ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF

A SUSPENDED BUILDING
CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE REPORT- 1
Submitted by
NIRMAL RAJ

2013102029

SULTHAN AMEER JAHAN

2013102048

CHANAKYA VUDAYAGIRI 2013102056

ASHERIN GEORGE

2013102062

in partial fulfilment for the award of the degree

of

Bachelor of Engineering
in
Civil Engineering

College of Engineering, Guindy

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI- 600 025
JULY 2016

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE
Certified that this report on SUSPENDED BUILDINGS is a
bonafide work of

NIRMAL RAJ

2013102029

SULTHAN AMEER JAHAN

2013102048

CHANAKYA VUDAYAGIRI

2013102056

ASHERIN GEORGE

2013102062

who are doing their project under my supervision.

GROUP GUIDE
DR. BEULAH GNANA ANANTHI

ANALYSIS AND
DESIGN OF
A SUSPENDED
BUILDING

ABSTRACT
The aim of this project is to analyze and design the structural aspects of a commercial
suspended building. We try to approach this project by applying the concepts behind
suspension bridges. The principle objective is to eliminate or reduce the use of
compression members and replace them with tension members, thereby making the
building a Structural Marvel to viewers. Also, the carpet area can be increased
significantly by eliminating the space occupied by columns.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.1 OVER VIEW: ......................................................................................................1
1.2 LOADS ACTING ON THE STRUCTURE: .......................................................1
1.2.1 DEAD LOAD: ..............................................................................................1
1.2.2 LIVE LOAD, IMPOSED LOAD: ................................................................2
1.2.3 WIND LOAD, SEISMIC LOADS: ..............................................................3
1.3 LOAD COMBINATIONS: ..................................................................................4
1.4 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FOR SLAB: .................................................5
1.4.1 CONCRETE SLAB: .....................................................................................5
1.4.2 COMPOSITE SLABS: .................................................................................7
1.4.3 PRECAST UNIITS: ......................................................................................8
1.5 METHOD OF SUSPENDING: ........................................................................9
1.5.1 STEEL CABLES: .........................................................................................9
1.5.2 HYDRAULIC JACK: .................................................................................10
1.6 CURTAIN WALLS ...........................................................................................11
1.7 TYPES OF SUSPENSION: ...............................................................................12
1.7.1 METHOD 1: ...............................................................................................12
1.7.2 METHOD 2: ...............................................................................................13
1.8 DIMENSIONS AND REINFORCEMNT DETAILS: ......................................15
1.8.1 BASED ON METHOD 1: ..........................................................................15
1.8.2 BASED ON METHOD 2: ..........................................................................16
1.9 CONCLUSION: .................................................................................................17

TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1 RE ENTRANT DECKING .........................................................................8
Figure 2 TRAPEZOIDAL DECKING ......................................................................8
Figure 3 CABLES WITH STEEL WIRES ..............................................................10
Figure 4 METHOD 1 - FROM SLAB .....................................................................13
Figure 5 METHOD 2 - FROM SUPPORTING COLUMNS (TOP VIEW) ..........14

PHASE2

1.1 OVER VIEW:

This chapter contains information regarding the work that was done during the
second phase of the creative and innovative project on analysis and design of a
Suspended Building. A commercial restaurant building having 2 storeys was
planned to demonstrate the building type. The uses and innovativeness in this type
of suspended buildings was explained in the first phase.
In this second phase, estimation of the loads acting on this structure and research on
materials used to construct slab and the different possible ways by which the slabs
can be suspended are discussed below.

1.2 LOADS ACTING ON THE STRUCTURE:

1.2.1 DEAD LOAD:

The dead load includes loads that are relatively constant over time, including the
weight

of

the

structure

itself,

and

immovable

fixtures

such

as

walls, plasterboard or carpet. The roof is also a dead load. Dead loads are also known
as permanent or static loads. Building materials are not dead loads until constructed
in permanent position.

IS 875 (PART 1)-1987 give unit weight of building materials, parts, components.
1

The components considered for the dead load of slab for which has to be suspended
are
Self-weight of Concrete/Steel
Floor finish
Weight of Walls resting on the slab

1.2.2 LIVE LOAD, IMPOSED LOAD:

Live loads, or imposed loads, are temporary, of short duration, or a moving load.
These dynamic loads may involve considerations such as impact, momentum,
vibration, slosh dynamics of fluids and material fatigue.

