192 The Indian Concrete Journal * March 2001

2EJ B 8EAM
Deflection problem in RC members
U.H.Varyani, ConsuIling SlrucluraI Lnginccr, Kolhari
Associalcs Ivl Ild, G-65, Connaughl Circus,
Ncw DcIhi 110 001
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7 0 8 7 0 8 7 0 8 7 0 8 7 0 8=HO=E =HO=E =HO=E =HO=E =HO=E
DcfIcclion chcck is gcncraIIy rcIcvanl for
bcnding mcmbcrs Iikc sIabs and bcams.
Iimil slalc of dcfIcclion is a scrviccabiIily
rcquircmcnl, and nol a safcly rcquircmcnl.
Whcn lhc dcfIcclion of a mcmbcr is morc, il
docs nol mcan lhal il is slrucluraIIy unsafc,
il onIy mcans lhal visuaIIy il may Iook ugIy
and brillIc finishcs and parlilions, if rcsling
dircclIy on il, may crack, bul lhcrc wiII bc
no cracking in lhc dcfIcclcd slrucluraI
mcmbcr which is, olhcrwisc, adcqualcIy
dcsigncd for momcnl and shcar. So,
dcfIcclion probIcm is vicwcd nol as a scrious
probIcm from lhc safcly poinl of vicw.
Ior chccking lhc adcquacy of bcnding
mcmbcrs in rcspccl of dcfIcclion, lhc codc,
IS 456:2000 givcs lwo approachcs, onc is
compulalion of dcfIcclion and lhc olhcr is
d
l
ralio mclhod
1
. Thc mclhod of
compulalion of dcfIcclion is a slricl mclhod,
bul is Iaborious and limc consuming. Thc
d
l
ralio mclhod is an approximalc and
quick mclhod and il is casy lo foIIow in
dcsign praclicc
2
. Thc caIcuIalcd lolaI
dcfIcclion of a mcmbcr shouId nol cxcccd
250
l
. This condilion is casy lo salisfy in
praclicc by providing adcqualc cambcr lo
lhc formwork bcforc lhc mcmbcr is casl.
So, lhis condilion is nol govcrning in dcsign.
Thc olhcr condilion is lhal lhc caIcuIalcd
parliaI dcfIcclion of a mcmbcr duc lo Ioads
of finishcs, parlilions, Iivc Ioads,
lcmpcralurc, shrinkagc and crccp shouId
nol cxcccd
350
l
or 2 cm whichcvcr is Icss.
This condilion is difficuIl lo salisfy in
praclicc and il govcrns lhc dcsign. This
condilion can bc salisficd by assuming a
suilabIc cambcr and aIso by assuming haIf
lhc cffccl of lcmpcralurc, shrinkagc and
crccp, as lhcsc Ioads arc sIow acling in
nalurc. Ior mcmbcrs Iongcr lhan 7 m in
span, 2 cm rcquircmcnl is aIso difficuIl lo
salisfy. Il is suggcslcd lhal 2 cm
rcquircmcnl shouId bc dcIclcd and onIy
350
l
rcquircmcnl shouId bc insislcd upon,
lhis bcing in Iinc wilh lhc ACI codc
3
. Thcsc
lwo approachcs of lhc codc wiII laIIy in a
givcn cxampIc, if a suilabIc cambcr is
assumcd and lhc Iong-lcrm dcfIcclion duc
lo lcmpcralurc, shrinkagc and crccp is
haIvcd. This is shown in a workcd cxampIc
givcn cIscwhcrc
4
.
In praclicaI dcsign of bcams
d
l
ralio
mclhod is uscd as lhc bcam dcplhs in
praclicc arc choscn on lhc highcr sidc for
rcducing slccI consumplion in bcams. Bul,
whcn a parlicuIar bcam has lo bc rcslriclcd
in dcplh for archilccluraI rcasons, lhc
compulalion of dcfIcclion mclhod has lo
bc adoplcd lo juslify lhc rcduccd dcplh of
lhc bcam. AIso lhc codc spccifics lhal for
canliIcvcr bcams of spans Iongcr lhan
10 m, dcfIcclion nccds lo bc caIcuIalcd and
d
l
ralio mclhod wiII nol bc lhcn acccplabIc.
