CE 433, Summer 2013  Slab Design Example  1 / 5 

   
Design a one‐way slab for an interior bay of a multi‐story office building using the information 
specified below.  Neglect compression reinforcement.  Assume partitions cannot be damaged 
by deflections.  Round slab thickness up to the nearest ¼”. 
Use a spreadsheet to design each section and show your results with a sketch (elevation view). 
Submit hand calculations matching the spreadsheet for one section.  Include units on all 
numbers. 

Exterior Span Interior Span Exterior Span

Spacing
Beam
Spacing
Beam

span
slab
Spacing
Beam
Spacing
Beam

Lbeam Lbeam Lbeam

 
Plan View of Floor System 
 
f'c = 5000 psi  wSD = 10 psf  beam spacing = 18 ft 
fy = 60,000 psi   wLL = 100 psf  bw of beam = 14 in 
 
   
CE 433, Summer 2013  Slab Design Example  2 / 5 
   
Slab Thickness, t.   
Set h = hmin for deflection.     Use ACI Table 9.5(a):  hmin = L / 28,  
L = distance from center of support to center of support = beam spacing = 16 ft 
hmin = (16’ x 12”/’) / 28 = 6.857 “,                                         use h = 7.0” 
 
Check shear strength:  Vu = 1.15 wu Ln / 2 at exterior face of 1st interior support (ACI 8.3, pg 
109) 
wu  1.2(w self  w SD )  1.6w L

12" 7.75"
w self  (0.150 kcf )( )( )  0.0969klf
12" /' 12" /'
wu  1.2[0.0969 klf  (0.010 ksf )(1' )]  1.6(0.100 ksf )(1' ), wu  0.288klf

16"
l n  clear span beamspacing  bwof beam  16' , l n  14.67 ft
12" / 1
Vu  1.15(0.288klf )(14.67 ft )/ 2  2.79k
 
Vc  (0.75)(2 f c' bw d )
 
Use #4 bars for flexural reinforcement (revise if needed)  Use #4 bars 
cover = 0.75 in (ACI 7.7.1, pg 93)  for flexural reinf. 
 1 4
d  h  cover  bar  7.75"  0.75" ( )", d  6.75"
2 2 8
 
Vc  (0.75)(2 4000 psi (12in)(6.75in)  8.59k  
  Vc  8.59  2.79k  Vu , OK  
 
 
2. Design Flexure Reinforcement at each Section 
Min. Reinforcement: 
As _ min
 0.0018 (ACI 10.5.4)
bh
 
in 2
A s_min  (0.0018)(12" )(7.75" ), As _ min   0.167
ft width
Max. Reinforcement Spacing  (ACI 10.5.4): 
S max_ slabs  min[18in, 3h]  min[18in,3(7.75in)]  18in  
 
CE 433, Summer 2013  Slab Design Example  3 / 5 
   
Distribution of reinforcement (ACI 10.6.4): 
40,000 40,000
S max_ distrib  min[15  2.5cc , 12 ]
2 2
fy fy
3 3
 bar 14
cc  h  d   7.75in  6.75in   0.75in
2 28  
40,000 40,000
S max_ distrib  min[15  2.5(0.75in), 12 ]
2 2
(60,000 psi) (60,000 psi )
3 3
S max  min[ S max_ slabs , S max_ distrib ]  min[18in, 12in ], S max  12in
 
 
Design of Bar Spacings: 
 

ln 
 
Elevation View of Floor Slab 
 
 
We can design one half of the slab length due to symmetry. 
Design Sections 

 
M Coeff. 
1/24  1/14  1/10  1/11  1/16  1/11 
(ACI 8.3) 
Mu, k‐ft  3.40  5.83  8.17  7.43  5.10  7.43 

As_req’d, in2  0.118  0.202  0.283  0.257  0.177  0.257 

s, in  12  11.87  8.48  9.33  13.57  9.33 

As_prov'd, in2  0.20  9  8  8  12  8 

a, in  0.235  0.27  0.30  0.30  0.20  0.30 

s  0.0659  0.314  0.353  0.353  0.235  0.353 

Mn, k‐ft 5.97  0.0486  0.0429  0.0429  0.0659  0.0429 

Calculations for Column 2 provided below.  Calculations for Columns 3 through 7 performed by 
spreadsheet (attached) 
CE 433, Summer 2013  Slab Design Example  4 / 5 
   
Typical calcs. for first column of above table: 
ln2 (16.83 ft ) 2
M u  wu  (0.288klf )  3.40 k - ft
24 24  
 
As_req’d: 
Set  M n  M u
a
 As fy (d  )  M u (Assume steel yields at ultimate strength)
2
a
Assume: d-  0.95d  
2
in
(3.40k-ft) (12 )
Mu ft in 2
As _ req'd    0.118  As _ min
 fy 0.95d (0.90)(60ksi)(0.95)(6.75in) ft  width
in 2
 As _ req'd  0.167
ft width
 
Rebar spacing, s: 
A 0.20in 2
s  bar   14.4in  Smax  12in
A s_req'd in 2
0.167  
12" width
s  12in
 
