Chapter 1 - Introduction

Reinforced concrete is the most commonly used building material in the world. Over 2billion
tons of concrete is produced annually and that quantity will continue to increase in years to
come. Reinforced concrete has a wide variety of uses and is a common material for structural
floor systems. Common reinforced concrete floor systems include post-tensioned slabs, one-
way pan-joists, hollow core planks, one-way flat plate slabs, and two-way flat plate slabs.
Each of these floor systems have advantages and disadvantages and are efficient systems for
certain scenarios. This report will primarily focus on two-way flat plate slabs and the
implementation of putting plastic hollow voids inside the slab to reduce the self weight of the
structure by reducing the volume of concrete and these advantages and disadvantages are
further discussed in Chapter 3.
The concept of putting voids into concrete slabs is not new, but recent innovations have
increased the efficiency of the voided slab concept. Chapter 2 examines the history and the
evolution of voided slabs from ancient times through present day. There are multiple
producers of plastic void formers in the United States and they each have a variety of
products, which will be discussed in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses current projects that have
implemented flat plate voided slabs in North America. From a statics perspective, voided
slabs eliminate concrete in the areas where it is not necessary, while optimizing the slab’s
thickness and volume of concrete. By reducing the self-weight of the slab, the gravity loads
transferred into the columns and foundation are also minimized, which will result in smaller
columns and foundations. Ultimately, the overall volume of building material will be
reduced, which will save the owner money. Chapter 6 discusses the design process for
properly designing flat plate voided slabs with the CRSI Design Guide for Voided Slabs. The
results for the reduction in dead load by implementing voids into the traditional flat plate slab
is presented in Chapter 7. The reduction in the volume of concrete reduces the amount
cement production needed. Chapter 8 discusses the sustainability factor of voided slabs since
cement production is a major cause of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The
reduction in the dead load of the structure will also decrease the seismic loads in the building
and reduce the size of the members in the lateral force resisting system. For structures in high
seismic regions, the lateral force resisting system is often the controlling factor in cost over
the gravity system. Therefore, any reduction in the dead load will decrease the seismic base
shear, which will minimize the forces onto the lateral force resisting system and reduce the
cost of the lateral members. Chapter 9 further discusses the economics and constructability of
flat plate voided slabs.