1.5 Conceptual design of slabs 1.5.1. Slab height 1.5.1.

1 Slenderness The design of slabs has to fulfil both

Serviceability Limit States (SLS) and Ultimate Limit States (ULS) requirements (in this exact order!). In
general the height “h” of slabs is controlled by the deflection limits (EC2 7.4). In the case of flat slabs,
punching frequently also governs. In EC2 the deemed-to-satisfy rule for verifying SLS deflection is based
on the limitation of elements’ “slenderness” by setting maximum “slenderness ratios” (lef /d) of the
“effective span” lef (axis-to-axis distance in the case of supporting beams, or centre-to-centre distance
of columns in the case of flat Preliminary design of buildings F. Biasioli and G.Mancini 19 slabs) to the
“effective depth”, d, (distance of the centroid of the tensile forces from the most compressed concrete
fibre). For flat slabs with spans ≤ 8,5 m and slab and beams with spans ≤ 7 m, as in this example, EC2,
paragraph 7.4.2 gives the formula , 0 0 , ef 310 500 s prov s yk s req l l l A Ks Ks d σ d fA d       
 (1.3) K takes into account the type, restraints and relative position of each element in the structural
system. It transforms the “effective span” into the so-called “normalized span” ln = lef / K (1.4) of an
ideal simply supported (SS) element which has the same deflection as the actual elalready mentioned K
values demonstrate that continuous slabs or beams with spans all equal, as in this example, never
represent a good structural solution: the span of the external slab (or beam) should never be longer
than (1,3/1,5)·100 = 87% of the adjacent internal slab span. The “shape” factor s, takes into account the
geometry of the slab transverse section, in particular the variation of its section moment of inertia. EC2
assumes s = 1,0 for R(rectangular) sections, as solid slabs, or compact T-sections with b/bw ≤ 3; s = 0,80
for T-sections with b/bw > 3, as is the case of slabs with embedded elements (Figure 1.2.7) where b / bw
= 500 / 120 = 4,8 > 3. (l/d)o is the “reference span to depth ratio”. In the case of slabs with ρ ≤ ρ0 EC2
gives: 3 3 0 0 0 0 11 1,5 3,2 ck ck 1 10 ck l ρ ρ f f ρ f d ρ ρ                  (1.5) ρ = As / (bd) is
the geometrical reinforcement ratio of the steel area As in tension. For a number of selected concrete
classes (l/d)o and ρ0 values calculated with the formulae above are given in Table 1.5.1.