Limit State of

Serviceability in Deflection
 Serviceability
Serviceability is the fitness of the
structure to serve the desired function
satisfactorily under service loads
Various considerations
Deflection
Cracking
Vibrations
Slenderness
Impermeability
Acoustic
thermal insulation
 Important Considerations

The member should not undergo excessive

deformation (i.e. limit state of deflection)
The crack width at the surface of R.C. member
should not be more that specified by the code
(i.e. limit state of cracking)
As per IS 456:2000, the combinations of loads
for serviceability conditions should be the
largest of the following:-
1.0DL + 1.0LL
1.0DL + 1.0WL Pg.No. 68
1.0DL + 0.8LL + 0.8WL or EL
 Two Approaches

Two approaches for safety against excessive

deflection of bending members:-
Empirical method of restricting the span to
effective depth ratio
Computation of deflection satisfying the
specified allowable limits of deflection
Cracking of concrete in tension zone cant be
avoided but it can be limited by adhering to the
codal requirements of minimum steel area &
maximum spacing of bars in the member
Proper & prolonged curing of concrete,
good quality of mix should be ensured for
the control of cracking
The actual crack width of cracks should be
 Limit state of Deflection

Its set down on several factors

Aesthetic/ psychological discomfort
Effect on geometry & shape of the structure
Deformation of doors, windows & other
fixures
Cracks in attached walls, floor & ceiling
finishes
Ponding of roof slabs
Limiting crack widths which are otherwise
increased with increased deflections.
When it is designed based on ULM / LSM it
results in thinner/ slender sections, Which will
deflect more than those designed by WSM
The problem is further amplified due to the
 Cracks in attached walls

Ponding of roof slabs

 Deflection of R.C Member
Short term, instantaneous or immediate
deflection
Long term deflection
Total deflection
Short term deflection
This is due to initial elastic deformation of
the R.C member due to load and permanent
imposed load under service conditions
Long term deflection
This is caused due to
Creep & shrinkage under sustained
loading
Additional elastic deflection due to
temporary live loads
Total Deflection

Total Deflection Pg.No. 88 Annex-C

Sum of short term and long term
deflections
aT is the total deflection,
aT = ai + alt = ai + (acs + acc(perm) + atp)
Where aT = Total deflection
ai = immediate or short term deflection
alt = long term deflection
acs = deflection due to shrinkage
acc(perm) = deflection due to creep, under
permanent loads
atp = deflection due to temperature
Short Term Deflection

Due to service loads

Factors affecting the short term deflections
are:-
Magnitude of live load & mode of
distribution (i.e. concentrated, uniformly
distributed or other variations)
Span of the structure
Type of end restraints
Cross-sectional properties, including
percentages of tensile and compressive
reinforcement
Grade of concrete & its characteristic
strength
Long Term Deflection

The additional deflections of R.C member

under the effect of sustained loads.
This is mainly due to the following;-
Deflection due to differential shrinkage
(acs)
Deflection due to creep under sustained
loading (acr)
Deflection due to temperature effects (a tp)
Deflection due to additional live loads (aadl)
Deflection due to Shrinkage -
acs
Shrinkage of an isolated plain concrete
member is its volumetric free contraction,
causing shortening of the member
Reinforcing bars, embedded into it to resist
tension, resists this shortening, resulting in the
production of curvature, commonly known as
shrinkage curvature
The compressive stresses are developed in
steel and tensile stresses are developed in
concrete and the member defects
The shrinkage deflection enhances the
deflection due to loads
The presence of steel in compression side
Deflection due to creep under sustained loading-acr

Creep is the phenomenon owing to which

compressive strain in concrete keep on
increasing under sustained loading
The strain in tension steel also increases
depending upon the reduction in the lever arm
In flexural members, the distribution of creep
strains across the depth is non-uniform, with a
practically linear variation resulting in creep
curvature, which is additive to initial elastic
curvature
This results in the increase in deflection and
depends mainly on the magnitude of permanent
load on the structure
Instead of determining the creep deflection
(acc(perm)) directly, in terms of the initial elastic
Creep Coefficient

Values of Creep Coefficient

Age of loading Creep coefficient

7 days 2.2

28 days 1.6

1 year 1.1

Pg No. 16 Clause 6.2.5.1

Deflection due to Temperature

A bending member may deflect if there is

difference in temperatures between the top &
bottom faces of the member
In roof members, there may be substantial
temperature differential between the top face
which is exposed to the sun & the bottom face
which may be under air-conditioned
atmosphere
It is usually of a hogging nature for
cantilevered structures, this deflection may be
additive.
Similarly, in very cold weather, the deflection
due to temperature may be deflections due to
Deflection due to Temperature

`
 Control of Deflection-Pg No. 37 Clause 23.2
Is 456-2000 has given two approaches for safety
against deflection of bending members (beams &
slabs);
Specifying allowable limits of deflection in
terms of span-deflection ratio
Specifying span to effective depth ratio for
control of deflection
Deflection limits by span-deflection ratio
IS 456-2000 specified two allowable limits of
deflection for safety of members against
excessive deflection:
the final deflection due to all loads including
the effect of temperature, creep & shrinkage
& measured from the as-cast level of the
supports of floors, roofs and all other
horizontal members shouldnt normally
 Span to effective depth ratio
The second approach is based on span/deflection
ratio, which is indirectly related to the span-
deflection ratio Pg. No. 37-Clause 23.2.1
Modification factors for basic span- depth ratios
Effect of span greater than 10m Fl
Effect of percentage of tension steel and service
stress in steel Ft
Effect of percentage of compression steel Fc
Effect of beam section i.e. rectangular or flanged
Fb
(l/d)final = (l/d)basic x Fl x Ft X Fc X Fb
Span Factor Fl
Fl = 10 / span in meters > 1
Factor Ft Pg.No. 38
Span to effective depth ratio
Span-depth ratios Two-way slabs

For two-way slabs of shorter spans upto 3.5m

with mild steel reinforcement, the span to over
all depth ratios (l/D ratio) given below may
generally be assumed to satisfy vertical
deflection limits for loading class upto 3kN/m2
For HYSD bars of grade Fe 415, the values
given above should be multiplied by 0.8
 Measures of control deflection
If the computed deflection for a designed
member/structure comes out to be greater than
the allowable deflection
The following measures may be taken
Increase the depth of section
Increase the camber Not greater than l/250
Use of richer concrete mix reduces upto
10%
Use of Fe 250 steel in place of HYSD bars
deflection reduces by 25%
Increase the width of section
Delay in erection of partitions & finishes
Reduce creep deflection by about 30%
Use of T-section