BHAGWAN MAHAVEER SCHOOL OF

ARCHITECTURE
SONEPAT

4TH YEAR SEC-A

Advance Construction Technology

REPORT ON HOW TO STABLE SLAB AT THE

HEIGHT OF 10 M

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

AR. DEEPAK SINGH AJAY JAIN

BMSA: Academic Session: 2019-20, 4th Year, Section – A

 FLAT SLAB SYSTEM

1-INTRODUCTION
 FLAT SLAB IS A REINFORCED CONCRETE SLAB
SUPPORTED DIRECTLY BY CONCRETE COLUMNS
WITHOUT THE USE OF BEAMS. 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’.

FIGURE 1: A TYPICAL FLAT SLAB BUILDING

 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.
  FLAT SLABS ARE CONSIDERED SUITABLE FOR MOST
OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND FOR ASYMMETRICAL
COLUMN LAYOUTS LIKE FLOORS WITH CURVED
SHAPES AND RAMPS ETC. THE ADVANTAGES OF
APPLYING FLAT SLABS ARE MANY LIKE DEPTH
SOLUTION, FLAT SOFFIT AND FLEXIBILITY IN DESIGN
LAYOUT.

 EVEN THOUGH BUILDING FLAT SLABS CAN BE AN

EXPENSIVE AFFAIR BUT GIVES IMMENSE FREEDOM
TO ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS THE LUXURY OF
DESIGNING.

 BENEFIT OF USING FLAT SLABS ARE MANIFOLD NOT

ONLY IN TERMS OF PROSPECTIVE DESIGN AND
LAYOUT EFFICACY BUT IS ALSO HELPFUL FOR TOTAL
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS ESPECIALLY FOR EASING
OFF INSTALLATION PROCEDURES AND SAVING ON
CONSTRUCTION TIME.

 IF POSSIBLE, TRY TO DO AWAY WITH DROP PANELS

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND TRY TO MAKE THE BEST
USE OF THICKNESS OF FLAT SLABS. THE REASON IS
TO PERMIT THE BENEFITS OF FLAT SOFFITS FOR THE
FLOOR SURFACE TO BE MAINTAINED, ENSURE DROP
PANELS ARE CAST AS PART OF THE COLUMN.

2- HISTORY
• FLAT SLABS WERE ORIGINALLY INVENTED IN THE
U.S.A IN YEAR 1906.
• THIS WAS THE START OF THESE TYPE OF
CONSTRUCTION.
• MANY SLABS WERE LOAD-TESTED BETWEEN 1910-20
IN U.S.A.
 • 1914 NICHOLAS PROPOSED A METHOD OF ANALYSIS
OF THESE SLAB BASED ON SIMPLE STATICS, THIS
METHOD IS KNOW AS DIRECT DESIGN METHOD.

TIMELINE-
1906- FLAT SLAB INVENTED IN USA
1910-20 – LOAD TESTED
1914-NICHOLAS PROPOSED A METHOD OF ANALYSIS

3- TYPES OF FLAT SLAB CONSTRUCTION

A) SIMPLE FLAT SLAB

FIGURE 2: SIMPLE FLAT SLAB

 FIGURE 3: SIMPLE FLAT SLAB

SPAN RANGE
 UPTO 8M FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE.
 UPTO 10M FOR PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
 OVERALL DEPTH AROUND SPAN/25

ADVANTAGES
 IT IS SIMPLE TO CONSTRUCT REQUIRING THE MINIMUM OF
FORMWORK.
 MINIMIZES THE CONSTRUCTION DEPTH.
 PROVIDES A CLEAR SOFFIT FOR ROUTING SERVICES.
 B) FLAT SLAB WITH DROP PANELS

FIGURE 4: FLAT SLAB WITH DROP PANELS

FIGURE 5: FLAT SLAB WITH DROP PANELS

USES OF DROP PANELS

o IT INCREASE SHEAR STRENGTH OF SLAB
o IT INCREASE NEGATIVE MOMENT CAPACITY OF SLAB
o IT STIFFEN THE SLAB AND HENCE REDUCE DEFLECTION
DISADVANTAGES:
ALTHOUGH LONGER SPANS CAN BE PROVIDED, THE DROPS
COMPLICATE THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS AND CAN INTERFERE
WITH THE ROUTING OF SERVICES.

