Post-elastic behaviour of ground-floor slabs. Part 1: Plain-concrete slabs

Abstract

There is a growing trend to utilise ground-floor slabs (GFS) beyond their elastic limit, notably using plastic analysis. The current paper focuses on the inelastic behaviour of such slabs by means of non-linear finite-element analysis (NLFEA) and represents the first paper of a two-part study. This first paper considers the analysis of plain-concrete slabs. The second paper will concentrate on the study of fabric-reinforced concrete slabs. The NLFEA utilises a concrete constitutive model that is based on valid experimental data on concrete behaviour under triaxial states of stress. The present study proposes a new performance-based (PB) definition for the failure criterion that takes into account the all-important slope condition that often governs practical design. NLFEA-based design charts are produced and their predictions are validated by comparison with existing experimental results. The proposed design charts are also compared with existing elastic and plastic guidelines, and thus recommendations are made on the safety and economy of these guidelines.