Varialion of aboul 5-10 pcrccnl in lhc
caIcuIalcd and lhc acccplabIc vaIucs of
dcfIcclion or
d
l
ralios is aIIowcd, as lhc
dcfIcclion is a scrviccabiIily rcquircmcnl
5
.
Thc dcfIcclion rcquircmcnls of lhc codc
havc compIicalcd lhc praclicaI dcsign of
sIabs in lwo rcspccls. IirslIy, lhc sIab dcsign
invoIvcs ilcralion and sccondIy, lhc sIab
pancIs work oul lhickcr lhan bcforc whcn
lhc dcsign was bascd on lhc oId codc
6
. Thc
ilcralion in sIab dcsign can bc casiIy avoidcd
by using charls givcn cIscwhcrc
7
. Bul lhc
probIcm of lhick sIab pancI adds lo lhc cosl
of buiIdings and lhc mclhod suggcslcd in
SI:24 shouId bc uscd, whcrc morc slccI is
providcd al lhc mid span in ordcr lo gcl
sIab pancIs of Icss lhickncss
8
.
Whcn a sIab pancI is nol supporling
brick parlilions, sIab lhickncss can bc furlhcr
rcduccd using lhc minimum vaIucs givcn
in lhc oId codc
6
. Thc codc is siIcnl on lhis
aspccl and lhc young slrucluraI cnginccrs
faiI lo apprccialc lhis poinl. Wc havc Icarnl
lhcsc idcas from our scniors in lhc
profcssion and IinlcI has aIso wrillcn in
supporl of lhin sIab pancIs for an ovcraII
cconomy in buiIding dcsign
9
. A uscfuI labIc
givcn cIscwhcrc wiII bc highIy bcncficiaI lo
choosc lhickncss of sIab pancIs, which wiII
bc conducivc lo cconomy and aIso avoid
ilcralion in sIab dcsign
10
. Il nccds lo bc
highIighlcd lhal adcqualc carc shouId bc
lakcn in scIccling sIab lhickncss, cspcciaIIy
whcn lhc sIab is subjcclcd lo dynamic Ioads
and vibralions.
On lhc anaIogy of lhin sIab pancIs, wc
cannol go in for bcams of Icss dcplh for
lwo rcasons. Onc rcason is lhal concrclc
quanlily in bcams is of lhc ordcr of 15
pcrccnl of lhc lolaI concrclc quanlily of lhc
cnlirc buiIding, whiIc lhc samc in sIabs is of
March 2001 * The Indian Concrete Journal
2EJ B 8EAM
193
lhc ordcr of 65 pcrccnl. Thc sccond rcason
is lhal slccI consumplion in bcams is high
and il wiII go up sharpIy if bcam dcplh is
rcduccd. In sIabs, slccI consumplion is Icss
and il wiII, no doubl, go up whcn lhc sIab
lhickncss is rcduccd, bul lhc lolaI slccI
consumplion in lhc buiIding wiII nol bc
much incrcascd. So, for an ovcraII cconomy
in buiIding dcsign, bcam dcplh shouId bc
choscn on lhc highcr sidc and sIab lhickncss
on lhc Iowcr sidc, al any ralc, nol Iowcr
lhan lhosc givcn in lhc oId codc
6
.
