Seismic Analysis of Flat Slab by using ETABS

The flat slab is a two-way reinforced concrete slab that usually does not have beams and girders, and the loads are transferred directly to the supporting concrete columns. ETABS automates several slab and mat design tasks. Specially, it integrates slab design moments across design strips and designs the required reinforcement; it checks slab punching shear around column supports and concentrated loads; and it designs shear link and shear stud if needed. The actual design algorithms vary based on the specific design code chosen by the user. This manual describes the algorithms used for the various codes. Recent earthquakes in which many concrete structures have been severely damaged or collapsed, have indicated the need for evaluating the seismic adequacy of existing buildings. About 60% of the land area of our country is susceptible to damaging levels of seismic hazard. Many existing flat slab buildings may not have been designed for seismic forces. Hence it is important to study their response under seismic conditions and to evaluate seismic retrofit schemes. This system is very simple to construct, and is efficient in that it requires the minimum building height for a given number of stories. Unfortunately, earthquake experience has proved that this form of construction is vulnerable to failure, when not designed and detailed properly, in which the thin concrete slab fractures around the supporting columns and drops downward, leading potentially to a complete progressive collapse of a building as one floor cascades down onto the floors below. Although flat slabs have been in construction for more than a century now, analysis and design of flat slabs are still the active areas of research and there is still no general agreement on the best design procedure. To study the effect of drop panels on the behavior of flat slab during lateral loads, flat plate system is also analyzed. Zone factor and soil conditions- the other two important parameters which influence the behavior of the structure, are also covered. Software ETABS is used for this purpose. In this study relation between the number of stories, zone and soil condition is developed.