300 mm

Beam 2: depth h = 550 mm ; width w = 600 mm

(in this case the result is obvious – we double the load, therefore double the moment
and hence double the required width.

If we had used a different depth to Beam 1, the result would need to be calculated)

Structures E2 18
 P = 300 kN
reaction from
Beam 2

(Primary) Beam 3
Lm
In this case the beam 3 analysis is again very simple.
In this case it is a simply supported beam with a
central point load applie:

M max =PL/4 =330 x 9/4 =742 kNm

Vmax =P/2 =330 /2 =165 kN

Decide upon a beam size:

We could proceed as before, but (secondary) beam 2 had a moment of 744kNm, which
is virtually the same as on this beam so we could consider this beam similar.
Use beam size 550dp x 600w
This c oncludes the slab and beam sizing.
Structures E2 19
At some stage, we will need to consider the columns

To finish, we will consider the loading on the columns as a

check that our slab and beam calculations are correct. Reaction from Beam
1 - 165 kN Reaction from Beam
2 - 165 kN

Load in each column =165 +165 = 330 kN

Total load in all (4) columns =4 x 330 = 1320 kN

Total load applied to slab =16.3 kN/m2 x 9 x 9 =1320 kN

EQUILIBRIUM!!
Structures E2 20
THIS COMPLETES THE BEAM DESIGN

Structures E2 21