Effect of the arrangement of reinforcement on the behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs

Summary Tests on 10 two-way spanning, simply supported, reinforced concrete slabs are reported. The slabs were designed to have similar ultimate loads, but different arrangements of the reinforcement were adopted. The span/depth ratio was also varied. All slabs sustained loads higher than the theoretical collapse load given by the yield-line theory. The increased carrying capacity, due partly to tensile membrane action, ranged from 26 to 80 % depending on the arrangement of the reinforcement.