Finite element analysis on effect of different ball spacing in bubble deck lightweight concrete slab

Abstract

Reinforcement Concrete (RC) is considered one of the heaviest construction materials hence many attempts have been done to reduce the self-weight of concrete and since the most mass focused in the slab element of structure, a new type of slab has been developed in 1990 called bubble deck slab and started recently used around the world, on the other hand using of Lightweight Concrete (LWC) will decreased the self-weight of concrete which has density less than (1850 kg/m3) compare with conventional concrete (2400-2500 kg/m3), this research conduct an analytical study of the bubble deck slab using lightweight concrete. Four types of bubble deck slabs are modelled in the Finite Element (FE) Software ABAQUS of uniform size 1400 mm 1400 mm 150mm. Analytical investigation is conducted to find the performance of four different types of bubble deck slabs which is varied based on arrangement of location of spherical balls and reinforcement. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) results show that all the slab models has less than 2.5% difference in load carrying capacity. Introduction of bubble deck concrete slab system in construction will reduces the consumption of concrete in construction which results in economy of the project.