Applicability of the Laminated Plate Theories on Reinforced Concrete Slab

The purpose of this study is to indicate the applicability of laminated plate theory to reinforced concrete (RC) slabs in the elastic stage. For static bending analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs, analytical methods are applied, such as the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the classical laminated plate theory (CLPT). This research takes into account that an RC slab is made up of several layers of concrete and steel bars that are bonded together. Two cases of simply supported square slabs, in which the slab thickness varies, have been considered. The deflection and stresses on the center of the RC slab have been calculated by using Navier approaches of the classical laminated plate theory of plates and the first order shear theory. The results were compared to the experimental and FEM findings of the previous study. The present research concluded that the results of the deflection predicted by laminated plate theory coincide with the experimental results with sufficient accuracy, and CLPT fails to take into account shear strains at the interfaces that making it less applicable compared to the FSDT. However, the application of the laminated plate theory formulas to determine the stresses for RC slab gave a bit different in the results compared with experimental results from a previous study. Also, the results of laminated plate theories are heavily influenced by a variety of assumptions.