STRUCTURE-II

COURSE ID: ARCH-305 (TERM-1)

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ARTS RAWAPINDI.
 WHAT IS A SLAB?

• A structural element, made of concrete, that is used to create flat horizontal surfaces.
• A slab is generally several inches thick and supported by beams, columns, walls, by the
ground or soil .
• A reinforced concrete slab is a crucial structural element used to provide floors and roofs in
buildings.
 TYPES OF SLABS

• Ground bearing slabs.

• Suspended slabs.

• Unreinforced slabs.

GROUND BEARING SLABS

• A thick concrete slab supported on foundations or directly on the subsoil.

• Ground-bearing slabs, also known as "on-ground" or "slab-on-grade", are commonly used for
ground floors on domestic and some commercial applications. It is an economical and quick
construction method for sites that have non-reactive soil and little slope.

• For ground-bearing slabs, it is important to design the slab around the type of soil, since some
soils such as clay are too dynamic to support a slab consistently across its entire area. This
results in cracking and deformation, potentially leading to structural failure of any members
attached to the floor, such as wall studs.

SUSPENDED SLABS

• Slabs that are not in direct contact with the ground.

• Suspended slabs are above-ground level slabs.

• They are commonly used to create floors for the upper storey of houses, but can also be sat on
top of pre-constructed walls to form a ground floor.
 UNREINFORCED SLABS

• Slabs that do not have any steel reinforcement.

• Without reinforcement, the entire load on these slabs is supported by the strength of the concrete,
which becomes a vital.

• One of the most common applications for unreinforced slabs is in concrete roads.
 CLASSIFICATION OF SLABS

• On the basis of load distribution, reinforcement provided, beam support, and the ratio of the
spans, slabs are generally classified into one-way slab and two-way.

ONE WAY SLABS

• They transfer loads in the direction perpendicular to the applied loads and they only bend in one
direction.

• It is supported on two opposite sides by beams or walls.

• The ratio of longer to shorter span of the slab is greater than or equal to 2.
 BEHAVIOUR OF ONE WAY SLABS
The structural action of one way slab may be visualized in terms of deformed shape of the
loaded surface. As shown in the figure, consider a rectangular slab is simply supported at
the two opposite long edges and short edges. If the load is applied to the surface the
deflected shape will be as shown by the solid lines. Curvatures and consequently bending
moments are the same in all strips s spanning in short direction. Whereas, in long
direction there will be no curvature and hence, no bending moment in the strip l in the
longer direction.
 TWO WAY SLABS

They transfer loads in both the directions perpendicular to the applied loads and hence, they bend in
both directions. Therefore, main reinforcement is provided in both directions.

TYPES OF TWO WAY SLABS

1) Edge supported slabs.

2) Column supported slabs.

3) Waffle or two way ribbed slabs.

 TWO WAY SLABS (EDGE SUPPORTED)

• It is supported on all four sides by beams or walls.

• The ratio of longer to shorter span of the slab is less than or equal to 2.
 BEHAVIOUR OF TWO WAY EDGE SUPPORTED SLAB

After the application of the load to the slab surface the bending results in the formation of
dished surface rather then the cylindrical one. This means that the slab is curved in both the
perpendicular directions. Since the bending is proportional to the curvature, moments also
exists in both directions. Therefore, reinforcement is required in both directions by at least two
layers in both directions. The slab must be designed in both directions to share the load
proportionally.
 TWO WAY SLABS (COLUMN SUPPORTED)

It is a reinforced concrete two way slab that does not have beams and girders and the
applied loads are directly transferred to the concrete columns.

There are two types of column supported slabs:

1) Flat Slabs.

2) Flat plate slabs

 FLAT SLABS

Flat slab is defined as one sided or two-sided support system with sheer load of the slab
being concentrated on the supporting columns and a square slab called ‘drop panels’.

Drop panels play a significant role here as they augment the overall capacity and
sturdiness of the flooring system beneath the vertical loads thereby boosting cost
effectiveness of the construction. Usually the height of drop panels is about two times the
height of slab.

TYPES OF FLAT SLABS

Following are the types of flat slabs:

• Flat slab with drop panels

• Flat slab with column heads

• Flat slab with both drop panels and column heads

 FLAT PLATE SLABS

Flat slab is defined as one sided or two-sided support system with sheer load of the slab being
concentrated on the supporting columns without any drop panels.

Flat Plates are simply a clean sheet concrete extending all over the building and supported by a
columns.
 WAFFLE OR TWO WAY RIBBED SLABS

A waffle slab or two-way joist slab is a concrete slab made of reinforced concrete with concrete
ribs running in two directions on its underside. Ribs are usually supported directly by columns.

The name waffle comes from the grid pattern created by the reinforcing ribs. Waffle slabs are
preferred for spans greater than 40 feet (12 m), as they are much stronger than flat slabs, flat
slabs with drop panels, two-way slabs, and one-way slabs.
 FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN SLAB DESIGN

Following critical factors should be considered and investigated to ensure the safe and stable
design of the structural slabs.

• Thickness of the slab should be sufficient to cater for applied loads and negate deflection.

• Flexure should be properly catered by providing flexural reinforcement.

• At any section in the slab the reinforcement provided should not be less than the minimum
requirement governed by temperature and shrinkage requirements.

• Slab should have enough shear strength that it can be safe in shear force produced as a result
of the applied loads.

• Short term and long term deflection of the slab should be within the prescribed limits of the
design codes.
 LOADS CONSIDERED FOR DESIGN OF SLABS

Two types of load are considered while designing slab:

• Dead load and

• Live load.

These can be expressed either as a uniformly distributed load (UDL) or as one acting on a
concentrated area (point load). It may eventually be factored into the calculation of gravity loads.
Loads are expressed as kilo Newtons per square meter (kN/m2) or pounds per square foot (PSF).

DEAD LOAD: A load that is assumed to remain unchanged in magnitude, line of action, and point
of application is called dead load. All the load including self weight of the structure, partitioning
walls, screed, floor and roof tiles, piping and the earth pressure are included in dead load. Dead
loads are also known as permanent or static loads.

LIVE LOAD: A load that can change the magnitude and direction is called live load. Typical live
loads may include; people, the action of wind, furniture, vehicles, the weight of the books in
a library and so on. The magnitude of the live load depends upon the occupancy category of the
building.
 DESIGN CODES FOR SLABS

A design code is a document that sets rules for the design of a new development and
construction. It is a tool that can be used in the design and planning process, but goes further and
is more regulatory than other forms of guidance commonly used in the planning system over
recent decades.

Following design codes are used mostly for slab design:

• American concrete institute (ACI 318)

• American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE 7-10)

• British Standards (BS 8110)

• Pakistan Building Code (PBC 2007)

Thank you