Page 11 - Reinforced concrete voided slabs subjected to gravity and seismic actions

IntroductionThe increasing popularity of reinforced concrete slabs design is due to their excellent structural performance, construction speed, and functional and economic advantages. Systems using voided slabs are the natural evolution of reinforced concrete slab-related technology, since they maintain the positive characteristics listed above enriching them with a reduction in self-weight, with obvious advantages for foundations design and seismic response improvement. This last aspect is of particular importance in the light of the update of the Italian legislation and the developments in the European legislation. The work presented here is part of a series of studies and researches, carried out at the Politecnico di Milano1, on the structural response and the design of slab-based systems. In this study, which is dedicated to the U-Boot Beton® voided slab system, the concep- tual, construction and structural basis of voided slab systems are described first. Subse- quently, their seismic response is examined within the regulatory system of Eurocode 8 and the Italian national regulations, with links to the US regulations ACI 318, when necessary. Additionally, the the issues realted to design are studied in depth.The study includes the results of an extensive experimental program conducted at the Politecnico di Milano, which highlight the excellent bidirectional response of voided slabs and the efficient performance in the presence of seismic actions. The experimental results here presented are supported by advanced numerical models.Overall, the results derived from physical and numerical experimentation form a solid basis for the understanding and design of voided slab systems for gravity and seismic loads.The authors wish to thank Dr. Gabriela Dascalu, PhD of Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi (Romania) for her cooperation in the preparation of the finite element models presented in the text, carried out as part of her broader collaboration with the research in progress, regarding reinforced concrete slabs.Engineer Elisa Barbarelli has made a valuable contribution to the numerical analysis and experimental tests described in the course of the Master Thesis at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano. Student engineer Davide Prandini has collaborated in the preparation of the tests and the collection of experimental data.1 Gambarova P., Coronelli D., Bamonte P., (2007) Linee Guida per la progettazione delle piastre in C.A., Pàtron Editore.11 Prefaceup © Dalifoform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifoform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifoform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifoform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifo form Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grou© Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifo iform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifo form Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Group © Dalifoform Group © Daliform Group © Daliform Grouup © Daliform Group © Dalif form Grou