FE analyses of shear-loaded hollow-core slabs on different supports Available to Purchase

A common type of slim floor construction consists of precast prestressed hollow-core slabs supported on the lower flange of transverse shallow steel beams. These structures benefit from slender ceilings, fast erection, a small dead load and a high level of quality. However, the shear capacity of the slabs is considerably reduced due to transverse stresses when they are bedded on slender beams (flexible supports). Apart from unanswered questions regarding safe but economic design, the use of slim floor constructions is hampered because criteria to differentiate between flexible and rigid supports are not yet available. To investigate the effects of different support conditions on shear capacity, full-scale tests on floor systems consisting of ten slabs on flexible supports and reference tests on single slabs on rigid supports were performed. The present paper describes the development and calibration of non-linear three-dimensional finite-element models with the available test data to numerically determine the influence of support type and stiffness on load-bearing behaviour. The results reveal the slabs' failure mechanism and identify a range of flexible supports.