C) FLAT SLAB WITH COLUMN HEADS

FIGURE 6: FLAT SLAB WITH COLUMN HEADS

USES OF COLUMN HEADS

 INCREASES THE SHEAR STRENGTH OF SLAB.
 REDUCE THE MOMENT IN THE SLAB BY REDUCING THE
CLEAR AND EFFECTIVE SPAN.
 IT INCREASES THE SLAB SPAN.
 D) FLAT SLAB WITH DROP AND COLUMN HEAD

FIGURE 7: FLAT SLAB WITH COLUMN HEADS AND DROP PANEL

USES OF COLUMN HEADS

 INCREASES THE SHEAR STRENGTH OF SLAB.
 REDUCE THE MOMENT IN THE SLAB BY REDUCING THE
CLEAR AND EFFECTIVE SPAN.
 IT INCREASES THE SLAB SPAN.

USES OF DROP PANELS

o IT INCREASE SHEAR STRENGTH OF SLAB
o IT INCREASE NEGATIVE MOMENT CAPACITY OF SLAB
o IT STIFFEN THE SLAB AND HENCE REDUCE DEFLECTION
ADVANTAGES OF FLAT SLAB
 FLOOR TO FLOOR HEIGHT REDUCTION
 FASTER CONSTRUCTION
 EARLY FORMWORK STRIPPING
 WATER RESISTANT PROPERTIES
 SAVING IN MATERIALS.
 REDUCED FOUNDATION LOAD
 GREATER COLUMN FREE AREAS
 ARCHITECTURAL FREEDOM
 REDUCED CONSTRUCTION COSTS
 THICKNESS OF FLAT SLAB IS ANOTHER VERY ATTRACTIVE
BENEFIT BECAUSE THIN SLAB PROVIDES THE ADVANTAGE
OF INCREASED FLOOR TO CEILING HEIGHT AND LOWER
CLADDING COST FOR THE OWNER. HOWEVER, THERE IS
PROFOUND LOWER LIMIT TO THICKNESS OF SLAB BECAUSE
EXTRA REINFORCEMENTS ARE NEEDED TO TACKLE DESIGN
ISSUES. BESIDES THIS, ADDED MARGIN MUST BE PROVIDED
TO FACILITATE ARCHITECTURAL ALTERATIONS AT LATER
STAGES.

LIMITATIONS OF FLAT SLAB

 CAREFUL HANDLING OF PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS
SUCH AS CONCRETE PANELS OR STEEL AND GLASS PANELS IS
REQUIRED.
 ATTENTION HAS TO BE PAID TO THE STRENGTH AND
CORROSION-RESISTANCE OF THE JOINING OF
PREFABRICATED SECTIONS TO AVOID FAILURE OF THE
JOINT.
 SIMILARLY, LEAKS CAN FORM AT JOINTS IN PREFABRICATED
COMPONENTS.
  TRANSPORTATION COSTS MAY BE HIGHER FOR VOLUMINOUS
PREFABRICATED SECTIONS THAN FOR THE MATERIALS OF
WHICH THEY ARE MADE, WHICH CAN OFTEN BE PACKED
MORE COMPACTLY.

APPLICATIONS OF FLAT SLAB

 IN THE CASE OF HIGH RISE BUILDING THINNER SLABS ARE
REQUIRED SO THAT ADDITIONAL FLOORS CAN BE ADDED.
 THE DISTANCE THAT BE SPANNED BY POST-TENSIONED
SLABS EXCEEDS THAT OF REINFORCED CONSTRUCTIONS
WITH THE SAME THICKNESS.
 FOR INCREASING SPAN LENGTHS SO AS TO INCREASES THE
USABLE UNENCUMBERED FLOOR SPACE IN BUILDINGS.
 FOR DIMINISHING THE NUMBER OF JOINTS IN THE
STRUCTURE.
 FOR THE SPEEDY CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT.
 THE AMOUNT OF STEEL REQUIRED IS MUCH LESS THAN IN
NORMAL RCC STRUCTURE.
 THE MOULDS CAN BE USED NO. OF TIMES AS PER THE
DEMAND.
 DUE TO REDUCE BEAM SECTION THE LOAD TRANSFERRED
TO FOUNDATION IS LESS COMPARED TO THAT OF RCC
STRUCTURE.
 THE STRUCTURE IS CRACK FREE AS THE WHOLE STRUCTURE
IS IN COMPRESSION.
 LARGE SPAN OF SLAB CAN OBTAIN EASILY.
 TYPES OF FLAT SLAB DESIGN

