Design of Reinforced

Concrete Two-Way Slabs

Two-way Slabs with beams and Flat Slab

Flat slab Two-way slab with beams

Types of Flat Slab Systems

For flat plates and slabs the column connections

can vary between:
Flat Plate and Waffle Slab System

Flat Plate Waffle slab

Joist Slab and Waffle Slabs
Flat Plate suitable span 20 to 25 ft with LL= 60 -100 psf
Advantages
Low cost formwork
Exposed flat ceilings
Fast
Disadvantages
Low shear capacity
Low Stiffness (notable deflection)
Flat Slab suitable span 20 to 30 ft with LL= 80 -150 psf
Advantages
Low cost formwork
Exposed flat ceilings
Fast
Disadvantages
Need more formwork for capital and panels
Waffle Slab suitable span 30 to 48 ft with LL= 80 -150 psf
Advantages
Carries heavy loads
Attractive exposed ceilings
Fast
Disadvantages
Formwork with panels is expensive
One-way Slab on beams suitable span 10 to 20 ft with
LL= 60-100 psf
Can be used for larger spans with relatively higher
cost and higher deflections
One-way joist floor system is suitable span 20 to 30 ft
with LL= 80-120 psf
Deep ribs, the concrete and steel quantities are
relative low
Expensive formwork expected.
(1) Direct Design Method (DDM)
Limited to slab systems to uniformly distributed loads and supported on
equally spaced columns. Method uses a set of coefficients to determine
the design moment at critical sections. Two-way slab system that do not
meet the limitations of the ACI Code 13.6.1 must be analyzed more
accurate procedures

(2) Equivalent Frame Method (EFM)

A three dimensional building is divided into a series of two-dimensional
equivalent frames by cutting the building along lines midway between
columns. The resulting frames are considered separately in the longitudinal
and transverse directions of the building and treated floor by floor.
Longitudinal
equivalent frame

Transverse equivalent frame

Elevation of the frame

Perspective view
(1) Elastic Analysis
Concrete slab may be treated as an
elastic plate. Use Timoshenko’s
method of analyzing the structure.
Finite element analysis

Column and Middle Strips

The slab is broken up into column and
middle strips for analysis
The definitions of the terms are:

h = Minimum slab thickness without interior beams

ln = Clear span in the long direction measured face to
face of column
b = the ratio of the long to short clear span
am= The average value of a for all beams on the sides
of the panel.
 Minimum Slab Thickness
Minimum Slab Thickness for two-way construction
The ACI Code 9.5.3 specifies a minimum slab thickness to control deflection. There
are three empirical limitations for calculating the slab thickness (h), which are based
on experimental research. If these limitations are not met, it will be necessary to
compute deflection.
 f 
ln  0.8  y 
(a) For 0.2  a m  2   fy in psi. But not less than 5 in.
h=  
200,000
36  5b a m  0.2
 f y 

ln 0.8 
  fy in psi. But not less than 3.5 in.
2  am h=  
(b) For
200,000
36  9 b
(c) For a m  0 .2
Use the following table on next slide
 Minimum Slab Thickness

Slabs without interior

beams spanning between
supports and ratio of long
span to short span < 2

See section 9.5.3.3 For

slabs with beams spanning
between supports on all
sides.
Accounts for stiffness effect of beams located along slab edge
reduces deflections of panel adjacent to beams.