Strain in Reinforcement, s 
12 in 2 1 bar 12in in 2
As _ prov'd  Abar  (0.20 )( )( )  0.20  
s bar 12in ft  width ft  width
From C = T:
0.85 fc' a b  As f y
0.85(5ksi) a (12in)  (0.20in 2 )(60ksi), a  0.235in
 
a 0.235in
yt    0.294in
1 0.80
0.003 0.003   s 0.003 0.003   s
 , 
yt d 0.294in 6.75in
 s  0.0658
  s  0.004 = ACI min. for beams and slabs, OK
 s  0.005 so  = 0.90 as assumed, OK  

Mn: 
a 0.235in 1 ft
 M n   As f y (d  )  (0.90)(0.20in 2 )(60ksi)(6.75in  )
2 2 12in
 M n  5.97k  ft
 
CE 433, Summer 2013  Slab Design Example  5 / 5 
   
 
 
Design bar cutoffs: 
Extension of top bars past face of support (from Text Figure A‐5c) = 
ln 176"
  44"  3' 8" at end beams
  4 4  
0.3 ln  0.3 (176" )  53"  4' 5" at interior beams
 
Temperature & Shrinkage Steel: 
Use #4 bars (not bent by workmen walking on) 
in 2
Also,  As _ req'd for T&S reinforcement = As _ min for slabs = 0.167  
ft  width
Abar 0.20in 2
s   14.4in,
As _ req 'd 0.167in 2
12in 12in
s max  min[18" , 5 h]  min[18in, 5(7.75in) ]  18in T & S Reinf : #4bars @ 12in  

#4 @ 12” #4 @ 8” 7.75”

3’ 8” 4’ 5” #4 @ 12”
4’ 5”

#4 @ 9” #4 @ 12”

6” min (Typ.) clear cover = 0.75” top, bottom and sides

Slab Details   

 
 
CE 433, Reinforced Concrete Design Example Slab Design 1/2
Summer 2013

Material Properties Geometry

compressive strength of concrete f'c 5,000 psi span length of slab (beam spacing L 18 ft center to center
coefficient for depth of stress block 1 0.80 width of supporting beam bsupport 14 in
yield strength of reinforcement fy 60,000 psi clear span Ln 16.83 ft = L - bsupport/12
unit weight of reinf. conc. UW 150 pcf
modulus of elasticity of concrete Ec 4,030,000 psi = 57000 * SQRT( f'c ) minimum thickness hmin 7.714 in = L / 28 * 12
modulus of rupture of concrete fr 530 psi = 7.5 * SQRT( f'c ) depth of slab h 7.75 in
modulus of elasticity of steel Es 29,000,000 psi

Loads Reinforcement
self weight of beam sw 0.0969 klf = UW/1000 * h/12 * 1 size of flexural reinforcement Bar_size 4
superimposed dead load SDL 10 psf diameter of steel reinf. Bars bar 0.5 in
live load LL 100 psf Abar 0.20 in^2
uniform distributed factored load u 0.288 klf clear cover cover 0.75 in
= 1.2 * (sw + SDL/1000 * 1) + 1.6 * LL/1000 * 1 maximum effective depth dmax 6.75 in =h - cover - bar/2
effective depth d 6.75 in

Shear OK = IF( Vn >= Vu, "OK", "NG" )

max shear force Vu 2.79 k = 1.15 * u * Ln/2
shear strength of concrete Vn 8.59 k = 0.75 * 2 * SQRT( f'c ) * 12 * d /1000

Flexure
min. reinforcement As_min 0.167 in2 = 0.0018 * 12 * h
max spacing for slabs smax_slabs 18.00 in = MIN( 18, 3 * h )
clear distance from reinf. to ten. face cc 0.750 in = h - d - bar/2
max spacing for distribution smax_distrib 12.00
smax 12.00 in = MIN( smax_slabs, smax_distrib )
CE 433, Reinforced Concrete Design Example Slab Design 2/2
Summer 2013

coefficient from ACI 8.3 Mcoef 24 14 10 11 16 11

moment due to factored loads Mu 3.40 5.83 8.17 7.43 5.10 7.43 k-ft
As_req'd for Mn to equal Mu As_req'd 0.167 0.202 0.283 0.257 0.177 0.257 in2
s req'd for #4 bar to provide As_req'd sreq'd 12.00 11.87 8.48 9.33 13.57 9.33 in
design bar spacing s 12 9 8 8 12 8
As for #4 bar at spacing "s" As_prov'd 0.20 0.27 0.30 0.30 0.20 0.30 in2
depth of stress block a 0.235 0.314 0.353 0.353 0.235 0.353 in
strain in steel reinforcement at ult. s 0.0659 0.0486 0.0429 0.0429 0.0659 0.0429
strength reduction factor  0.90 0.90 0.90 0.90 0.90 0.90
available flexure strength  Mn 5.97 7.91 8.87 8.87 5.97 8.87 k-ft

where
Mu = u * Ln^2 / Mcoef
As_req'd = MAX( As_min, Mu * 12000 / (0.9 * fy * 0.95 * d ) )
sreq'd = MIN( smax, Abar / ( As_req'd / 12 ) )
a = As_prov'd * fy / (0.85 * f'c * 12)
s = 0.003 / (a / 1) * d - 0.003
 =IF( s < 0.002, 0.65, IF(s > 0.005, 0.9, 0.48 + 83 *s ) )
 Mn =  * As_prov'd * fy * ( d - a/2 ) /12000