MULTITUDES OF PROCESS AND METHODS ARE INVOLVED

IN DESIGNING FLAT SLABS AND EVALUATING THESE
SLABS IN FLEXURES. SOME OF THESE METHODS ARE AS
FOLLOWING:

o THE EMPIRICAL METHOD

o THE SUB-FRAME METHOD
o THE YIELD LINE METHOD
o FINITE –ELEMENT ANALYSIS
FOR SMALLER FRAMES, EMPIRICAL METHODS ARE USED
BUT SUB-FRAME METHOD IS USED IN CASE OF MORE
IRREGULAR FRAMES. THE DESIGNS ARE
CONCEPTUALIZED BY EMPLOYING APPROPRIATE
SOFTWARE BUT THE FACT IS USING SUB-FRAME METHODS
FOR VERY COMPLICATED DESIGN CAN BE VERY
EXPENSIVE.
THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE AND HOMOGENOUS
INSTALLATION OF REINFORCEMENTS CAN BE ACHIEVED
BY APPLYING THE YIELD LINE METHOD. A THOROUGH
VISUALIZATION IN TERMS OF COMPLETE EXAMINATION
OF SEPARATE CRACKING AND DEFLECTION IS REQUIRED
SINCE THIS PROCEDURE UTILISES ONLY COLLAPSE
MECHANISM.
STRUCTURES HAVING FLOORS WITH IRREGULAR
SUPPORTS, LARGE OPENINGS OR BEARS HEAVY LOADS,
APPLICATION OF FINITE- ELEMENT ANALYSIS IS
SUPPOSED TO BE VERY ADVANTAGEOUS. GREAT
THOUGHT IS PUT INTO CHOOSING MATERIAL PROPERTIES
OR INSTALLING LOADS ON THE STRUCTURES.
DEFLECTIONS AND CRACKED WIDTH CAN ALSO BE
CALCULATED USING FINITE- ELEMENT ANALYSIS.
 Benefits of Using Flat Slab Construction Method
1-FLEXIBILITY IN ROOM LAYOUT
FLAT SLABS ALLOWS ARCHITECT TO INTRODUCE PARTITION
WALLS ANYWHERE REQUIRED, THIS ALLOWS OWNER TO CHANGE
THE SIZE OF ROOM LAYOUT. USE OF FLAT SLAB ALLOWS CHOICE
OF OMITTING FALSE CEILING AND FINISH SOFFIT OF SLAB WITH
SKIM COATING.

2-SAVING IN BUILDING HEIGHT

o LOWER STOREY HEIGHT WILL REDUCE BUILDING WEIGHT DUE TO
LOWER PARTITIONS AND CLADDING TO FAÇADE
o APPROXIMATELY SAVES 10% IN VERTICAL MEMBERS
o REDUCED FOUNDATION LOAD

FIGURE 8: DIAGRAM HOW FLAT SLAB SAVES BUILDING HEIGHT

3-SHORTER CONSTRUCTION TIME
USE OF FLAT SLABS REQUIRES LESS TIME FOR CONSTRUCTION BY
THE USE OF BIG TABLE FORMWORK.

FIGURE 9: LESS CONSTRUCTION TIME

4-SINGLE SOFFIT LEVEL

FIGURE 10: FLAT SLAB SYSTEM

5-EASE OF INSTALLATION OF FLAT SLABS

ALL M & E SERVICES CAN BE MOUNTED DIRECTLY ON THE
UNDERSIDE OF THE SLAB INSTEAD OF BENDING THEM TO AVOID
THE BEAMS.