d
l
ralio mclhod givcn in cIausc 23.2 of
lhc codc righlIy appIics lo bcams onIy. Bul
in cIausc 24.1 of lhc codc, il has bccn
cxlcndcd lo sIabs aIso. This cxlcnsion is
corrccl for onc-way sIabs onIy, bul ils
appIicalion lo lwo-way sIabs and fIal sIabs/
pIalcs is wrong in principIc, in lhal, lhcsc
sIab pancIs bcnd in lwo principaI dircclions,
whiIc bcams span in onc dircclion onIy. Thc
dcfIcclions in lwo-way sIabs work oul quilc
smaII and
d
l
ralio mclhod Icads lo Iargc
sIab lhickncsscs crroncousIy. Thc
compulalion of dcfIcclion mclhod can bc
corrcclIy appIicd lo lwo-way sIabs and fIal
pIalcs and cxampIcs havc bccn workcd oul
cIscwhcrc
11,12
.
An allcmpl has bccn madc hcrc lo
highIighl major issucs invoIvcd in lhc
dcfIcclion probIcm of bcnding mcmbcrs in
ordcr lo achicvc cconomicaI and cfficicnl
dcsign of lhcsc mcmbcrs for lhc Iimil slalc
of dcfIcclion.
References
1. ______ |n!icn sicn!cr! cc!c cj prcciicc jcr plcin
cn! rcinjcrcc! ccncrcic - Cc!c cj prcciicc (fourlh
rcvision), IS:456-2000. Burcau of Indian
Slandards, Ncw DcIhi.
2. ______ Dcsign ci!s jcr rcinjcrcc! ccncrcic ic |S.456-
198,SI:16 (S&T), 1980, Burcau of Indian
Slandards, Ncw DcIhi.
3. ______8uil!ing cc!c rcuircncnis jcr rcinjcrcc!
ccncrcic, ACI 318-77. Amcrican Concrclc
Inslilulc, Dclroil, USA.
4. VARYANI, U.H. Dcsign of rcinforccd concrclc
bcams for Iimil slalc of dcfIcclion in accordancc
wilh IS:456-1978. jcurncl cj |nsiiiuiicn cj |nginccrs
(|n!ic), CiviI Lnginccring Division, Scplcmbcr
1983, VoI 64, pp. 104-110.
5. _____ Cc!c cj prcciicc jcr siruciurcl usc cj ccncrcic,
CI-110-1972 (parl-1). Brilish Slandards
Inslilulion, Iondon.
6. _____ |n!icn sicn!cr! cc!c cj prcciicc jcr plcin cn!
rcinjcrcc! ccncrcic (sccond rcvision), IS:456-
1964. Burcau of Indian Slandards, Ncw DcIhi.
7. VARYANI, U.H. Dirccl dcsign of sIab pancIs in
accordancc wilh IS:456-1978. jcurncl cj Siruciurcl
|nginccring, Oclobcr 1999, VoI 26.
8. _____|xplcncicr |cn!|cc| cn |n!icn sicn!cr!
cc!c cj prcciicc jcr plcin cn! rcinjcrcc! ccncrcic
IS:456-1978, SI:24-1983, Burcau of Indian
Slandards, Ncw DcIhi.
9. IINTLI, M. Hcn!|cc| cj Ccncrcic |nginccring (firsl
cdilion p-296). Van Noslrand RcinhoId Company,
Ncw York, 1974.
10. VARYANI, U.H. SIab dcsign of minimum concrclc
lhickncss in accordancc wilh IS:456-1978 and
SI:24-1983. Ci.il |nginccring cn! Ccnsiruciicn
|c.icu, Dcccmbcr 1998, pp. 57-59.
11. VARYANI, U.H. Dcsign of rcinforccd concrclc soIid
sIabs for lhc Iimil slalc of dcfIcclion in accordancc
wilh IS:456-1978. jcurncl cj Siruciurcl
|nginccring, Oclobcr 1984, VoI 11, No 3,
pp. 81-88.
12. VARYANI, U.H. DcfIcclion of fIal pIalc fIoors. Ci.il
|nginccring cn! Ccnsiruciicn |c.icu, }anuary
1990, pp. 61-64.
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