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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs 7.1 Introduction In reinforced concrete construction slabs are used to provide flat useful surfaces. Reinforced concrete slab may be supported by reinforced concrete beams (and is usually poured monolithically with such beams), by masonry or reinforced concrete walls, by structural steel members, directly by columns or continuously by the ground. Slabs may be supported in two opposite sides only, as in Fig.7.1a, in which case the structural action of the slab is essentially one-way, the loads being carried by the slab in the direction perpendicular to the supporting beams. There may be beams on all four sides, as in Fig.7.1b, so that two-way slab action is obtained. If the ratio of length to width of one slab panel is larger than about 2, most of the load is carried in the shorter direction to the supporting beams and one-way action is obtained in effect, even though supports are provided on all sides. The discussion in this will be about the simplest type of two-way slab action (see Fig 7.1b), where the slab, or slab panel, is supported along its four edges by relatively deep, stiff, monolithic concrete beams or by walls or steel girders.

(a) One-way slab

(b) Two-way slab

(c) Two-way slab (3D)

Fig.7.1 Types of structural slabs

7.2 Behavior of Two-Way Edge-Supported Slabs


In many cases, rectangular slabs are of such proportions and are supported in such a way that tow-way action results. When loaded the slabs bend in a dished surface. This means that at any point the slab is curved in both principal directions, and since bending moments are proportional to curvatures, moments also exist in both directions. To resist these moments, the slab must be reinforced in both directions. In order to visualize the flexural performance of two-way edge supported slab, consider the following panel with two sets of parallel strips, in each of the two directions, intersecting each other. Evidently, part of the load is carried by one set and transmitted to one pair of edge supports, and the remainder by the other.

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

Fig.7.2 Bending of center strips of two-way on simple edge supports The above figure shows the two centre strips of a rectangular plate with short span la and long span lb. if the uniform load w per square meter of slab, each of the two strips acts approximately like a simple beam uniformly loaded by its share of w. because of these imaginary strips actually are part of the same monolithic slab, their deflections at the intersection point must be the same. Equating the centre deflections of the short and long strips gives:

5wala 5wblb4 = 384 EI 384 EI Where wa is the share of the load w carried in the short direction and w b is the share if the load w carried in the long direction. Consequently,

wa l4 = b 4 wb la
One sees that the larger share of the load is carried in the short direction, the ratio of the two portions of the total load being inversely proportional to the fourth power of the ratio of the spans. The distribution of short span moment along the centre strip 1-1 (Fig.7.3) shows that the largest moment in the slab occurs at the mid span. Elsewhere the maximum moment value is less. Similarly the long span moment diagram in Fig. 7.3b applies only at the longitudinal centre line of the slab; elsewhere ordinates are reduced according to the variation shown. These variations in maximum moment across the width and length of a rectangular slab are accounted for in an approximate way in most practical design methods by designing for a reduced moment in the outer portion of the slab span in each direction.

Fig.7.3 Moments and moment variations in a uniformly loaded slab with simple supports on four sides.

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

7.3 Analysis of Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs by the Coefficient Method Consider a rectangular plate of sides a and b, simply supported in all edges and subjected to a uniform load p(x,y) as shown in Fig.7.4. The governing differential equation for deflections, w(x,y), for thin plate bending analysis is given by:

4w 4w 4w p +2 2 2 + 4 = x 4 x y y D

Eqn (7.1)

Et 3 Where D is the flexural rigidity of the plate, given by D = , t and are 12(1 2 )
thickness and poisons ratio of the plate respectively.

