ENGG 135

Design of Reinforced Concrete

Structures

Design of One-Way Slabs

Required Reading: Wight Chapter 5

●
We assume a
one-way slab
system if the
aspect ratio b/a is
greater than 2
●
The goal is to find
the reinforcement
in the direction of
the span

Positive bending reinforcement

●
Note no stirrups are used!!
●
Thickness of the slab h usually determined by
deflection limits

ACI 318
Table 7.3.1.1

ACI 318
Table 9.3.1.1

Use “ℓ” as the span between center-lines of supports

 General Design Procedure
●
The goal is to find bar size and its spacing
●
Note that clear cover is 3/4” for #3, #4, and #5
bars usually used to reinforce slabs
● Therefore d = h–3/4”–db/2
●
Take a 1-foot wide strip of slab and treat it as a
rectangular beam s

s
d

h Ab
h

d
12” 12”
 General Design Procedure

● Calculate Mu in k-ft/ft-width acting on the slab

● Find required As in in2/ft-width such that φMn ≥ Mn ≥
Mu
●
Select bar size (#3, #4, #5) and spacing s such
that, As /12” = Ab /s , which implies s=12*Ab /As
●
Round s down
 General Design Procedure

●
ACI 318 limits the maximum spacing of bars
s ≤ min {3h, 18”}
●
ACI 318 Section 7.12.2.1 also requires that you
place reinforcement perpendicular to the
bending reinforcement. This is the so-called
“shrinkage and temperature” reinforcement,
with maximum spacing
s ≤ min {5h, 18”}
 General Design Procedure

●
ACI 318 also requires a minimum area of
bending reinforcement as well as minimum
temperature and shrinkage reinforcement
Asmin = 0.0020 *Ac for grade 40 reinforcement
Asmin = 0.0018 *Ac for grade 60 reinforcement
where Ac=b*h is the gross concrete area of the
1-foot wide section (i.e., b=12”)
 Example
● Given: Slab with h=6”, f’c=4,000 psi, fy=60,000
psi, 3/4” cover. Assume multi-span condition
with ℓn=14’-2”, subject to wD=95 plf, wL=80 plf.
●
Find: Design the reinforcement of the slab.
●
Use the ACI method of coefficients to find the
critical bending moments
●
Please read Example 5-7 in your textbook for a
very detailed example, which will also help you
with your project
 ACI Method of Coefficients

●
Alternative to getting the BMD and SFD
envelopes from structural analysis
●
Applicable to simple geometry and loading
conditions (dead and live loads only)
●
Most often used to design one-way slabs
 ACI Method of Coefficients
●
Assumptions
– Slabs/beams with two or more continuous
spans
– Spans approximately equal (ratio of adjacent
spans between 0.85 and 1.20)
– Loads uniformly distributed, no point loads
– Dead loads < 3 * Live loads
– Prismatic cross-section
● Mu=Cmwuℓn2
● Vu=Cvwuℓn / 2
No edge restraint
● ℓn = clear span of
segment, except for
negative moments at
Torsionally stiff edge beam
interior supports
where you should
use the average of
adjacent clear spans