Experimental and Numerical Study of Flexural Stiffness Performance of Ultra-Thin, Prefabricated, and Laminated Slab Base Slabs

Abstract

To study the effects of different parameters on the short-term stiffness and cracking load of precast laminated base slabs, static loading experiments were conducted on five base slabs to obtain their damage patterns, stiffness changes, and deflection. The parametric research on the base slab’s short-term stiffness and cracking load was followed by changing the parameters, such as the truss height, truss spacing, and base slab thickness, using finite element refinement modeling based on test cases. The results show: (1) the ductility, short-term stiffness, and cracking load of the base slab can be significantly improved by reducing the truss spacing, and its short-term stiffness and cracking load with the 300 mm truss spacing are relatively improved by comparing to the 60 mm one; (2) increasing the height of truss improves the short-term stiffness, cracking load, and ductility of base slab; however, the improvements decrease with the increase of truss height. With consideration of the cost and construction requirements, the proper truss spacing is provided.