Concrete Structures

Part 9
Two‐way Slabs

Introduction
• When a rectangular slab is supported on all sides and
A/B > 0.5 (B/A<2), it is considered to be a two‐way slab.
• Two‐way slab spans (transfer load) in two orthogonal
directions.
A

A = Short span
B = Long span
A
m
B B
hf 0 .5  m  1 .0

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 1 of 16

 Introduction
• Two‐way slabs are efficient, economical, and widely
used structural system.
• Types of two‐way slabs:
• Flat plates: used in lightly loaded structures (e.g. houses)
with span 4.5‐6 m.
• Waffle slabs: used in longer spans with normal loads and
span 7.5‐12 m.
• Flat slabs: used in heavy industrial loads (> 5 kN/m2)
with span 6‐9 m.
• Slabs with beams: used in moderately loaded structures
and with spans < 6 m.

Introduction
Flat plate

Waffle
slab

Flat slab

Slab with
beams
4

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 Behavior of Two‐way Slabs
1. Before cracking, the slab acts as an elastic plate.
Elastic analysis is used to calculate stresses and
deflections.

2. After cracking and before yielding of steel, the

slab is no longer isotropic and flexural stiffness is
reduced. However, elastic analysis will still give
adequate results.

Behavior of Two‐way Slabs

3. After reinforcement yielding, moments are redistributed
and loads transferred from highly stressed areas to less
stressed areas (see figure below). Yield line analysis is
used to predict slab strength.

Stage B
Stage A

Stage C

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 Behavior of Two‐way Slabs

Strip A

Strip B Strip C
7

Analysis Methods of Two‐way Slabs

• Coefficients Method: used for slabs supported on
stiff beams or walls.

• Direct Design Method (DDM)

• Equivalent Frame Method (EFM)

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 Coefficients Method
• This method is applicable to two‐way edge supported
slabs.
• The supports are unyielding and stiff beams or walls. A
stiff beam satisfies:
hBeam
3
hSlab
• If the support is a beam, it can be a stiff RC beam or
steel.
• The design of such slabs follows the provisions of
Method 3 of the ACI 318‐63 Code
9

Presentation of Edge Support

Columns
Beams

Continuous
edge
Discontinuous Slabs
edge
10

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 Presentation of Edge Support
• There are 9 different cases

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case 4

Case 5 Case 6 Case 7 Case 8

Case 9 11

Parameters
1. Aspect ratio m= A/B: In general, for rectangular
slabs, the larger percentage of the load is carried
in the short direction, where:
• A = Short span
• B = Long span
B

12

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 6 of 16

 Parameters
2. Restraint conditions at edge beams and continuity of
slab with adjacent panels:
• A simply supported (discontinuous) edge will develop zero
negative bending moment at the edge. However, since the
supporting beams are stiff and cast monolithically with the
slab, 1/3 of the positive moment is assumed to exist as
negative moment at the discontinuous edge.

M (  ve )

M (  ve )

3

M (  ve )

13

Coefficients of Negative Moments

• The negative moments due to total ultimate load
are expressed as follows:
MA neg
 C A neg wA2
MB neg
 C B neg wB 2
where, A  short span, B  long span,
C A & C B are coefficients obtained from Table13.1
w  total (dead & live) uniform ultimate load
 1.2 wDL  1.6 wLL
14

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 7 of 16

 Coefficients of Negative Moments

15

Positive Moments
• The total positive moments due to dead and live
load is then found by:

MA pos
 MA pos DL
MA pos LL

MB pos
 MB pos DL
 MB pos LL

16

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 8 of 16

 Coefficients of Positive Moments
– Due to dead load
• The positive moments due to dead load are
expressed as follows:
M A pos DL  C A DL wA2
M B pos DL  C B DL wB 2

where, A  short span, B  long span,

C A DL & C B DL are coefficients obtained from Table13.2
w  dead uniform ultimate load  1.2 wDL
17

Coefficients of Positive Moments

– Due to dead load

18

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 9 of 16

 Coefficients of Positive Moments
– Due to live load
• The positive moments due to live load are
expressed as follows:
MA pos LL
 C A LL wA2
MB pos LL
 C B LL wB 2

where, A  short span, B  long span,

C A LL & C B LL are coefficients obtained from Table13.3
w  live uniform ultimate load  1.6 wLL
19

Coefficients of Positive Moments

– Due to live load

20

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 10 of 16

 Minimum Slab Thickness, hf
• When using this method, the ACI Code requires the
minimum slab thickness hf to be as follows:

 f 
B 0.8  y 
1400 
h f (mm)    90 mm
36  9 
B 1
 
A m

21

Reinforcement in Two‐way Slabs

• Minimum reinforcement area (in long and short directions):
 0.0020bh for f y  280MPa & 350MPa
As ,min  
0.0018bh for f y  420MPa
• Maximum spacing of reinforcement in two way slabs is:
 2h
S max  min 
450 mm
• Minimum spacing of reinforcement in two way slabs is:
 25mm

S min  max  d b
(4 / 3)d agg

22

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 11 of 16

 Example
• Find the slab required thickness and 6.5 m
reinforcement for the corner panel shown in
the figure. The reinforced concrete floor is to
be composed of rectangular bays measuring
6.5 x 8 m as shown in the figure. The beams
are 600 x 600 mm in cross section. The floor is Corner
to be designed to carry a service live load of 8m panel
6.5 kN/m2 uniformly distributed over its
surface, in addition to its own weight. The
concrete compressive strength is 28 MPa and
the steel yield strength is 420 MPa .