6-USE OF PREFABRICATED WELDED MESH

USE OF PREFABRICATED WELDED MESH MINIMIZES THE
INSTALLATION TIME OF FLAT SLABS. THESE MESH ARE
AVAILABLE IN STANDARD SIZE AND PROVIDES BETTER QUALITY
CONTROL IN CONSTRUCTION OF FLAT SLAB.
 FIGURE 11: PREFABRICATED WELDED MESH

7-BUILDABLE SCORE
THIS ALLOWS STANDARDIZED STRUCTURAL MEMBERS AND
PREFABRICATED SECTIONS TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THE DESIGN
FOR EASE OF CONSTRUCTION. THIS PROCESS MAKES THE
STRUCTURE MORE BUILDABLE, REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SITE
WORKERS AND INCREASE THE PRODUCTIVITY AT SITE, THUS
PROVIDING MORE TENDENCY TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER BUILDABLE
SCORE.

 PUNCHING SHEAR
1. ALWAYS A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION IN FLAT PLATE
DESIGN AROUND THE COLUMNS
2. INSTEAD OF USING THICKER SECTION, SHEAR
REINFORCEMENT IN THE FORM OF SHEAR HEADS, SHEAR
STUDS OR STIRRUP CAGES MAY BE EMBEDDED IN THE SLAB
TO ENHANCE SHEAR CAPACITY AT THE EDGES OF WALLS AND
COLUMNS

FIGURE 12: SHEAR STUDS

COLUMN STRIP AND MIDDLE STRIP
 Column Strip means a design strip having a width of 0.25L1 or
0.25L2, whichever is less.
 The remaining middle portion which is bound by the column
strips is called middle strip.

FIGURE 13: COLUMN AND MIDDLE STRIPS

GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

1. THICKNESS OF FLAT SLAB
• THE THICKNESS OF THE FLAT SLAB SHALL BE GENERALLY
CONTROLLED BY CONSIDERATIONS OF
SPAN TO EFFECTIVE DEPTH RATIOS GIVEN IN .
= 40, IF MILD STEEL IS USED
= 32, IF HYSD BARS ARE USED
• FOR SLABS WITH DROPS THE SPAN TO EFFECTIVE DEPTH RATIOS
OBTAINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS IN 23.2 SHALL BE
MULTIPLIED BY 0.9.
= 40X0.9 = 36, IF MILD STEEL IS USED
= 32X0.9 = 28.8, IF HYSD BARS ARE USED
• FOR THIS PURPOSE, THE LONGER SPAN SHALL BE CONSIDERED.
• THE MINIMUM THICKNESS OF SLAB SHALL BE 125.

2. DROP
• THE DROPS WHEN PROVIDED SHALL BE RECTANGULAR IN PLAN,
AND HAVE A LENGTH IN EACH DIRECTION NOT LESS THAN ONE
THIRD OF THE PANEL LENGTH IN THAT DIRECTION.
• FOR EXTERIOR PANELS, THE WIDTH OF DROPS AT RIGHT ANGLES
TO THE NON CONTINUOUS EDGE AND MEASURED FROM THE
CENTRE LINE OF THE COLUMNS SHALL BE EQUAL TO ONE-HALF
THE WIDTH OF DROP FOR INTERIOR PANELS.
• MINIMUM THICKNESS OF DROP
> ¼ OF SLAB THICKNESS OR
> 100 MM

3. COLUMN HEADS
• WHERE COLUMN HEADS ARE PROVIDED, THAT PORTION OF A
COLUMN HEAD WHICH LIES WITHIN THE LARGEST RIGHT
CIRCULAR CONE OR PYRAMID THAT HAS A VERTEX ANGLE OF
90°AND CAN BE INCLUDED ENTIRELY WITHIN THE OUTLINES OF
THE COLUMN AND THE COLUMN HEAD, SHALL BE CONSIDERED
FOR DESIGN PURPOSES.

