WATER TANK TOP SLAB BEHAVIOUR

Hi ,

Please help me to sort out this issue.

Actually, I am modeling an underground rectangular water tank of 13m x 10m with top slab on it .

Top slab is supported on side walls and intermediate beams in between the slab.

After assigning all the loads, analysis done. Top slab is behaving as a  whole without considering the intermediate beams.(i.e. slab is spanning for whole length )

Hence the slab thickness arrived was very huge.

Please help me to sort out this issue.

regards

Varunkumar P

Parents Reply
  • Good observations.

    It is difficult to separate out the behavior of the beam elements from the slab elements.  In the model, the beam is acting compositely with the slab so that that slab takes the compression portion of the moment and the beam takes the tension portion of the moment. This results in an un-conservative moment reported for the beams.  

    Personally, for relatively simple beams like these, I would calculate the beams by hand which would provide a somewhat conservative result (using simple supports) and use the model to calculate the moments in the slab.  

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