Reinforced Concrete Design II – ACI 318
Lecture 4
Design of hollow block
and ribbed slabs
Ribbed and hollow block slabs
Ribbed slabs consist of regularly spaced ribs monolithically
built with a toping slab. The voids between the ribs may be
either light material such as hollow blocks [figure 1] or it
may be left unfilled [figure 2].
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Ribbed and hollow block slabs
The main advantage of using hollow blocks is the reduction in
weight by removing the part of the concrete below the neutral axis.
Additional advantages are:
1- Ease of construction.
2- Hollow blocks make it possible to have smooth ceiling which is
often required for architectural considerations.
3- Provides good sound and temperature insulation properties.
Hollow block floors proved economic for spans of more than 5 m
with light or moderate live loads, such as hospitals, offices or
residential buildings. They are not suitable for structures having
heavy live loads such as warehouses or parking garages.
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One-way v.s two-way ribbed slabs
If the ribs are provided in one direction only, the slab is classified
as being one-way, regardless of the ratio of longer to shorter panel
dimensions. It is classified as two-way if the ribs are provided in
two directions. One way slabs typically span in the shorter
direction. One way ribbed slabs may be used for spans up to 6 -
6.5 m.
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One-way ribbed (joist) slab
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Arrangements of ribbed slabs
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Arrangements of ribbed slabs
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Arrangements of ribbed slabs
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Arrangements of ribbed slabs
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Arrangements of ribbed slabs
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Key components of ribbed slabs
Is a strength reduction factor
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Key components of ribbed slabs
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Key components of ribbed slabs
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Key components of ribbed slabs
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Cross (distribution) ribs
Transversal, distribution or cross ribs are added to one-way
hollow block floors for better distribution of the applied loads.
They also help in distributing the concentrated loads due to walls
in the transverse direction. The bottom reinforcement is taken as
the reinforcement in the main ribs, and the top reinforcement
should be taken at least ½ of the bottom reinforcement. Cross
ribs are usually 10 cm wide.
Arrangement of regularly spaced cross rib :
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Cross (distribution) ribs
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Minimum thickness of one way slabs
Minimum Cover
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Loads Assigned to Slabs
a- Dead Load (D.L) :
1- Weight of slab covering materials
2- Equivalent partition weight
3- Own weight of slab
b- Live Load (L.L)
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Loads Assigned to Slabs
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Loads Assigned to Slabs
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Loads Assigned to Slabs
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0.85 f c' 2M u
ρ 1 1
fy 0 . 85 f c' b d 2
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Types of sections according to the ACI Code
[1] Tension-controlled section ACI 21.2.2–9.3.3.1–R21.2.2
The tensile strain in the tension steel is equal to or greater than 0.005 when
the concrete in compression reaches its crushing strain of 0.003. This is a
ductile section.
t 0.005 ==> =0.9
[2] Compression-controlled section
The tensile strain in the tension steel is equal to or less than εcr when the
concrete in compression reaches its crushing strain of 0.003. For beams,
εcr = 0.004. This is a brittle section.
t 0.004
[3] Transition section
The tensile strain in the tension steel is between 0.005 and εcr when the
concrete in compression reaches its crushing strain of 0.003.
0.004 t 0.005 ==> =0.65 t 0.002 250 / 3
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