Fig.7.4 Moments acting on plate element

Once a satisfactory displacement function, w(x,y), is obtained, the stress resultant (e.g. the moments per unit width of the plate) may be obtained from the second derivatives of the deflection w(x,y) as follows: Bending moment along x, M x = D ( Bending moment along y, M y = D (

2w 2w + 2 ) x 2 y 2w 2w + 2 ) y 2 x 2w x y
Eqn (7.2)

Twisting moment, M xy = M yx = D (1 )

As exact solution of the governing differential equation is virtually impossible, approximate methods (e.g. double Fourier series) can be utilized as follows:

p ( x, y ) = pmn sin
m =1 n =1

mx ny sin , where the coefficients of the double Fourier a b 4 ab mx ny = p( x, y) sin a sin b dxdy ab 0 0

expansion, pmn, are given by pmn

w( x, y ) =

1 p mx ny (m / a)2 +mn(n / b)2 2 sin a sin b 4 D m =1 n =1

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

Accordingly, using eqns 7.2:

Mx =

1 ( m / a ) 2 + v ( n / b) 2 mx ny pmn sin sin 2 2 m =1 n =1 a b ( m / a ) 2 + ( n / b) 2

[ [

My =

1 ( n / b) 2 + v ( m / a ) 2 mx ny pmn sin sin 2 2 2 2 m =1 n =1 a b ( m / a ) + ( n / b)

[ [

Eqn (7.3)

M xy

1 mn mx ny = 2 v pmn sin sin 2 2 2 m =1 n =1 a b ab (m / a) + (n / b)

Referring equations 7.3, the precise determination of moments in two way slabs with various conditions of continuity at the supported edges is mathematically formidable and not suited to design practice. For this reason various simplified methods have been adopted for determining moments, shears, and reactions of such slabs. According to EBCS 2 1995, edge-supported two-way slabs are to be analyzed and designed using the coefficient method (see section 7.4). Reinforcement Since moments exist in both principal directions of two-way edge-supported slabs, the main flexural reinforcement is placed in an orthogonal pattern with bars parallel and perpendicular to the supported edges. As the positive steel is placed in two layers, the effective depth for upper layer is smaller than that for the lower layer by one bar diameter. Because the moments in the longer direction are smaller ones, it is economical to place the steel in that direction on top of the bars in the short direction. Either straight bars, cutoff where no longer required, or bent bars may be used for two-way slabs, but economy of bar fabrication and placement will generally favor all straight bars. As the precise locations of inflection points of two-way edge-supported slabs are not easily determined, standard cutoff and bend points for beams may be used. Twisting moments are usually of consequence only at exterior corners of a two-way slab system, where they tend to crack the slab at the bottom along the panel diagonal and at the top perpendicular to the panel diagonal. Therefore; special reinforcement should be provided at exterior corners in both bottom and top of the slab (see Fig.7.5). The top reinforcement should be parallel to the diagonal from the corner, while that of the bottom should be perpendicular to the diagonal. Alternatively, either layer of steel may be placed in two bands parallel to the sides of the slab.

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

Fig.7.5 Special reinforcement at exterior corners of edge-supported tow-way slabs

7.4 Analysis and Design of Edge-Supported Two-way Slabs, as per EBCS 2

(1) The type of slab dealt with here is one composed of rectangular panels
supported at all four edges by walls or beams stiff enough to be treated as unyielding. This may be assumed to be the case if the requirements for the ratio between the depth of a beam and its span are in accordance with Fig. 7.6.

(2) These methods are intended for slabs with uniformly distributed loads. If a slab

is subjected to concentrate or line loads, in addition to a uniform load, these can generally be treated by considering them as equivalent uniform loads using approximate rules, provided that the sum of the non-uniform loads on a panel does not exceed 20 percent of the total load.

Fig.7.6 Support for two-way slabs

Individual Panel Moments 1) Moments for individual panels with edges either simply supported or fully fixed are calculated as:

mi = i ( g d + qd ) L2 x

Eqn (7.4)

Where mi is the design moment per unit width at the point of reference

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

i is the coefficient given in Table A-l as function of aspect ratio Ly/Lx, and support conditions gd is the uniformly distributed design permanent load qd is the uniformly distributed design live load Lx is the shorter span of the panel Ly is the longer span of the panel Subscripts for moments and moment coefficients (i ) have the following meanings: s support f field (span) x direction of shorter span y direction of longer span

M xf = xfPdL x2 M yf = yfPdL x2

M xs = xsPdL x2 M ys = ysPdL x2

2) Notations for different critical moments and edge numbers are shown in Fig. 7.7.

