AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

CHAPTER 3. ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF TWO-WAY SLABS

3.1. INTRODUCTION
In reinforced concrete construction, slabs are used to provide flat, useful surfaces. A
reinforced concrete slab is a broad, flat plate, usually horizontal, with top and bottom
surfaces parallel or nearly so. It may be supported by reinforced concrete beams (and is
usually cast 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 on two opposite sides only, as shown in Figure 3-1a, 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 shown in Figure 3-1b, so that two-way slab action is obtained.
Intermediate beams, as shown in Figure 3-1c, may be provided. If the ratio of length to
width of one slab panel is larger than about 2, most of the load is carried in the short
direction to the supporting beams and one-way action is obtained in effect, even though
supports are provided on all sides.

Concrete slabs in some cases may be carried directly by columns, as shown in Figure
3-1d, without the use of beams or girders. Such slabs are described as flat plates and
are commonly used where spans are not large and loads not particularly heavy. Flat
slab construction, shown in Figure 3-1e , is also beamless but incorporates a thickened
slab region in the vicinity of the column and often employs flared column tops. Both are
devices to reduce stresses due to shear and negative bending around the columns.
They are referred to as drop panels and column capitals, respectively. Closely related to
the flat plate slab is the two-way joist, also known as a grid or waffle slab, shown in
Figure 3-1f. To reduce the dead load of solid-slab construction, voids are formed in a
rectilinear pattern through use of metal or fiberglass form inserts. A two-way ribbed
construction results. Usually inserts are omitted near the columns, so a solid slab is
formed to resist moments and shear better in these areas.

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AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

Figure 3-1 – Types of Structural Slabs

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 AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

3.2. ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF TWO WAY SPANNING SLABS

3.2.1. GENERAL
For rectangular slabs with standard edge conditions and subject to uniformly distributed
loads, normally the bending moments are obtained using tabulated coefficients. Such
coefficients are provided later in this section.

3.2.2. SIMPLY SUPPORTED SLABS

When simply-supported slabs do not have adequate provision to resist torsion at the
corners, and to prevent the corners from lifting, the maximum moments per unit width
are given by the following equations:

M sx
  sx n l x
2
(1)
M sy   sy n l x
2
(2)
Note: Values for  sx and  sy
are given in Table 3-1

Where:

M sx
Maximum design ultimate moments either over supports or at mid-span
on strips of unit width and span l x
M sy
Maximum design ultimate moments either over supports or at mid-span
on strips of unit width and span l y
 sx and  sy
Moment coefficients
n Total design ultimate load per unit area
lx Length of shorter side
ly Length of longer side
The values in Table 3-1are derived from the following equations:

(3)
l 
4

y
lx
 sx 

8 1  ly lx  
4

(4)
l 
2

y
lx
 sy 

8 1  ly lx  
4

Table 3-1 - Bending moment coefficients for slabs spanning in two directions at right angles, simply
supported on four sides

ly lx 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.75 2.0

 sx 0.062 0.074 0.084 0.093 0.099 0.104 0.113 0.118
 sx 0.062 0.061 0.059 0.055 0.051 0.046 0.037 0.029

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AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

3.2.3. RECTANGULAR PANELS WITH RESTRAINED EDGES

In slabs where the corners are prevented from lifting, and provision for torsion is made,
the maximum design moments per unit width are given by the following equations.

M sx
  sx n l x
2
(5)
M sy   sy n l x
2
(6)
Note: Values of  sx and  sy are given in Table 3-2

Where:

and  s y Moment coefficients

 sx
The above equations and the coefficients in Table 3-2 may be derived from the following
equations:

 y   2 4  2 N d  1 .5 N d  (7)
2
1000

2   (8)
 
lx
  3  18   y  1    y  1 
9  ly
 

  x  3   x  3  (9)

Where:

Nd Number of discontinuous edges  0  N  4 

M sy
Maximum design ultimate moments either over supports or at mid-span
on strips of unit width and span l y
1 and 2 Hogging moments, per unit width, over the shorter edges divided by nlx
2

3 and 4 Hogging moments, per unit width, over the longer edges divided by 2
nlx

lx Length of shorter side

ly Length of longer side
Note: 1 and 2 take values of 4 3y for continuous edges or zero for discontinuous
edges.

