Choosing Design Methods
for Industrial Floor Slabs
Key factors to consider include type of slab construction and loading conditions
BY BOYD C. RINGO
AND ROBERT B. ANDERSON
ndustrial slabs on grade take a
I lot of punishment, often serv-
ing as thoroughfares for cargo-
laden lift trucks. That’s why de-
signing an industrial floor to
withstand anticipated loading con-
ditions is critical to satisfactory
performance.
There are five commonly used
procedures for designing industri-
al floor slabs. All of them are effec-
tive when their recommendations
and details are followed. So, how
does a designer choose the best
method for a particular floor?
The most common approach is
to determine the type of floor con-
struction needed for expected
loading conditions. Then, from the
design procedures described on
page 349, select the most appropri-
ate method for determining floor
thickness, reinforcement, joint
spacing, and other details.
Types of Slab Construction
ACI 360.1R-92 (Ref. 1) describes six
common types of floor slab con-
struction. The primary differences
between each type are reinforcement
details and joint spacing. Except for
Type F slabs, all slabs are expected to
remain essentially uncracked under
applied loads. Most types use Type I
or II portland cement.
Type A, plain concrete slab. Type
A slabs contain no reinforcement,
but may be strengthened at the
joints by thickening, dowels, or keys.
Relatively close joint spacing is the
p ri m a ry means of controlling
shrinkage effects. The Portland Ce-
ment Association recommends joint
spacing in feet equal to two to three
times the slab thickness in inches.
Type B, slab with shrinkage-con-
trol reinforcement. Type B floor
slabs are similar to plain concrete
slabs, but they contain some dis-
tributed reinforcement to control
the effects of shrinkage and temper-
ature changes. Joint spacings usual-
ly are the same or slightly greater
INDUSTRIAL FLOOR DESIGNS USUALLY ARE BASED ON ONE OR
MORE OF THE FIVE DESIGN METHODS. . .EACH METHOD HAS
PARTICULAR LOADING CONDITIONS AND SLAB TYPES FOR WHICH
IT’S MOST EFFECTIVE.
than for a plain concrete slab. Rein-
forcement in Type B slabs must be
stiff enough to be properly placed,
and single layers should be located
at or above the mid-depth of the
slab. Consider using bars or wires,
in welded-wire fabric, with spacings
in each direction of 14 to 16 inches.
Be sure the steel is adequately sup-
ported to ensure proper position-
ing. The use of steel fibers also is an
option for shrinkage control. The
steel fibers, typically added in
amounts of 40 to 60 pounds per cu-
bic yard of concrete, are distributed
throughout the mix. They act as
crack arresters to prevent the prop-
agation of micro-cracking. The
fibers also can increase the effective
modulus of rupture.
Type C, slab with shrinkage-
compensating concrete. These
slabs require reinforcing steel,
which must be properly located.
Shrinkage-compensating concrete
does shrink, but before shrinking it
expands by an amount intended to
be slightly greater than the subse-
quent shrinkage. This concrete can
be produced with an expansive ad-
mixture or with Type K cement.
Joint spacings may be significantly
greater than those of the two previ-
ously described slabs. Reference 8
can be used as a guide when de-
signing a shrinkage-compensating
concrete floor.
Type D, slab post-tensioned for
crack control. Type D slabs contain
post-tensioning tendons for crack
control. The prestress forces in-
crease the effective modulus of
rupture and allow a wide spacing of
construction joints with no inter-
mediate contraction (control)
joints. With post-tensioned slabs,
one or two layers of polyethylene
sheeting, perforated or nonperfo-
rated, often are used for reducing
subgrade drag. Reference 7 gives
design aids for this type of floor
construction.
Type E, lightly reinforced struc-
tural slab. These slabs are designed
to support structural loads, such as
columns and walls, directly on the
slab. They also can be used to resist
forces caused by swelling or shrink-
ing of unstable soils. The slabs can
be reinforced with bars, post-ten-
sioning tendons, or both.
Type F, structurally re i n f o rc e d
slab. This slab differs from the oth-
ers in that the design intentionally
allows cracking at some deter-
mined level of loading. The slabs
are structurally reinforced with one
or two layers of steel reinforcement
in the form of deformed bars or
welded-wire fabric. The location of
the steel is critical to the slab’s
s t ru c t u ral capacity. Joint spacings
are not critical to the design, other
than for construction purposes,
since some cracking is considered
acceptable.