Live loads, sometimes also referred to as probabilistic loads, include all the forces
that are variable within the object's normal operation cycle not including
construction or environmental loads.

Roof and floor live loads are produced during maintenance by workers, equipment
and materials, and during the life of the structure by movable objects, such as
planters and people.

Bridge live loads are produced by vehicles traveling over the deck of the bridge.

IS 875 (PART 2)-1987 covers imposed loads (live loads) to be assumed in the
design of buildings. The imposed loads, specified in the code are the minimum loads
which should be taken into consideration for the purpose of structural safety of
buildings.

For the Commercial restaurant building the live load given as per the code is
Uniformly Distributed load - 3KN/m2
Concentrated load 4KN

1.2.3 WIND LOAD, SEISMIC LOADS:

The design of buildings must account for wind loads, and these are affected by wind
shear. Typically, buildings are designed to resist a strong wind with a very long
return period, such as 50 years or more. The design wind speed is determined from
historical records using extreme value theory to predict future extreme wind speeds.
Since the height of structure considered is less than 15m, the effect of wind load is
not considered.

Seismic load depends upon the zone in which the structure is located. The effect of
the seismic load also neglected.
IS 1893 (PART 1) -2002 gives seismic load acting on the buildings

1.3 LOAD COMBINATIONS:

A load combination results when more than one load type acts on the
structure. Building codes usually specify a variety of load combinations together
with load factors(weightings) for each load type in order to ensure the safety of the
structure under different maximum expected loading scenarios. For example, in
designing a staircase, a dead load factor may be 1.2 times the weight of the structure,
and a live load factor may be 1.6 times the maximum expected live load. These two
"factored loads" are combined (added) to determine the "required strength" of the
staircase.

The reason for the disparity between factors for dead load and live load, and thus the
reason the loads are initially categorized as dead or live is because while it is not
unreasonable to expect a large number of people ascending the staircase at once, it
is less likely that the structure will experience much change in its permanent load.

IS 875 (PART 5)- 1987 gives the special load combinations. The worst possible
load combination should be considered for the structure.

For the structure considered here the load combination considered for the analysis
and design is DL + LL. A factor of safety of 1.5 is considered in estimating the total
load acting on the structure.
4

1.4 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FOR SLAB:

The slab is the main component which influences the design of suspended buildings.
The slab should not be too heavy so that it increases the load acting on the structure.
As well as the slab should have the strength to with stand the worst load combination
as per the IS codes. Hence the material considered for the slab should have adequate
strength to with stand the worst possible load without increasing the actual load on
the structure.

1.4.1 CONCRETE SLAB:

A concrete slab is common structural element of modern buildings. The properties

of the concrete are
Grade of Concrete: Ordinary concrete- M10 M15 M20 Standard concrete
M25 M30 M3S M40 M4S M5O M55 High Strength concrete-M60 M65 M70
M7S M80
Density of Concrete 25kN/m3
Modulus of Elasticity of concrete: 5000fck (IS 456:2000)
Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but significantly lower tensile
strength, and as such is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension
(often steel). Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, and as it
matures concrete shrinks. All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to
shrinkage and tension.

Strength and durability

An incredibly intelligent design solution, concrete slab has a range of user benefits.
One of the most obvious plusses when using concrete for any kind of construction
is its superior durability and strength. Compared to wood or other second storey
flooring materials, concrete slab is a much more rigid and solid product.

Energy efficient
Many aspects in modern homes are designed to increase energy efficiency, as well
as user comfort. Features such as insulation and double glazing are brilliant ways to
decrease your power consumption when heating or cooling your environment. The
thermal mass of a concrete slab absorbs and releases warmth and coolness in a very
effective way, making it more energy efficient than wood flooring.

Noise Reduction
Concrete doesn't let as much noise through as traditional wooden flooring.

Safety
Aside from the obvious health benefits from increased insulation properties and
decreased heating and cooling needs associated with concrete slab in construction,
there are other safety benefits as well.

