AR 17 63

Building Materials and

Construction - V

Mohammed Shibin N
Assistant Professor, Al Salama Institute of Architecture, Perinthalmanna,
Kerala, 679338, India. email: ar.mohammedshibin@gmail.com
 PLATE STRUCTURES
A plate is a structural element which is characterized by two key properties.
• Firstly, its geometric configuration is a three-dimensional solid whose
thickness is very small when compared with other dimensions.
• Secondly, the effects of the loads that are expected to be applied on it
only generate stresses whose resultants are, in practical terms,
exclusively normal to the element's thickness.

Thin plates are initially flat structural members bounded by two parallel
planes, called faces, and a cylindrical surface, called an edge or boundary.

Geometrically, plates are bounded either by straight or curved boundaries.

The static or dynamic loads carried by plates are predominantly
perpendicular to the plate faces.
• FOLDED PLATES

• FLAT SLAB

• COFFERED SLAB.
FOLDED PLATES
FLAT SLAB
 Flat slabs with capitals, drop panels, or both. These slabs are
very sa4sfactory for heavy loads and long spans.

 Although the formwork is more expensive than for flat plates,

flat slabs will require less concrete and reinforcing than would
be required for flat plates with the same loads and spans.

 They are particularly economical for warehouses, parking and

industrial buildings, and similar structures, where exposed
drop panels or capitals are acceptable.
Benefits of flat slab
• The main disadvantage is their lack of resistance to
lateral loads due to wind and earthquakes.

• Lateral load resisting systems such as shear walls are

often necessary.

• When the loads or spans or both become quite large,

the slab thickness and column sizes required for flat
plates or flat slabs are of such magnitude that it is
more economical to use two-way slabs with beams,
despite the higher formwork costs.
 COFFERED SLAB
 Also commonly known as waffle slabs

• Coffered slab is a ribbed structure with reinforced ribs in the

lower zone which have mutually perpendicular arrangement.

• In comparing with plate slab or cast-in-place slab with profiled

sheet formwork, application of cast-in-place ribbed slab reduces
the consumption of concrete for the construction of floors and
vertical load bearing walls, foundations of buildings.

• Hence there is a reduction of costs for its construction. There is a

reduction of its own weight of overlap - from 40% to 60%, while
rigidity of the slab is increased, which allows to arrange large
spans without intermediate supports devices. The resulting
thickness of the slab is much less flat.