Reinforced Concrete Flat Slab: Code Compliance, Analysis, and Design

Abstract

A floor system that consists of a single, horizontal concrete slab rather than any kind of beams is one of the most common types of concrete structure. This system is relatively easy to construct, and it is effective in the sense that it calls for the bare minimum of building height in order to accommodate a specific number of storeys. Unfortunately, earthquake experience has shown that this form of construction is susceptible to failure, in which the thin concrete slab fractures around the supporting columns and drops downward, potentially leading to the complete progressive collapse of a building as one floor collapses down onto the floors below it. When not designed and detailed properly, this type of construction can fail because the thin concrete slab fractures around the supporting columns. Analysis and design of flat slabs are currently active fields of study, and there is still no broad consensus on the optimal design technique, despite the fact that flat slabs have been used in building for more than a century at this point.