Fig.7.7 Notations for Critical Moments

3) Division of slabs into middle and edge strips is illustrated in Fig. 7.8. The middle
strip being three quarters of the width and each edge strip one eighth of the width.

Fig.7.8 Division of slab in to middle and edge strips

4) The maximum design moments calculated as above apply only to the middle strips and no redistribution shall be made.

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

5) Reinforcement in an edge strip, parallel to the edge, need not be less than minimum areas of tension reinforcement. Moments in Continuous Slabs

1) The first stage of design is to determine support and span moments for all
panels individually by treating their edges as either simply supported or fully fixed. External edges are generally considered as simply supported and continuous edges are considered as fully fixed in this. 2) If the slab is connected with an external wall or if any of its edges is partly fixed and partly simply supported, the following procedure may be adopted: (a) The ratio of the actual support moment to the bending moment of fully fixed slab, or the ratio of the width of fixed part to the width of the simply supported part of the edge is evaluated. (b) The bending moments of the slab are then computed by interpolating between different support conditions. 3) For each support over which the slab is continuous there will thus generally be two different support moments. The difference may be distributed between the panels on either side of the support to equalize their moments, as in the moment distribution method for frames. 4) Two methods of differing accuracy are given here for treating the effects of this redistribution on moments away from the support. Method I 1) Method I may be used;

(a) When differences between initial support moments are less than 20 percent
of the larger moment, and (b) only for internal structures where the live load does not exceed 2.5 times the permanent load (qk 2.5gk) or 0.8 times the dead load for external structures (qk 0.8gk). 2) When Method I is used, dimensioning is normally carried out either using: (a) Initial moments directly, or (b) based on the average initial moment at the support. Method II

1) In this method consideration of the effects of changes of support moments is

limited to the adjacent spans. Since no effects on neighboring support sections need be considered, only a simple balancing operation is required at each edge and no iterative process is involved.

2) The procedure for applying this method is as follows:

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

(a) Support and span moments are first calculated for individual panels by
assuming each panel to be fully loaded. This is done by using the coefficients given in Table 7.1

(b) The unbalanced moment is distributed using the moment distribution


method. The relative stiffness of each panel shall be taken proportional to its gross moment of inertia divided by the smaller span.

(c) If the support moment is decreased, the span moments mxf and myf are
then increased to allow for the changes of support moments. This increase is calculated as being equal to the change of the support moment multiplied by the factors given in Table 7.2.

Elastic Values of Support Moments


1) The above methods give average values of support moments. In cases where maximum elastic moments should be considered (e.g. in watertight structures), elastic theory must be used.

Loads on Supporting Beams


1) The design loads on beams supporting solid slabs spanning in two directions at right angles support: uniformly distributed loads may be assessed from the following equations:

Vx = vx( gd + qd ) L x Vy = vy ( gd + qd ) L x 2) Table 7.3 gives values of load transfer coefficients. The assumed distribution of
the load on a supporting beam is as shown below.

3) The loads on beams supporting solid slabs spanning in two directions at right
angles and supporting uniformly distributed loads may be assumed to be in accordance with the following figure.

4) The design load on a beam determined in accordance with the above equations may be taken as the maximum shear in the slab at the center of support.

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

Table 7.1 Bending moment coefficients for rectangular panels supported on four sides with provision for torsion at corners.

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

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Table 7.2 Factors for adjusting span moments mxf and myf

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Chapter Seven: Edge-Supported Two-Way Slabs

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Table 7.3 Shear force coefficients for uniformly loaded rectangular panels supported on four sides with provision for torsion at corners.

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