3 and 4 take values of 4 3x for continuous edges or zero for discontinuous edges.

The conditions in which the equations may be used for continuous slabs only are as
follows.

a) The characteristic dead and imposed loads on adjacent panels are approximately
the same as on the panel being considered.

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 AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

b) The span of adjacent panels in the direction perpendicular to the line of the
common support is approximately the same as the span of the panel considered
in that direction.

The rules to be observed when the equations are applied to restrained slabs
(continuous or discontinuous) are as follows.

1. Slabs are considered as divided in each direction into middle strips and edge strips
as shown in Figure 3-3, the middle strip being three-quarters of the width and each
edge strip one-eighth of the width.
2. The maximum design moments calculated as above apply only to the middle strips
and no redistribution should be made.
3. Reinforcement in the middle strips should be detailed in accordance with EBCS EN
2004:20014.
4. Reinforcement in an edge strip, parallel to the edge, need not exceed the minimum
given in EBCS EN 2004:2014 (minimum areas of tension reinforcement), together
with the recommendations for torsion.
5. Torsion reinforcement should be provided at any corner where the slab is simply
supported on both edges meeting at that corner.
6. Torsion reinforcement need not be provided at any corner contained by edges over
both of which the slab is continuous.

Table 3-2 - Bending moment coefficients for rectangular panels supported on four sides with
provision for torsion at corners

Type of Panel and Short span coefficients,  s x Long span

moments considered coefficients,
Values of l y l x  s x for all
1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.75 2.0 values of
ly lx
Interior panels
Negative moment at 0.031 0.037 0.042 0.046 0.050 0.053 0.059 0.063 0.032
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.024 0.028 0.032 0.035 0.037 0.040 0.044 0.048 0.024
mid-span
One short edge
discontinuous
Negative moment at 0.039 0.044 0.048 0.052 0.055 0.058 0.063 0.067 0.037
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.029 0.033 0.036 0.039 0.041 0.043 0.047 0.050 0.028
mid-span
One long edge
discontinuous
Negative moment at 0.039 0.049 0.056 0.063 0.068 0.073 0.082 0.089 0.037
continuous edge
Positive moment at
mid-span
Two adjacent edges 0.030 0.036 0.042 0.o047 0.051 0.055 0.062 0.067 0.028

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discontinuous
Negative moment at 0.047 0.056 0.063 0.069 0.074 0.078 0.087 0.093 0.045
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.036 0.042 0.047 0.051 0.055 0.059 0.065 0.070 0.034
mid-span
Two short edges
discontinuous
Negative moment at 0.046 0.050 0.054 0.057 0.060 0.062 0.067 0.070 -
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.034 0.038 0.040 0.043 0.045 0.047 0.050 0.053 0.034
mid-span
Two long edges
discontinuous
Negative moment at - -- - - - - - - 0.045
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.034 0.046 0.056 0.065 0.072 0.078 0.091 0.100 0.034
mid-span
Three edges
discontinuous (one
long edge
continuous)
Negative moment at 0.057 0.065 0.071 0.076 0.081 0.084 0.092 0.098 -
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.043 0.048 0.053 0.057 0.060 0.063 0.069 0.074 0.044
mid-span
Three edges
discontinuous (one
short edge
continuous)
Negative moment at - - - - - - - - 0.058
continuous edge
Positive moment at 0.042 0.054 0.063 0.071 0.078 0.084 0.096 0.105 0.044
mid-span
Four edges
discontinuous
Positive moment at 0.055 0.065 0.074 0.081 0.087 0.092 0.103 0.111 0.056
mid-span

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AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

