Investigations on Flexural Strength and Stiffness of Hollow Slabs

A new type of hollow slab making use of plastic air balls has been developed, which can effectively reduce the amount of concrete and self weight of concrete structures. In this study, flexural and free vibration tests were carried out to investigate flexural behaviour, including the flexural stiffness, cracking, strength, and ductility. Six test specimens were examined: two conventional RC slabs; two hollow slabs; and two partially precast concrete slabs. The test parameters also included two different types of plastic balls. The test results showed that the hollow slabs yield a satisfactory flexural behaviour (i.e., crack pattern, and flexural strength) which is similar to that of conventional concrete solid slabs up to the ultimate state. It was also found that the current design provisions for concrete solid slabs are applicable to hollow slabs, without significant modification, for the evaluation of flexural strength and initial stiffness essential to the serviceability check.