flexural stiffness of beam 4E cb I b / l E cb I b

a= a= =
flexural stiffness of slab 4E cs I s / l E cs I s
E cb = Modulusof elasticity of beam concrete
E sb = Modulusof elasticity of slab concrete
I b = Moment of inertia of uncracked beam
Is = Moment of inertia of uncracked slab
A flat plate floor system with panels 24 by 20 ft is supported on 20 in. square columns.
Determine the minimum slab thickness required for the interior and corner panels. Use fc =
4 ksi and fy = 60 ksi
Slab thickness, from table for fy = 60 ksi and no edge beams
ln
hmin =
30
 20 in.  1 ft.  
ln = 24 ft.  2     = 22.33 ft.
 2  12 in.  
 12 in. 
22.33 ft.  
hmin =  1 ft. 
= 8.93 in.  9 in.
30
Slab thickness, from table for fy = 60 ksi and no edge beams for a = am = 0
ln
hmin =
33
 12 in. 
22.33 ft.  
hmin =  1 ft. 
= 8.12 in.  8.5 in.
33
The floor system consists of solid slabs and beams in two directions supported on 20 in square
columns. Determine the minimum slab thickness required for an interior panel. Use fc = 4 ksi
and fy = 60 ksi
 Example – a calculations
To find h, need to find am therefore Ib, Islab and a for each beam
and slab in long short direction. Assume slab thickness h= 7 in. so
that x = y < 4 tf
22 in.  7 in. = 15 in.  4tf = 4  7 in. = 28 in.

be = 16 in.  2 15 in. = 46 in.

Compute the moment of inertia and centroid

I beam = 22453 in 4
1 3 1  12 in.  
= bh =  20 ft     7 in.
3
I slab
12 12   1 ft.  
= 6860 in 4
Compute the moment of inertia and centroid
bh hb Ai (in2) y i (in) y iAi (in3) I (in4) d (in) d2A (in4)
Flange 7 46 322 3.5 1127 1314.833 -4.69751 7105.442
Beam 15 16 240 14.5 3480 4500 6.302491 9533.135

562 4607 5814.833 16638.58

ybar = 8.197509 in
I = 22453.41 in4

EI beam 22453 in 4
a short = =
4
EI beam 22453 in
a long = = EI slab 8232 in 4
EI slab 6860 in 4
= 3.27 = 2.73
1 3 1  12 in.   a long  a short 3.27  2.73
I slab = bh =  24 ft   
3
 7 in. a avg = =
12 12   1 ft.   2 2
= 8232 in 4
= 3.0
 Example – a calculations
Compute the b coefficient  20 in.  1 ft.  
24 ft.  2   
Compute the thickness for am > 2
llong  2  12 in. 
b= = = 1.22
lshort  20 in.  1 ft.  
20 ft.  2   
 2  12 in.  
 fy   12 in.   60000 
ln 0.8  
200000   
22.33 ft. 0.8
  1 ft.   200000 
h= =
36  9 b 36  9 1.22 
= 6.28 in.  Use slab thickness, 6.5 in. or 7 in.
Compute the moment of inertia and centroid for the L-beam

I L-beam = 15302 in 4
1 3 1  12 in.  
I slab = bh = 10 ft   
3
 7 in.
12 12   1 ft.  
= 3430 in 4
 bh hb Ai (in2) y i (in) y iAi (in3) I (in4) d (in) d2A (in4)
Flange 7 27 189 3.5 661.5 771.75 -5.36585 5441.761
Beam 15 12 180 14.5 2610 3375 5.634146 5713.849

369 3271.5 4146.75 11155.61

ybar = 8.865854 in
I = 15302.36 in4

EI L-beam 15302 in 4 EI L-beam 15302 in 4

a long = = a short = =
EI slab 3430 in 4 EI slab 4116 in 4
= 4.46 = 3.72

1 3 1  12 in.  
I slab = bh = 12 ft   
3
 7 in.
12 12   1 ft.  
= 4116 in 4
Compute the am coefficient for the edges and corner
4.46  2.73  3.27  2.73
am =
4
= 3.30

3.72  3.27  2.73  3.27

am =
4
= 3.25

3.72  4.46  2.73  3.27

am =
4
= 3.55
 Compute the am coefficient for the edges and corner
 20 in.  1 ft.   12 in.  1 ft.  
ln = 24 ft.        
 2  12 in.    2  12 in.  
= 22.67 ft.

 fy   12 in.   60000 
ln 0.8   22.67 ft.   0.8 
 200000   1 ft.   200000 
h= =
36  9 b 36  9 1.22 
= 6.37 in. 