Software Verification

PROGRAM NAME: SAFE

REVISION NO.: 4

EXAMPLE NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001

Slab Flexural Design

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this example is to verify slab flexural design in SAFE.

A one-way, simple-span slab supported by walls on two opposite edges is

modeled using SAFE. The slab is 150 mm thick and spans 4 meters between
walls. To ensure one-way action, Poisson’s ratio is taken to be zero. The slab is
modeled using thin plate elements. The walls are modeled as line supports
without rotational stiffnesses and with very large vertical stiffness (11015
kN/m). The computational model uses a finite element mesh, automatically
generated by SAFE. The maximum element size is specified as 1.0 meter. To
obtain factored moments and flexural reinforcement in a design strip, one 1-
meter-wide strip is defined in the X-direction on the slab, as shown in Figure 1.

Simply
Simply
4 m span supported
supported
edge at wall
edge at wall
Free edge

Y 1 m design strip
X Free edge

Figure 1 Plan View of One-Way Slab

One dead load case (DL4KPa) and one live load case (LL5KPa) with uniformly
distributed surface loads of magnitudes 4 and 5 kN/m2, respectively, are defined
in the model. A load combination (COMB5kPa) is defined using the NZS 3101-
06 load combination factors, 1.2 for dead loads and 1.5 for live loads. The model
is analyzed for both load cases and the load combination.

The slab moment on a strip of unit width is computed analytically. The total
factored strip moments are compared with the SAFE results. After completing
analysis, design is performed using the NZS 3101-06 code by SAFE and also by
hand computation. Table 1 shows the comparison of the design reinforcements
computed using the two methods.

EXAMPLE NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001 - 1

Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAFE
REVISION NO.: 4

GEOMETRY, PROPERTIES AND LOADING

Thickness T, h = 150 mm
Depth of tensile reinf. dc = 25 mm
Effective depth d = 125 mm
Clear span ln, l1 = 4000 mm

Concrete strength fc = 30 MPa

Yield strength of steel fsy = 460 MPa
Concrete unit weight wc = 0 N/m3
Modulus of elasticity Ec = 25000 MPa
Modulus of elasticity Es = 2106 MPa
Poisson’s ratio  = 0

Dead load wd = 4.0 kPa

Live load wl = 5.0 kPa

TECHNICAL FEATURES OF SAFE TESTED

 Calculation of flexural reinforcement
 Application of minimum flexural reinforcement

RESULTS COMPARISON
Table 1 shows the comparison of the SAFE total factored moments in the design
strip with the moments obtained by the hand computation method. Table 1 also
shows the comparison of design reinforcements.

Table 1 Comparison of Design Moments and Reinforcements

Reinforcement Area
Strip (sq-cm)
Load Moment
Level Method (kN-m) As+

SAFE 24.597 5.238

Medium
Calculated 24.6 5.238

A s ,min = 380.43 sq-mm

EXAMPLE NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001 - 2

 Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAFE
REVISION NO.: 4

COMPUTER FILE: NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001.FDB

CONCLUSION
The SAFE results show an exact comparison with the independent results.

EXAMPLE NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001 - 3

Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAFE
REVISION NO.: 4

HAND CALCULATION
The following quantities are computed for the load combination:
b = 0.85
b = 1000 mm
1  0.85 for f c  55MPa
1  0.85 for f c  30,
c
cb  d = 70.7547
 c  f y Es
amax = 0.751cb= 45.106 mm
For the load combination, w and M* are calculated as follows:
w = (1.2wd + 1.5wt) b
wl12
Mu 
8
 f c
 bw d  372.09 sq-mm
 4 fy
As ,min  max 
 1.4 bw d  380.43 sq-mm
 fy

= 380.43 sq-mm

COMB100
wd = 4.0 kPa
wt = 5.0 kPa
w = 12.3 kN/m
M*-strip = 24.6 kN-m
M*-design = 24.6331 kN-m
The depth of the compression block is given by:

2 M*
ad d  2
= 9.449 mm < amax
1 f  c bb

EXAMPLE NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001 - 4

 Software Verification
PROGRAM NAME: SAFE
REVISION NO.: 4

The area of tensile steel reinforcement is then given by:

M*
As  = 523.799 sq-mm > As,min
 a
b f y  d  
 2

As = 5.238 sq-cm

EXAMPLE NZS 3101-06 RC-SL-001 - 5