UPPER FLOORS

-Upper floors are supported either on walls or on columns, with the same flooring material as used for ground floor.
-Strength and stability is important and has to be such that the structural design of upper floors supports the loads
set up by the use of building, in addition to the self weight and weight of partitions

FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF UPPER FLOORS

1. To support their own weight, ceiling and super-imposed loads
2. To restrict the passage of fire
3. To restrict the transmission of sound from one floor to another
4. To posses an adequate standard of durability
5. To bridge the specific span economically and be capable of fairly quick erection
6. To accommodate services readily
FACTORS INFLUENCING CHOICE OF UPPER FLOOR
 CLASSIFICATION OF UPPER FLOORS
Upper floors can be classified into the following types:
1.Reinforced cement concrete floors (R.C.C)
2.Ribbed or hollow tiled flooring
3.Precast concrete floors
4. Filler joist floors
5.Jack arch floors
6.Timber floors
7.Steel joist and stone
1) REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE FLOORS;
a) Monolithic concrete reinforced floors
-This is the most commonly used floor type in Kenya. The concrete is laid in one solid mass to a thickness of between
100-300mm reinforced using mild steel rods. Timber/steel formwork and centering are constructed/ assembled to
support the wet concrete
-The centering is supported between the external walls using timber props or posts. Steel rods are laid out on top of
the centering and raised 15mm from the surface of the centering by means of small concrete cubes/ blocks called
spacers (biscuit bones) which are tied to the reinforcing bars.
 CLASSIFICATION OF R.C.C FLOORS
R.C.C floors can be classified into the following types:
1. Simple R.C.C slab flooring
2. Reinforced brick flooring
3. Beam-slab flooring
4. Flat slab flooring

Simple R.C.C slab flooring

The R.C.C. slab bends downwards, causing tension at the bottom fibres at the mid-span.
Due to this mild steel bars reinforcement is placed at the bottom of the slab, keeping a minimum clear cover of 15 mm.
Half these bars are bent up near ends to take up negative bending moment.
This main reinforcement is placed in the direction of the span of the slab, which is equal to the width of the room,
specially when the length of the room is more than 1.5 times the width of the room.
Such a slab is known as one way reinforced slab.
Distribution reinforcement is placed in the perpendicular direction.
Hooks are placed at the end of each plain bar.
Such slabs are quite suitable and economical for spans up to 5 m.
The slab is cast on timber or steel shuttering.
Properly bent reinforcement is placed in position.
Distance pieces of stone or concrete are placed between the reinforcement and the shuttering plate so that proper cover
Bottom reinforcement

Top reinforcement
 Reinforced brick flooring

The compressive strength of bricks is utilised to bear the compressive stress and steel bars are used to bear the tensile
stresses in a slab.
In other words, the usual cement concrete is replaced by the bricks.
However, since the size of a brick is limited, continuity in the slab is obtained by filling the joints between the bricks by
cement mortar.
The reinforcing bars are embedded in the gap between the bricks, which is filled with cement mortar. Such type of
construction is quite suitable and cheap for small span floor slabs carrying comparatively lighter loads.
The joint between the two layers of tile and brick is filled with cement mortar. Before use, the bricks should be thoroughly
soaked in water.
The reinforcing bars put in the joints should not come in contact with bricks.
When two layers of bricks are used, vertical joints in the bricks should be broken (staggered) so that slab does not shear
along the joint.
The bricks near the edge should rest half on the bearing wall so that vertical joint above the edge of the wall is avoided.
First class bricks should be used for such a work. Cement mortar used to fill the joints etc. should be of 1 : 3 ratio, with
proper water-cement ratio to make the mortar workable. The width of the joint between adjacent bricks is generally kept
equal to 2 cm.
The compressive strength of reinforced brick work is sometimes increased by providing wider gap (say about 4 cm)
between the bricks, and providing 2.5 to 5 cm thick layer of cement concrete on the top of the bricks
 REINFORCED BRICK SLAB.

Beam-slab flooring

When the width of room becomes more, the span of slab increases, and simple R.C.C. slab becomes uneconomical, the
floor structure consists of R.C.C. beams and slabs cast monolithically.
The beams, known as T-beams, act as intermediate supports to the slab which is continuous over these beams.
When the size of the room is very large, these floor beams are supported on longitudinal beams which, in turn, are
either supported on R.C.C. columns or end walls.
 BEAM SLAB FLOOR

Flat slab floor

A flat slab is a typical type of construction in which a reinforced slab is built monolithically with the supporting columns
and is reinforced in two or more directions, without any provision of beams.
The flat slab thus transfers the load directly to the supporting columns suitably spaced below the slab
Because of exclusion of beam system in this type of construction, a plain ceiling is obtained, thus giving attractive
appearance from architectural point of view.
The plain ceiling diffuses the light better and is considered less vulnerable in case of fire than the usual beam slab
construction.
Concrete is more logically used in this type of construction, and hence in case of large spans and heavy load, the total
cost is considerably less.
FLAT SLAB FLOOR
2.a)RIBBED FLOOR
-Used to reduce the overall depth of a traditional cast in-situ
RC beam and slab.
-The basic concept is to replace the wide spaced deep beams
with narrow spaced shallow beams or ribs which will carry
only a small amount of slab loading.
-These floors can be designed as one way (troughed floor) or
two-way (coffered/ waffle floor) spanning floors.
--They are economical where loading is relatively light and
the spans large.
-A one way slab is one in which the ratio of the longer length to the shorter one is greater than 2.The slab will bend in
one direction i.e. in the direction along its shorter span.
Due to the huge difference in lengths, the load is not transferred to the shorter beams. Main reinforcement is
provided in shorter span and distribution reinforcement in a longer span.
Example: Generally all the Cantilever slabs are one Way slab

