Experimental Study on the Flexural Behavior of Hollow Core Concrete Slabs

Abstract

Hollow core concrete slabs have many advantages over the conventional solid concrete slabs. The flexural behavior of this type of slabs have not been investigated in detail in the past. The study here addressed this issue by conducting experimental study of four different hollow core concrete slabs along with a solid concrete slab as a control specimen. The load deflection curves were obtained along with the failure load and deflection at the first crack. The effectiveness of the conventional flexural capacity equation in predicting the capacity of hollow core slabs was evaluated. The results from the experimental study were also utilized to do a comparative study among the specimens studied. The study concluded that the conventional flexural strength equation can be used for hollow core slabs too and they have better performance than solid concrete slabs both in terms of load - deflection behavior and serviceability.