Limit load equations for partially restrained RC slabs

The expertise required in the judicious use of nonlinear finite element (FE) packages for design-assistance purposes is not widely available to the average engineer, whose sole aim may be to obtain an estimate for a single design parameter, such as the limit load capacity of a structure. Such a parameter may be required for the design of a proposed reinforced concrete (RC) floor slab or bridge deck with a given set of geometrical and material details. This paper outlines a procedure for developing design-assistance equations for carrying out such predictions for partially restrained RC slabs under uniformly distributed loading condition, based on a database of FE results previously generated from a large number of 'numerical model' slabs. The developed equations have been used for predicting the peak loads of a number of experimental RC slabs having varying degrees of edge restraints; with results showing a reasonable degree of accuracy and low level of scatter. The simplicity of the equations makes them attractive and their successful use in the field of application reported in this paper suggest that the outlined procedure may also be extended to other classes of concrete structures.