-A two way spanning slab is supported by beams on all the four sides and the loads are carried by the supports along
with both directions. The ratio of the longer length to the shorter one is less than 2. In two way slabs, the load will be
carried in both the directions. So, the main reinforcement is provided in both directions for two way slabs.
Example: These types of slabs are used in constructing floors of a multistoried building.
2 b)HOLLOW BLOCK/POT FLOOR
-This floor is in essence a ribbed floor with permanent
formwork in form of hollow clay or concrete pots.
-Hollow clay pot slabs are usually constructed with fewer
concrete and reinforcement compare with solid slab.
Hollow blocks are used to fill portions of the slab thickness;
this results in deeper the amount of concrete and hence the
weight of the slab
-The main advantage is that it has a flat soffit suitable for
application of a plaster finish.
-The voids in the pots can be used to house small diameter
services within the overall depth of the slab.
-They can be designed as one or two way spanning slabs

Advantages of hollow pot floors

1. Reduced slab weight due to reduced amount of concrete
below neutral axis.
2. Ease of construction, especially when all beams are hidden
beams.
3. Economic for spans > 5m with moderate liveload: hospitals,
office and residential buildings.
4. Attractive soffit appearance if exposed
5. Improved insulation for sound and heat
Disadvantages of Hollow Slab
1. Not economic for small spans
2. Not suitable for heavy loads or dynamic loads.
3. Difficult to repair or strengthen
4. Requires special or proprietary formwork

Procedure of hollow pot construction

Formwork construction: This is done either by laying the formwork to cover the floor area
and then lay the pots on them, or laying the formwork just directly under the ribs of the pot

Laying and arrangement of hollow blocks: This is done according to the structural drawing

Placing of reinforcement: for ribs and concrete topping

Pouring of concrete: workable Concrete and compaction by the use of vibrator.

Curing: Curing of the slab to attain its design strength.

Removal of formwork: This is done after at least 21-28 days

3) PRECAST CONCRETE FLOORS Disadvantages (in comparison with in-situ rc floors)
These are available in different formats. i. Less flexible in design terms
Advantages include; ii. Formation of large openings in the floor for ducts,
i. Elimination of need for formwork except for nominal shafts and stairwells
propping in some instances usually have to be formed by casting an in-situ
ii. Curing time of concrete is eliminated therefore the floor is reinforced concrete floor strip
available for use as a working platform at an earlier stage around the opening position
iii. Superior quality control of product is possible with iii. Higher degree of site accuracy is required to
factory produced components ensure that the precast concrete
Floor units can be accommodated without any
alterations or making good.
4) TIMBERFLOORS:
-A timber suspended floor consists of a series of beams or
joists supported by load bearing walls sized and spaced to
carry all the dead and imposed loads.
-The usual width of joists is on average taken to be 50mm.
-The joists are spaced 375-450mm c/c depending on the
width of the ceiling boards which are to be fixed n the
underside. Maximum economy if joist size is obtained by
spanning in the direction of the shortest distance to keep
within the deflection limitations allowed.
-The maximum economic span for joists is between 3500-
4500mm.
- For spans over this, a double floor could be used.
-Support:
The ends of joists must be supported
by load bearing walls. The joist ends
are either built in or to use special
metal fixings called joist hangers

-Trimming;
This is the framing of joists
around an opening or projection.
 FLOOR COVERING
-Various materials can be used for floor cover/finish, which include:
1. Concrete
2. Terrazzo
3. Tiles
4. Marble
5. Granolithic finish
6. Asphalt
7. Wood or Timber
8. Rubber
9. Muram
10. Bricks
11. Linoleum flooring
12. Plastic or P.V.C
13. Glass
14. Cork flooring
 FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF FLOOR COVER
1.Durability
The floor should have sufficient resistance to wear, temperature changes, disintegration with time and decay for it to last
long
2. Damp Resistance
The floor should offer sufficient resistance against dampness, to obtain a healthy environment in the building.
3.Cost
-The cost of material should be in conformity with the type of building and its likely use.
4.Apperance
The covering should give a pleasant appearance and a desired color effect.
5.Cleanliness
-The floor should be capable of being cleaned easily and should be non-absorbent.
6.Thermal insulation
-It should offer reasonably good thermal insulation so that comfort is imparted to the residents of the building.
7.Fire resistance
-It is crucial for upper floors and should provide sufficient fire resistance so that fire barriers are obtained between
different levels of the building.
8.Sound insulation
-It should insulate the noise and should not be such that noise is produced when users walk on it.
9.Maintenance
The flooring cover should require least maintenance and if repairs are required, they should be easily done.