Nomograms for anisotropically reinforced rectangular slab

Slabs are the structural components which comprise major portion of the building. For general typical buildings the cost of the slab is about 20 to 25 percent of the total cost of the building. Thus economical design of slab will contribute largely to the economical design of whole structure. In most of the practical situations we may come across irregular slabs, circular or triangular slabs, slabs with large openings, slabs supported on two or three edges only, and slabs carrying concentrated loads. Yield line analysis is a powerful and versatile tool for treating such problems. These problems may not be able to be solved by other available methods as these methods are restricted to some constraints like, slab panels must be square or rectangular, they must be supported along two opposite sides or two pairs of opposite sides etc. The aim of this study is to apply the yield line theory for rectangular slab by using the virtual work principle and obtain a general relationship between the ultimate load and desired arrangement of reinforcement in a slab and also generate nomograms for frequently used slabs.