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Ribbed and Waffle Slabs: Benefits

This document discusses ribbed and waffle slabs. It explains that ribbed slabs have wide beams running between columns with narrow ribs spanning orthogonally, while waffle slabs have ribs spanning in both directions. Benefits include being lighter, stiffer, allowing longer spans with less foundation costs, and providing good vibration control. Ribbed and waffle slabs save on materials compared to flat slabs but require more complex formwork.

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Joymee Bicaldo
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105 views4 pages

Ribbed and Waffle Slabs: Benefits

This document discusses ribbed and waffle slabs. It explains that ribbed slabs have wide beams running between columns with narrow ribs spanning orthogonally, while waffle slabs have ribs spanning in both directions. Benefits include being lighter, stiffer, allowing longer spans with less foundation costs, and providing good vibration control. Ribbed and waffle slabs save on materials compared to flat slabs but require more complex formwork.

Uploaded by

Joymee Bicaldo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Building Elements

Floors

Ribbed and waffle slabs

Ribbed and waffle slabs


Ribbed and waffle slabs provide a lighter and stiffer slab than an equivalent flat slab, reducing
the extent of foundations. They provide a very good form of construction where slab vibration is
an issue, such as laboratories and hospitals.
Ribbed slabs are made up of wide band beams running between columns with narrow ribs
spanning the orthogonal direction. Normally the ribs and the beams are the same depth. A thin
topping slab completes the system.
Waffle slabs tend to be deeper than the equivalent ribbed slab. Waffle slabs have a thin topping
slab and narrow ribs spanning in both directions between column heads or band beams. The
column heads or band beams are the same depth as the ribs.

Benefits

Flexible

Relatively light, therefore less foundation costs and longer spans are economic

Speed of construction

Fairly slim floor depths

Robustness

Excellent vibration control

Thermal mass

Good for services integration

Durable finishes

Fire resistance

Ribbed or Waffle Slab System Advantages &


Disadvantages
CivilDigital > Civil Engineering Articles > Failure Mechanisms > Concrete > Ribbed or Waffle Slab System Advantages &
Disadvantages

Ribbed (Waffle) Slab System

Waffle Slab Construction


Ribbed floors consisting of equally spaced ribs are usually supported directly by columns.They are
either one-way spanning systems known as ribbed slab or a two-way ribbed system known as
a waffle slab. This form of construction is not very common because of the formwork costs and the
low fire rating. A 120-mm-thick slab with a minimum rib thickness of 125 mm for continuous ribs is

required to achieve a 2-hour fire rating. A rib thickness of greater than 125 mm is usually required to
accommodate tensile and shear reinforcement. Ribbed slabs are suitable for medium to
heavy loads, can span reasonable distances, are very stiff and particularly suitable where the soffit is
exposed.
Slab depths typically vary from 75 to 125 mm and rib widths from 125 to 200 mm. Rib spacing of 600
to 1500 mm can be used. The overall depth of the floor typically varies from 300 to 600 mm with
overall spans of up to 15 m if reinforced, longer if post-tensioned. The use of ribs to the soffit of the
slab reduces the quantity of concrete and reinforcement and also the weight of the floor. The saving
of materials will be offset by the complication in formwork and placing of reinforcement. However,
formwork complication is minimised by use of standard, modular, reusable formwork, usually made
from polypropylene or fibreglass and with tapered sides to allow stripping.
For ribs at 1200-mm centres (to suit standard forms) the economical reinforced concrete floor span
'L' is approximately D x 15 for a single span and D x 22 for a multi-span, where D is the overall floor
depth. The one-way ribs are typically designed as T-beams, often spanning in the long direction. A
solid drop panel is required at the columns and loadbearing walls for shear and moment resistance.

Ribbed slab Construction

Advantages:

Savings on weight and materials

Long spans

Attractive soffit appearance if exposed

Economical when reusable formwork pans used

Vertical penetrations between ribs are easy.

Disadvantages:

Depth of slab between the ribs may control the fire rating

Requires special or proprietary formwork

Greater floor-to-floor height

Large vertical penetrations are more difficult to handle.

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