Analysis of a ribbed slab without reinforcement using ANSYS

Abstract

Concrete is widely used as a construction material in the world and consequently cement manufacturing industry ranks second in CO2 emission. To mitigate this environmental issue, this research focuses on reducing the self-weight of a concrete slab applying modern techniques to cut down the usage of cement, cutting carbon emissions from the cement manufacturing industries. The main goal of the study is to reduce the self-weight of concrete slabs and to eliminate steel reinforcement in concrete, and to use this stress profile to determine the isostatic path in concrete slabs. This would be achieved with high-strength concrete in the maximum bending stress path and replaces foam or other material in the minimum bending stress zone. In this work, the specimen considered for design and analysis is a slab having the dimension of 3 m x 3 m x 0.125 m. It slab uses 1% of steel fibers in concrete eliminating the need for reinforcement. Also, with the use of high-strength concrete in the maximum bending stress zone, the self-weight of the slab reduces up to 44%. The deformation of the slabs are well within the limits recommended by the codes released by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).