Figure 3-2 – Explanation of the derivation of the coefficient of Table 3-2

3.2.4. RESTRAINED SLAB WITH UNEQUAL CONDITIONS AT ADJACENT

PANELS
In some cases the support moments calculated from Table 3-2, for adjacent panels, may
differ significantly. To adjust them the following procedures may be used.

a) Calculate the sum of the midspan moment and the average of the support
moments (neglecting signs) for each panel.
b) Treat the values form table as fixed end moments (FEMs)
c) Distribute the FEMs across the supports according to the relative stiffness of
adjacent spans, giving new support moments.
d) Adjust midspan moment for each panel: this should be such that when it is added
to the average of the support moments from c) (neglecting signs) the total equal
that from a).

If, for a given panel, the resulting support moments are now significantly greater than
the value from Table 3-2, the tension steel over the supports will need to be extended
beyond the provisions

The procedure should be as follows.

e) The span moment is taken as parabolic between supports; its maximum values is
as found from d).
f) The points of contra flexure of the new support moments [from c)] with the span
moment [from e)] are determined.
g) At each end half the support tension steel is extended to at least an effective
depth or 12 bar diameters beyond the nearest point of contra flexure.
h) At each end the full area of the support tension steel is extended to half the
distance from g).

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 AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

Figure 3-3 – Division of slab into middle and edge strip

3.2.5. LOADS ON SUPPORTING BEAMS

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

 sy   vy n l x (10)
 sx   vx n l x (11)
Where:

 sy Design end sear on strips of unit width and span ly and considered to
act over the middle three-quarters of the edge.
 sx Design end sear on strips of unit width and span l x and considered to
act over the middle three-quarters of the edge.
Where design ultimate support moments are used which differ substantially from those
that would be assessed from Table, adjustment of the values given in Table may be
necessary. The assumed distribution of the load on a supporting beam is shown in
Figure 3-4.

Table 3-3 – Shear force coefficients for uniformly loaded rectangular panels supported on four
sides with provision for torsion at corners

Type of Panel and  v x for values of l y l x

location  vy
1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.75 2.0
Four edges
continuous
Continuous edge 0.33 0.36 0.39 0.41 0.43 0.45 0.48 0.50 0.33
One short edge
discontinuous
Continuous edge 0.36 0.39 0.42 0.44 0.45 0.47 0.50 0.52 0.36

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 AAiT, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reinforced Concrete II

Discontinuous edge - - - - - - - - 0.24

One long edge
discontinuous
Continuous edge 0.36 0.40 0.44 0.47 0.49 0.51 0.55 0.59 0.36
Discontinuous edge 0.24 0.27 0.29 0.31 0.32 0.34 0.36 0.38 -
Two adjacent edges
discontinuous
Continuous edge 0.40 0.44 0.47 0.50 0.52 0.54 0.57 0.60 0.40
Discontinuous edge 0.26 0.29 0.31 0.33 0.34 0.35 0.38 0.40 0.26
Two short edges
discontinuous
Continuous edge 0.40 0.43 0.45 0.47 0.48 0.49 0.52 0.54 -
Discontinuous edge - - - - - - - - 0.26
Two long edges
discontinuous
Continuous edge - - - - - - - - 0.40
Discontinuous edge 0.26 0.30 0.33 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.44 0.47 -
Three edges
discontinuous (one
long edge
discontinuous)
Continuous edge 0.45 0.48 0.51 0.53 0.55 0.57 0.60 0.63 -
Discontinuous edge 0.30 0.32 0.34 0.35 0.36 0.37 0.39 0.41 0.29
Three edges
discontinuous (one
short edge
discontinuous)
Continuous edge - - - - - - - - 0.45
Discontinuous edge 0.29 0.33 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.42 0.45 0.48 0.30
Four edges
discontinuous
Discontinuous edge 0.33 0.36 0.39 0.41 0.43 0.45 0.48 0.50 0.33

Figure 3-4 – Distribution of load on a beam supporting a two-way spanning slabs

Chapter 2: Analysis and Design of Two-way Slabs Page 9