Methods of Slab Design
Industrial floor designs usually
are based on one or more of the five
design methods listed below. Each
method has particular loading con-
ditions and slab types for which it’s
most effective. Table 1 correlates
the slab construction types with
appropriate design methods. It also
shows which methods aid in slab
thickness selection, and which
have information on related de-
tails, such as joint spacings and re-
inforcement requirements. Table 2
shows which design method to use
in selecting the appropriate slab
thickness for each type of load. The
SLAB TYPES
references cited after each method
discuss the design process in detail.
Portland Cement Association
(PCA) method. PCA’s charts and ta-
bles allow slab thickness selection
for dual- and single-wheel axle
loads, rack support post loading,
and uniform loads with fixed or
variable positions. Reinforcement
is optional and is intended for
shrinkage and temperature effects.
Because loadings are assumed to
be in the interior slab area, joint
strengthening is recommended
(Refs. 2 and 3).
Wire Reinforcement Institute
(WRI) method. WRI provides a
method of thickness selection for
single-wheel axle loads and uni-
form loads with aisles. Only load-
ings on the interior slab area are
considered. WRI charts include the
effects of relative slab stiffness with
respect to the subgrade. Steel rein-
forcement is assumed in the design
process (Ref. 4).
United States Army Corps of En-
gineers (COE) method. Corps of
Engineers design charts are based
on We s t e rg a a rd’s equations for
edge stresses in slabs on grade.
T h e re f o re, they are appro p ri a t e
when designing for loads immedi-
ately adjacent to joints or edges. Al-
so included are load transfer effects
across a joint in terms of a load-
transfer coefficient. Steel reinforce-
WHEN A SLAB IS TO REMAIN UNCRACKED, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO
LIMIT THE ACTUAL TENSILE STRESS TO AN ACCEPTABLE VALUE.
ment is optional, though its use is
implied. Loadings considered are
heavy axle loadings and other ve-
hicle loads (Refs. 5 and 6).
Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI)
method. PTI publishes tables and
charts that give strength require-
ments for loadings caused by soils
which expand or contract signifi-
cantly. Post-tensioning tendons are
TABLE 1. CORRELATION
Slab Types
Plain concrete;
A no reinforcement;
portland cement
Temperature and
B shrinkage reinforcement;
portland cement
Temperature and
shrinkage reinforcement;
C shrinkage-compensating
cement
Post-tensioning for
D crack control; portland
cement
Post-tensioning and/or
nonprestressed steel
E reinforcement; portland
cement
Nonprestressed steel
F reinforcement; portland
cement
(From Reference 1)
the intended reinforcement tech- cation is critical to slab perfor-
nique. They control shrinkage and mance. It also provides for a wider
t e m p e ra t u re effects and increase spacing of joints and the elimina-
the modulus of rupture. Since the tion of shrinkage cracks (Ref. 8).
calculation process determines
moments and shears, steel rein- Using the Design Charts
forcement also can be used with A number of values are needed
this design method (Ref. 7). when using the design charts to de-
American Concrete Institute termine concrete floor slab thick-
ness and the effect of any prestress-
ing or reinforcement. Some values
come from loading specifications
and some come from the materials,
the site, and the designer. For ex-
ample, for vehicle axle loads neces-
sary information includes:
For the vehicle:
(ACI) Committee 223. This proce- • Vehicle weight, pounds
dure does not deal directly with the • Load capacity, pounds
selection of slab thickness, which • Total axle load, pounds
must be determined by one of the • Type of wheels (single or dual)
other methods. Instead, it gives de- • Ty p eo ft i re s( s o l i do rp n e u m a t i c )
sign details and construction prac- • Tire width, inches, or tire pres-
tices for the control of early-age ex- sure, psi
pansion and the subsequent • Wheel contact area, square inches
shrinkage of the concrete slab. Re- • Wheel spacing, inches
inforcing steel is required and its lo-
OF SLAB CONSTRUCTION TYPE WITH DESIGN METHOD
Design Methods
PCA WRI COE PTI ACI 223
x x Thickness selection
x x Related details
x x x Thickness selection
x x Related details
x x x Thickness selection
x Related details
x x x x Thickness selection
x Related details
x x x Thickness selection
x Related details
x x x x Thickness selection
x x x Related details

TABLE 2. SLAB THICKNESS SELECTION METHODS
APPROPRIATE FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOADING
Type of Loading
Uniform Loads and Aisles
Storage Rack Post Loads
Lift Truck Wheels:
Interior Loadings
Edge Loadings
Concentrated Loads
Fixed Locations
Vehicle Loads With Impact
Post-tensioning Prestress1
Shrinkage-compensating
Concrete1
1
These are not thickness selection methods. However, the techniques affect the details of
the other four design methods.
