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Civil Engineering/load bearing capacity of slab

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Expert: - 7/1/2008


Question
salam,
sir i have asked a question already about load bearing capacity of a slab.
my question was,
we have a floor thickness 3 inches of concrete(1:2:4) with .25 inch diameter steel reinforcement @ 12 inches c/c over subfloor 3 inches thick of concrete (1:4:8) over sand fill compacted to more than 95% relative density,
i want to know about load bearing capacity of this floor ?

kindly can you tell me the total procedure that you use to  calculate a load bearing capacity of any thickness of concrete slab.

Ashraf

Answer
Hi Ashraf,

This is a bit difficuolt to assess accurately, but based on the info you have given I would say that it could take a uniformly distributed load of around 2-3 kN/m2. As the slab is thin, you need to be wary of concentrated or point loads as the slab can fail locally due to punching shear

The procedure is not straightforward as it relies on soil-structure interaction and depends largly on the nature and compaction of the sub-base and sub-grade. I suggest you type "ground bearing slabs" in www.google.com and you will see numerous references and guides.

Civil Engineering

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Arshad Khan

Expertise

I can answer any questions to do with civil and structural engineering consultancy and construction industry in East Africa and the Middle East, and specifically with the analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures. My particular expertise is in the aseismic design and optimisation of tall buildings.

Experience

Employment history: 36 years in Construction and consultancy in the UK, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa, Somalia, Zambia, Austria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha and the U.A.E.

Organizations
.Fellow of Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) .Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers(UK) .Member of the Institution of Engineers, Kenya .Registered Engineer, ERB, Kenya .Member of the Architectural Association of Kenya (Engineers Chapter) .Chartered Engineer (UK)

Publications
•1984: International Conference on the Art and Practice of Structural Design, London •1994: 3rd Int. Kerensky Conference in Structural Engineering, Singapore •2008: International Conference on High-Rise Towers, Abu Dhabi

Education/Credentials
BSc, 1st Class Hons, in Building Engineering, University of Bath, UK MSc in Concrete Structures and Technology, University of London. Diploma of Imperial College, UK.

Awards and Honors
•Science Congress Special Award (for 2-seater Hovercraft - 1968) •Institution of Civil Engineers Award for outstanding performance at Bath University (1975) •Concrete Society Postgraduate study Bursary Award (1976) •Consular Representative for British High Commission, Nairobi. (1995 to 1998) •Examiner for Institution of Civil Engineers Professional Interviews, Nairobi. (1997 to 1998) •Branch Representative in Vienna for PI assessment for Inst. of Struct. Engrs. (1999 to date)

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