600
mm 600
mm

23

Solution
 0.6   0.6 
1. LA  6.5   x 2   5.9 m, LB  8   x 2   7.4 m
 2   2 
LA 5.9 LB 1
m   0.8 , and     1.25
LB 7.4 LA m

 f 
B 0.8  y  7400 0.8  420 
1400 1400 
h f (mm)      172.3 mm  90 mm
36  9 36  91.25
h 600
Use h f  180 mm    3.33  Beams are rigid and
h f 180
coefficient method can be used
2. Factored loads calculation (assuming 1 m wide strip)
wDL  1.2bh f  c  1.21.0 0.1824  5.184 kN/m
wLL  1.61.0 6.5  10.4 kN/m
wu  10.4  5.184  15.584 kN/m
24

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 12 of 16

 Solution
3. The slab boundary conditions are shown in the figure
below. This is Case 4 (the slab is continuous along one
long direction and one short direction).

4. Find moment coefficients:

• Table 13.1 CA neg = 0.071 and CB neg = 0.029
• Table 13.2 CA DL = 0.039 and CB DL = 0.016
• Table 13.3 CA LL = 0.048 and CB LL = 0.020

5. Calculate moments:
we need to find the positive and negative moments along
the short and long directions.

25

Solution
M  C A neg wu A2
 0.07115.585.9
2

 38.52 kN.m
M ( ve ) 24.42
M  
3 3
 8.14 kN.m

M  C A DL wDL A2  C A LL wLL A2
 0.039 5.184 5.9  0.04810.45.9
2 2

 7.04  17.38  24.42 kN.m

Moments in short direction

26

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 Solution
M ( ve ) 15.93
M    5.31 kN.m
3 3

M  C B DL wDL B 2  C B LL wLL B 2
 0.0165.1847.4   0.02010.47.4
2 2

 4.54  11.39  15.93 kN.m

M  C B neg wu B 2
 0.02915.5847.4 
2

 24.75 kN.m

Moments in long direction 27

Solution
6. Design of reinforcement
The main direction is the short direction  the
reinforcement will be placed in the following order:
1) Bottom steel in the short direction
2) Bottom steel in long direction
3) Top steel in long direction
4) Top steel in short direction

Using No. 13 bars

db 12.7
 d short  h f  cover   180  20   153.7 mm
2 2
d 12.7
& d long  h f  cover  d b  b  180  20  12.7   141 mm
2 2
28

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 Solution
Direction Short Long
Mu,max (kN.m) 38.52 24.41 8.14 5.31 15.93 24.75
b (mm) 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
d (mm) 153.65 153.65 153.65 140.95 140.95 140.95
req 0.004495 0.002806 0.000919 0.000712 0.002163 0.003398
2
Areq (mm ) 691 431 141 100 305 479
2
Amin (mm ) 324 324 324 324 324 324
2
As (mm ) 691 431 324 324 324 479
Sreq (mm) 186.8 299.3 398.1 398.1 398.1 269.4
Smax (mm) 360 360 360 360 360 360
S (mm) 180 290 360 360 360 260
CSmin (mm) 25 25 25 25 25 25
CS (mm) 167 277 347 347 347 247
2
As,Actual (mm ) 716.7 444.8 358.3 358.3 358.3 496.2
a (mm) 12.65 7.85 6.32 6.32 6.32 8.76
2
c(mm ) 14.88 9.24 7.44 7.44 7.44 10.30
c/d 0.0968 0.0601 0.0484 0.0528 0.0528 0.0731
 0.90 0.90 0.90 0.90 0.90 0.90
Mn (kN.m) 39.9 25.2 20.4 18.7 18.7 25.6
Steel 29@ 260
No. 13 @ 180 No. 13 @ 290 No. 13 @ 360 No. 13 @ 360 No. 13 @ 360 No. 13

Solution
• Recall that: ρreq. 

1- 1-2.36 M u,max f c' bd 2 

1.18 f y f c
'

Areq  bd

 0.0020bh for f y  280 MPa & 350 MPa

As ,min  
0.0018bh for f y  420 MPa
Ab
s x1000
As
 2h
smax  min 
450 mm

30

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 Solution

No13 @360
(b)
(a)
No13 @290 (a) Place first
(b) Place second

These values are the

required values, not
the finally selected
values. Why?

Bottom Steel 31

Solution
All Top steel
No13@360
(a)

These values are the unless otherwise

required values, not mentioned
the finally selected (b)
values. Why? (b)
No13 @180 (a) Place first
(b) Place second
(a)
No13 @260

Top Steel 32

Part 9: Two-way slabs Page 16 of 16