1.4.2 COMPOSITE SLABS:

Composite construction dominates the non-residential multi-storey building sector.
The reason why composite construction is often so good can be expressed in one
simple way - concrete is good in compression and steel is good in tension. By joining
the two materials together structurally these strengths can be exploited to result in a
highly efficient and lightweight design. The reduced self-weight of composite
elements has a knock-on effect by reducing the forces in those elements supporting
them, including the foundations. Composite systems also offer benefits in terms
of speed of construction. The floor depth reductions that can be achieved using
composite construction can also provide significant benefits in terms of the costs
of services and the building envelope
Some of the advantages of the composite materials are
Lightweight design
Reduced self-weight
Speed of construction
Economical

Composite slabs comprise reinforced concrete cast on top of profiled steel decking,
which acts as formwork during construction and external reinforcement at the final
stage. The decking may be either re-entrant or trapezoidal, as shown below.
Trapezoidal decking may be over 200 mm deep; in which case it is known as deep
decking. Additional reinforcing bars may be placed in the decking troughs,
particularly for deep decking. They are sometimes required in shallow decking when
heavy loads are combined with high periods of fire resistance.

Figure 1 RE ENTRANT DECKING

Figure 2 TRAPEZOIDAL DECKING

1.4.3 PRECAST UNIITS:

Precast concrete units may be used in conjunction with steel beams. The units may
be solid or hollow-core, and with tapered or bluff ends. They are normally prestressed. The beams may also be structurally connected to the slab units to make
them 'composite', provided specific detailing rules are satisfied to ensure that the
steel section and concrete (in-situ topping plus the precast units) act together.

Floors using precast units offer a number of benefits. The spanning ability of the
units is such that the spacing of secondary beams can be increased (compared to
when traditional decking profiles are used).
Even though Composite slabs is the best type for the suspended buildings, exact
properties of the slab are not known properly. So suspended slabs made of Concrete
of M20 Grade and Fe 415 HYSD bars are considered for this project.

1.5 METHOD OF SUSPENDING:

Suspending the slabs can be done either by using the Steel cables or Hydraulic jack.

1.5.1 STEEL CABLES:

Wire rope is a type of cable which consists of several strands of metal wire laid
(twisted) into a helix. The term cable is often used interchangeably with wire rope.
Wire rope refers to diameter larger than 3/8 inch (9.52 mm). Sizes smaller than this
are designated cable or cords.

Cables can be of mild steel, high strength steel (drawn carbon steel), stainless
steel, polyester or aramid fibers. Structural cables are made of a series of small
strands twisted or bound together to form a much larger cable. Steel cables are either
spiral strand, where circular rods are twisted together and "glued" using a polymer,
or locked coil strand, where individual interlocking steel strands form the cable.

The Wire strength and the Breaking strength depends on the type of material used
and the diameter of the wires used in the cables.

Figure 3 CABLES WITH STEEL WIRES

1.5.2 HYDRAULIC JACK:

Hydraulic jack depends on force generated by pressure. Essentially, if two cylinders
(a large and a small one) are connected and force is applied to one cylinder, equal
pressure is generated in both cylinders. However, because one cylinder has a larger
area, the force the larger cylinder produces will be higher, although the pressure in
the two cylinders will remain the same. Hydraulic jacks depend on this basic
principle to lift heavy loads: they use pump plungers to move oil through two
cylinders. The plunger is first drawn back, which opens the suction valve ball within
and draws oil into the pump chamber. As the plunger is pushed forward, the oil
moves through an external discharge check valve into the cylinder chamber, and the
suction valve closes, which results in pressure building within the cylinder.

10

Hydraulic jack attached to the top most roof from which the lower floors are
suspended. The methodology is inverse of the actual procedure.

For the structure considered in this project the slabs are suspended using the cables
only. The tension and the dimensions of the cable depends upon the load acting on
the slab.

1.6 CURTAIN WALLS

A curtain wall system is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are
non-structural, but merely keep the weather out and the occupants in. As the curtain
wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material, reducing construction
costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is that natural light
can penetrate deeper within the building. The curtain wall faade does not carry any
dead load weight from the building other than its own dead load weight. The wall
transfers horizontal wind loads that are incident upon it to the main building structure
through connections at floors or columns of the building. A curtain wall is designed
to resist air and water infiltration, sway induced by wind and seismic forces acting
on the building, and its own dead load weight forces.