DIRECT DESIGN METHOD

LIMITATIONS
SLAB SYSTEM DESIGNED BY THE DIRECT DESIGN METHOD SHALL
FULFILL THE FOLLOWING CONDITION.
a. THERE SHALL BE MINIMUM OF THREE CONTINUOUS SPANS
IN EACH DIRECTION.
b. THE PANELS SHALL BE RECTANGULAR, AND THE RATIO OF
THE LONGER SPAN TO THE SHORTER SPAN WITHIN A PANEL
SHALL NOT BE GREATER THAN 2.0.
c. IT SHALL BE PERMISSIBLE TO OFFSET COLUMN TO A
MAXIMUM OF 10 PERCENT OF SPAN IN THE DIRECTION OF
OFFSET NOT WITH STANDING THE PROVISION IN (B).
 d) THE SUCCESSIVE SPAN LENGTH IN EACH DIRECTION SHALL
NOT DIFFER BY MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF THE LONGER
SPAN. THE END SPANS MAY BE SHORTER BUT NOT LONGER
THAN THE INTERIOR SPAN , AND
e) THE DESIGN LIVED LOAD SHALL NOT EXCEED THREE TIMES
THE DESIGN DEAD LOAD.

DESIGN STEPS FOR FLAT SLAB

1. CHECK PRELIMINARY DIMENSION
2. CHECK FOR APPLICABILITY OF DD M
3. DIVIDE THE SLAB WITH FRAME IN X AND Y DIRECTIONS AND
OBTAIN DIMENSION OF X AND Y FRAMES.
4. ANALYSIS THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR PANEL.
A. LONGITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION
B. TRANSVERSE DISTRIBUTION
5. ESTIMATE THE DESIGN MOMENT IN THE EXTERNAL COLUMN
6. ESTIMATE THE DESIGN MOMENT IN THE INTERNAL COLUMN
7. DESIGN FOR SHEAR
8. DETAILING SHOULD BE DONE AS PER CODE REQUIREMENT.
CONCLUSIONS
 AS PER INDIAN CODE WE ARE USING CUBE STRENGTH BUT IN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS CYLINDERED ARE USED
WHICH GIVES HIGHER STRENGTH THAN CUBE.
 DROPS ARE IMPORTANT CRITERIA IN INCREASING THE
SHEAR STRENGTH OF THE SLAB.
 ENHANCE RESISTANCE TO PUNCHING FAILURE AT THE
JUNCTION OF CONCRETE SLAB & COLUMN.
 BY INCORPORATING HEADS IN SLAB, WE ARE INCREASING
RIGIDITY OF SLAB.
 IN THE INTERIOR SPAN, THE TOTAL DESIGN MOMENTS (MO).
 THE NEGATIVE MOMENT’S SECTION SHALL BE DESIGNED TO
RESIST THE LARGER OF THE TWO INTERIOR NEGATIVE
DESIGN MOMENTS FOR THE SPAN FRAMING INTO COMMON
SUPPORTS.
 ACCORDING TO INDIAN STANDARD (IS 456) FOR RCC CODE
HAS RECOMMENDED CHARACTERISTIC STRENGTH OF
CONCRETE AS 20, 25, AND 30 AND ABOVE 30 FOR HIGH
STRENGTH CONCRETE. FOR DESIGN PURPOSE STRENGTH OF
CONCRETE IS TAKEN AS 2/3 OF ACTUAL STRENGTH THIS IS TO
COMPENSATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CUBE STRENGTH
AND ACTUAL STRENGTH OF CONCRETE IN STRUCTURE.
AFTER THAT WE APPLY FACTOR OF SAFETY OF 1.5. SO IN
PRACTICE INDIAN STANDARD ACTUALLY US ES 46% OF
TOTAL CONCRETE CHARACTERISTIC STRENGTH. WHILE IN
INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE IS TO TAKE 85% OF TOTAL
STRENGTH ACHIEVED BY TEST AND THEN APPLY FACTOR OF
SAFETY WHICH IS SAME AS INDIAN STANDARD SO IN
ACTUAL THEY USE 57% OF TOTAL STRENGTH.
 PRE FABRICATED SECTIONS TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THE
DESIGN FOR EASE OF CONSTRUCTION.
BIBLOGRAPHY
https://theconstructor.org/structural-engg/flat-slab-types-design-advantages/13919/

https://civiltoday.com/structural-engineering/31-advantages-disadvantages-flat-plate-slab

https://civiltoday.com/structural-engineering/31-advantages-disadvantages-flat-plate-slab

https://civildigital.com/flat-slab-floor-system-advantages-disadvantages-flat-slabs/

https://www.slideshare.net/mhsfcm/flat-slab-design-41788628