560.325 Lecture Notes T.

Igusa

100

VIII. EDGE-SUPPORTED SLABS

Chapter 10, Section 4

1. Design of One-Way Slabs

main
reinforcement

w = load per square foot 1 foot width =

wall

transverse
reinforcement

wall

A one-way slab is a floor supported on two opposite edges, as shown below. The
analysis of such slabs is just an extension of the analysis of beams. Essentially, a 12"
width of the slab is considered as a beam. This 12-inch wide beam is analyzed in a
similar manner as in Chapters III, IV, and VI, with some minor modifications.

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In the analysis of a 12-inch width of the slab, some care is required in calculating the
steel areas. This is because, in general, there is not an integer number of bars within
the 12-inch width. The following definitions are used:
As

= area of main reinforcement (inches2 / foot of slab)

A tr = area of transverse reinforcement (inches2 / foot of slab)

= steel ratio = area of steel / gross area

tr = transverse steel ratio = area of transverse steel / gross area

s

= spacing of transverse reinforcement

sb

= spacing of main reinforcement bars

Example 8.1 Bar spacing

A slab has dimensions h = 5" and d = 4". Answer the following:
(a) If there are No. 4 bars @ 4.5", what is ?
(b) If tr = 0.002 and No. 3 bars are used, what is the spacing, s?
Solution:
(a)

(b) tr =

A (main reinforcement)
=
A (concrete)
A (transverse reinforcement)
=
A (concrete)

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Design rules:
Slabs design is similar to flexural and shear beam design in Chapters III and IV.
There are some modifications, described below.
1. To control deflections, the thickness, h, must satisfy the following limits:
h/L

1/20

simply supported

h/L

1/24

one end continuous

h/L

1/28

two ends continuous

h/L

1/10

cantilever

2. Typical steel ratios are:

0.004 0.008
3. The effective length of the slab is the clear span plus the width of a supporting
beam or wall:

4. The spacing of the main reinforcement, sb, must satisfy:

1.5h sb 3 h
sb 18 inches
5. The clear spacing should be 0.75 inches. Typically, bar are placed one inch
from the surface of the concrete.
6. The main reinforcement typically runs from one end of the slab to the other.
Development length need not be calculated in most cases.
7. Transverse reinforcement is used to control shrinkage. The design rules for
transverse reinforcement are:
tr 0.0018
s

5h

Note: tr can be less than min = 200/fy

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103

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Example 8.2 Slab design

A cantilever slab extends 4.5 feet beyond a 1 foot thick wall. It is 10 feet wide. There
is an 80 pounds per square foot (psf) live load. The dead load is 10 psf plus the
weight of the slab. The material properties are f'c = 5 ksi and fy = 60 ksi. Design the
slab and its reinforcement.

Solution:
Before proceeding with the design steps, it is necessary to find the load. Since a one
foot wide section of the slab is used, the loads in psf are multiplied by one foot to
obtain loads in lbs per foot.
The size of the slab is determined immediately from the deflections restriction:
h

The weight of a one-foot wide section of slab is ( b = 1 foot ):

weight per foot = area (ft2) 145 pcf
= bh (ft2) 145 pcf =
The loads are:
wd =
wl

w u = 1.4 wd + 1.7 wl =
Mu =
Vu =
Also, the parameter 1 is needed from equation (3.26):
1 = 0.85 0.05 (f'c 4000)/1000 = 0.8

(for f'c = 5000 psi concrete)

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The design proceeds with the steps for "design with specific concrete dimensions":
1.

Find the required value for R corresponding to b and d:

R = Mu / b d2 =

2a. Substitute the preceding value for R into the equation below. The result is a
quadratic equation with unknown, . Use the smallest solution.
fy
R = fy 1 0.59
=
f'c

2b. Check the steel ratio with the minimum and maximum values:
87,000
f'
b = 0.85 1 c
fy 87,000 + fy

= 0.0335

min = 3 f' c / fy = 0.00354

max = 0.75 b = 0.75 0.0335 = 0.0251
3.

Calculate the shear strength (bw = b = 12"):

V c = 2 f'c bw d =
Vc / 2 =

4.

Calculate the required steel areas in both the main and transverse directions.
Main reinforcement:
=

Ab
=
d sb

Spacing restrictions:
1.5h sb 3 h

and

sb 18 inches

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Transverse reinforcment:
tr =

Ab (transverse)
=
ds

Spacing restrictions:
5h s

Final layout:

and

s 18 inches