Seismic Performance of Flat Slab Column Building

Flat slab building systems are getting popularity in India because it offers distinct advantages such as low cost due to ease of construction (e.g. slip forms), low floor to floor height, and flexible use of space. Hence this kind of system is generally used for office and parking areas. In Flat slab buildings the load is transferred directly from slab to columns without beams but when slab encounter any opening or discontinuity than beams are used such as around lift core ,discontinuous edges of slab, etc. Flat slabs with drop panels or column heads are generally constructed as these extra projections provide safety against punching shear and also reduce the heavy negative moment. If no drop panel are provided than that system is called Flat Plat (Fig 1.1) which are more economical in construction as compared with Flat slabs. This system performs well in resisting gravity or vertical loads but performs poorly during cyclic loading and hence many Building codes around the world has rejected the application of this building system in active earthquake zones keeping in mind the past failures of these types of buildings during major earthquakes.

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