Curtain-wall systems are typically designed with extruded aluminum members,

although the first curtain walls were made of steel. The aluminum frame is typically
infilled with glass, which provides an architecturally pleasing building, as well as
benefits such as daylighting. However, parameters related to solar gain control such
11

as thermal comfort and visual comfort are more difficult to control when using
highly glazed curtain walls. Other common infills include: stone veneer, metal
panels, louvres, and operable windows or vents.
Some advantages of curtain walls using glass infills are
Reduction in load
Does not carry any structural load
Aesthetical Elevation View
Camouflage tension cables from roof slab
Cheap and economical
Prefabricated, hence easy to fix

1.7 TYPES OF SUSPENSION:

The slabs can be suspended in the two different manners.
Method 1 From roof slab
Method 2 From supporting columns

1.7.1 METHOD 1:
In this method, the lower slab is suspended from the slab directly above it. The main
roof slab will be supported by the main columns. From this roof slab, the Second
floor slab will be suspended. The First floor slab will be suspended from the Second
floor slab.

12

The main drawback of this method is that the roof slab, should be designed in such
a way that it should withstand the total load acting on the other two slabs. This results
in the larger diameter of the main reinforces in the concrete slab and increase in the
thickness of the slab.

Figure 4 METHOD 1 - FROM SLAB

As shown in the figures the cables are suspended linearly from the roof top.

1.7.2 METHOD 2:
In this method, the slabs are suspended from the supports that runs in between the
columns. The supports can be a beam like structure or like the cables which are
provided in the suspension bridges. The advantage of providing cables from the

13

columns is the dead load of one column acting over other is prevented and the load
is transmitted to the column directly.

The first floor will have more span in this case which is opposite to the previous
case. If large span floor is provided on the top, it will hinder the cable from the
column going to the lower floor. The roof slab may not be necessary for load
carrying purpose in this case.

Figure 5 METHOD 2 - FROM SUPPORTING COLUMNS (TOP VIEW)

14

1.8 DIMENSIONS AND REINFORCEMNT DETAILS:

The reinforcement details and the reinforcement required for the slabs and beams
supporting the slabs are given below.
M20 Grade concrete and Fe415 HYSD bars used.

1.8.1 BASED ON METHOD 1:

ROOF:
Two-way slab:
Slab thickness = 200mm (effective 175mm)
Positive reinforcements- Both directions 12mm die rod at 140mm spacing
Minimum reinforcements 8mm dia at 100 mm spacing

Beam:
Depth = 900mm (850mm eff)

Breadth =500mm

Main Reinforcements 8 24mm dia bars

Stirrups 8mm dia bars at 90mm spacing

SECOND FLOOR SLAB:

Two-way slab:
Slab thickness = 125mm (effective 100mm)
Positive reinforcements- Both directions 8mm dia rod at 140mm spacing
Minimum reinforcements 6mm dia at 130 mm spacing
15

Beam:
Depth = 550mm (5000mm eff)

Breadth =250mm

Main Reinforcements 6 20mm dia bars

Stirrups 6mm dia bars at 170 mm spacing

FIRST FLOOR SLAB:

Two-way slab:
Slab thickness = 125mm (effective 100mm)
Positive reinforcements- Both directions 8mm dia rod at 300mm spacing
Minimum reinforcements 6mm dia at 130 mm spacing
Beam:
Depth = 450mm (400mm eff)

Breadth =250mm

Main Reinforcements 4 20mm dia bars

Stirrups 6mm dia bars at 210 mm spacing

1.8.2 BASED ON METHOD 2:

FIRST FLOOR SLAB
Two-way slab:
Slab thickness = 125mm (effective 100mm)
Positive reinforcements- Both directions 8mm dia rod at 300mm spacing
Minimum reinforcements 6mm dia at 130 mm spacing
16

Beam:
Depth = 500mm (450mm eff)

Breadth =300mm

Main Reinforcements 4 20mm dia bars

Stirrups 6mm dia bars at 200 mm spacing

SECOND FLOOR SLAB

Two-way slab:
Slab thickness = 125mm (effective 100mm)
Positive reinforcements- Both directions 8mm dia rod at 300mm spacing
Minimum reinforcements 6mm dia at 130 mm spacing
Beam:
Depth = 450mm (400mm eff)

Breadth =250mm

Main Reinforcements 4 20mm dia bars

Stirrups 6mm dia bars at 210 mm spacing

1.9 CONCLUSION:
In this second phase, the materials and the method of suspension and the materials
used in the construction are decided based on the research studies. The analysis and
the stability of the structure against the model will be tested in the next phase.
17

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. IS 456- 2000, IS 875 PART 1 -1987, IS 875 PART 2 -1987, IS 875 PART 3 1987
3. IS SP16 1980 DESIGN AIDS

18