Slabs
Concrete slabs are structural elements used to create flat horizontal surfaces,
like floors, ceilings, and roof decks. They support and transfer the loads safely
from columns to walls.
They are commonly made of reinforced concrete with their top and bottom
surfaces parallel to each other. Their thickness is dependent on the load imposed
on them and can be supported either by beams, columns, walls, or constructed
on the ground (slab-on-ground).
Loads on Concrete Slabs
Concrete slabs are generally assumed to carry uniformly distributed loads. The
uniform loads for which slabs are designed are dead loads and imposed loads.
The dead loads include the self-weight of the slab, floor finishes, walls, grills,
etc.
The design of slabs for imposed loads and live loads is based on the type of the
building. For residential buildings, a live load of 2000 to 3000 N/m2 is used as
per Indian standards. The imposed loads considered for various types of
buildings can be referred from IS 875-Part 2 (1987).
Construction of Concrete Slabs
Generally, concrete slabs can be ground-bearing or suspended. A slab is
ground-bearing if it is constructed directly on the foundation while a suspended
slab spans between the supports and is designed to resist bending moments
based on the magnitude of the load and the length of the span. Concrete slabs
can be prefabricated off-site and assembled at the site, or they are constructed
in-situ using formwork.
Types of Concrete Slabs
There are several types of concrete slabs widely used in construction but the
most general ones used in building construction are:
1. Conventional slabs
2. Flat slabs
3. Hollow-core slabs
4. Waffle slabs
5. Composite slabs
1. Conventional Slabs
Conventional concrete slabs are supported with beams and columns. They
transfer load to the supporting structural elements. Conventional slabs are
mainly classified into one-way slabs and two-way slabs (Figure-1).
One-way slabs are slabs that are supported only on two of their opposite sides.
They transfer loads along the longer direction. Two-way slabs are slabs that are
supported on all four sides. They transfer loads along both directions.
2. Flat Slabs
Flat slabs are slabs that are supported directly by the columns without the use of
beams. They are easy to construct and require less formwork compared to
conventional concrete slabs.
3. Hollow Core Slab
Hollow core slabs are constructed to have longitudinal cores or voids within
them. This reduces the overall weight of concrete, unlike conventional concrete
slabs. These types of slabs consume less concrete and can achieve longer spans.
These are best suitable for multi-story car parkings and office buildings.
4. Waffle Slabs
Waffle slab possesses a waffle-shaped geometry. It is designed to have square
grids with deep sides without the interference of columns. It is a good choice for
the construction of longer spans. Waffle slabs take a greater load compared to
conventional slabs.
5. Composite Slab
A composite slab system involves constructing a reinforced concrete cast on the
top of the steel decking as a supporting system for the above concrete slab. The
system gains superior strength-weight and stiffness-weight ratio.
Structural Action of Concrete Slabs
The structural behavior of concrete slabs subjected to loads is controlled by the
geometry of the slabs and the direction of their reinforcement. The dead loads
and imposed loads coming over the slabs are distributed over their support
system.
The behavior of slabs can be explained by taking into consideration the
conventional concrete slabs: one-way and two-way slabs.
Structural Behaviour of One-Way Slabs
One-way slabs have the ratio of longer dimension to shorter dimension greater
than or equal to two. It is supported at two opposite edges, as shown in
Figure-7. The loads acting on one-way slabs are transferred between the
adjacent beams or supports. When a one-way slab is supported on all its four
edges, the load is transferred along the longer direction other than the shorter
direction.
Due to the loads, the one-way slab bends along the shorter span, as explained in
Figure-7 (a). Hence during the design, the main reinforcement is provided along
the shorter span and distribution reinforcement is provided along the longer
spans. A common example of a one-way slab is a cantilever slab used for
verandahs.
Structural Behaviour of Two-Way Slabs
Two-way slabs are supported on all their four sides and the ratio of their longer
dimension to shorter dimension is less than two (Figure-7 (b)). Hence, the load
is carried in both directions of the slab.
Two-way slabs undergo bending along the shorter and longer sides; hence the
main reinforcement is provided in both directions. They are commonly used in
the construction of floors of multi-story buildings.