For the site and materials:
• Concrete compressive strength, psi
• Concrete modulus of rupture, psi
• Modulus of subgrade reaction
(soil), pci
• Safetyfactorselected by designer
The vehicle axle load, commonly
known as the lift truck load, can be
any vehicle that travels on the con-
crete floor with its wheels in con-
tact with the slab surface. This load
frequently controls the slab thick-
ness required. The best source of
vehicle data is the specification
sheet from the manufacturer. If this
is not available, the designer may
have to assume some values to
complete the design.
Industrial floor designs evaluate
the capacity of the floor slab to re-
sist the moment in the slab be-
neath the loaded axle. This loading
causes tension on the bottom of
the slab beneath the most loaded
wheel. It’s sometime called a posi-
tive moment. Since wheel loads
normally are of equal value, both
on the vehicle and in the design
charts, the moments are equal be-
neath each wheel. PCA design
charts can be adapted for special
cases where wheel loads are un-
equal on the same axle.
Design Methods
PCA WRI COE PTI ACI 223
x x
x sign for Industrial Concrete Floors on
x x
x “Structural Welded Wire FabricDetailing
x x
x “Engineering Design: Rigid Pavement
x for Roads, Streets, Walks, and Open
x 3-132, Department of the Army, Wash-
When a slab is to remain un-
cracked, the objective is to limit the
actual tensile stress to an accept-
able value. This value, usually
called the allowable stress, is the
modulus of rupture divided by the
selected safety factor. The thick-
ness determination for this loading
can be determined by PCA, WRI,
and COE charts and tables.
If the concrete floor does not
need to remain completely crack-
free (that is, if hairline cracks due to
loading are acceptable), then the
approach can change. The objec-
tive, then, is to determine the ap-
plied moment in the slab. The mo-
ment is then used to design the slab
using common re i n f o rc e d - c o n-
crete procedures and to select ap-
p ro p riate areas of steel re i n f o rc e-
ment. This can be most easily done
with WRI charts.
Using shrinkage-compensating
concrete or post-tensioning to
build a slab alters the design
p ro c e s s. The intent is to maintain
an uncracked slab by chemical or
physical prestressing rather than by
adjusting slab thickness and joint
spacings. Typically, wider joint
spacings are used.
References
1. ACI Committee 360, “Design of Slabs
on Grade (ACI 360.1R-92),” American
Concrete Institute, Detroit, 1992.
2. Ralph Spears and William Panarese,
Concrete Floors on Ground, Portland
Cement Association, Skokie, Ill., re-
vised 1990.
3. R. G. Packard, Slab Thickness De-
Grade, PCA, 1976.
4 .“ D e s i g nP ro c e d u re sf o rI n d u s t r i a l
S l a b s , ”I n t e r i mR e p o rt ,1 9 7 3 ;a n d
M a n u a l , ”A p p e n d i xA ,1 9 8 9 ,T h e Wire
ReinforcementInstitute,Reston, Va.
5. “U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Areas,” Engineering Manual EM 1110-
ington, D.C., 1984.
6. Departments of the Army and the
Air Force, “Concrete Floor Slabs on
Grade Subjected to Heavy Loads,”
Technical Manual TM-5-809-12 and
AFM 88-3, Chapter 15, U.S. Govern-
ment Printing Office, Washington,
D.C., August 1987.
7. Design and Construction of Post-
tensioned Slabs on Ground, Post-Ten-
sioning Institute, Phoenix, Ariz., 1980.
8. ACI Committee 223, “Shrinkage
Compensating Concrete Design (ACI
223-83),” ACI, 1983.
Boyd Ringo is a consulting engi-
neer in Cincinnati, and has more
than 40 years experience designing
and building plain and conventionally
reinforced concrete slabs on grade.
Rober t Anderson, long active in
the Post-Tensioning Institute,
helped develop design pro c e d u re s
for post-tensioned slabs. He is pres-
ident of Robert B. Anderson Con-
sulting Engineers, New Orleans.
Editor’s Note
This article was adapted from Ringo
and Anderson’s book, Designing Floor
Slabs on Grade. This comprehensive
reference helps designers select the
most cost-effective approach for
achieving superior crack control, sta-
bility, flatness, and overall strength. It
gives step-by-step design procedures
and contains all the necessary charts,
tables, and equations.
PUBLICATION #C940346
Copyright © 1994, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved