Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Diaphragms
Chapter 3
Determining the Diaphragm Thickness
3.1 Overview
According to ACI 12.3.1, diaphragms must have sufficient thickness so that all applicable strength and serviceability require-
ments are satisfied. The following load effects must be investigated for strength: (1) in-plane moments, in-plane shear forces,
and axial forces due to wind, seismic, and other applicable lateral forces and (2) out-of-plane moments and shears due to gravity
forces or combinations of gravity and lateral forces.
ACI 318 serviceability requirements are covered in Section Table 3.1 Minimum Thickness, h , of Solid,
3.2 below, and in-plane and out-of-plane strength require- Nonprestressed One-way Slabs
ments are given in Sections 3.3 and 3.4, respectively. Infor-
mation on how to determine minimum diaphragm thickness Support Condition Minimum h(1)
for buildings assigned to Seismic Design Category (SDC) A, Simply supported l/20
B, or C is given in Section 3.5. Section 3.6 contains similar
information for buildings assigned to SDC D, E, or F. One end continuous l/24
Both ends continuous l/28
3.2 Serviceability Requirements
Cantilever l/10
3.2.1 One-way Slabs (1) Expressions for minimum h are applicable to Grade 60 reinforcement and
Expressions for minimum thickness of solid, nonprestressed normalweight concrete. These expressions are to be modified in accordance
with ACI 7.3.1.1.1 for reinforcement other than Grade 60 and ACI
one-way slabs that are not supporting or attached to parti- 7.3.1.1.2 for lightweight concrete.
tions or other construction likely to be damaged by large
deflections are given in ACI Table 7.3.1.1 (see Table 3.1).
These expressions are based on span length, , and are applicable to Grade 60 reinforcement and normalweight concrete.
For reinforcement with a specified yield strength other than 60,000 psi, the expressions in the table are to be multiplied by
where the specified yield strength of the reinforcement, , is in pounds per square inch (ACI 7.3.1.1.1).
For lightweight concrete with an equilibrium density, , in the range of 90 to 115 lb/ft3, the expressions in the table are to be
multiplied by the greater of and 1.09 (ACI 7.3.1.1.2).
3.2.2 Two-way Slabs
Minimum thickness of nonprestressed two-way slabs without interior beams is determined by the expressions in ACI Table
8.3.1.1 (see Table 3.2), which are based on the clear span length, , in the long direction. For slab systems without drop panels
(drop panels are defined in ACI 8.2.4), the minimum thickness is the larger of the value obtained from the expression in Table 3.2
and 5 in. (ACI 8.3.1.1). Similarly, for slab systems with drop panels, the minimum thickness is the larger of the tabulated value
and 4 in. According to ACI 8.3.1.1, exterior panels are considered to be without edge beams where . The term is
defined in ACI 8.10.2.7 as the ratio of the flexural stiffness of the beam to the flexural stiffness of a slab width bounded
laterally by the centerlines of adjacent panels, if any, on each side of the beam . In typical situations where the concrete
mix for the beams and slab are the same, the modulus of elasticity of the beam, , and the modulus of elasticity of the slab,
, are equal, so where and are the moments of inertia of the beam and slab, respectively.
Table 3.2 Minimum Thickness, h, of Nonprestressed Two-way Slabs Without Interior Beams(1)
Without Drop Panels(3) With Drop Panels(3)
fy (psi)(2) Exterior Panels Exterior Panels
Without With Edge Interior Panels Without With Edge Interior Panels
Edge Beams Beams(4) Edge Beams Beams(4)
40,000 ln/33 ln/36 ln/36 ln/36 ln/40 ln/40
60,000 ln/30 ln/33 ln/33 ln/33 ln/36 ln/36
75,000 ln/28 ln/31 ln/31 ln/31 ln/34 ln/34
(1) ln is the clear span in the long direction, measured face-to-face of supports (in.).
(2) For fy between the values given in the table, minimum thickness is to be calculated by linear interpolation.
(3) Drop panels are defined in ACI 8.2.4.
(4) Exterior panels with edge beams are defined as slabs with beams between columns along exterior edges. Exterior panels are considered to be without edge beams where af < 0.8.
The value of af for an edge beam is calculated in accordance with ACI 8.10.2.7.
3-1
Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Diaphragms
Expressions for minimum thickness of nonprestressed two-way slabs with beams spanning between supports on all sides are
given in ACI Table 8.3.1.2 (see Table 3.3). For panels without sufficiently stiff beams around the edges (that is, where ),
the expressions for minimum thickness in Table 3.2 for two-way slabs without interior beams must be used. The term is the
average value of for all beams on the edges of a panel.
Table 3.3 Minimum Thickness, h, of Nonprestressed Two-way Slabs With Beams Spanning Between Supports on all
Sides
αfm (1) Minimum h (in.)
αfm ≤ 0.2 ACI 8.3.1.1 applies (see Table 3.2)
0.2 < αfm ≤ 2.0 Greater of(2),(3):
5.0
αfm > 2.0 Greater of(2),(3):
3.5
(1) αfm is the average value of αf for all beams on the edges of a panel where αf is determined in accordance with ACI 8.10.2.7.
(2) n is the clear span in the long direction, measured face-to-face of supports (in.).
(3) β is the ratio of clear spans in the long to short directions of the slab.
Figure 3.1 can be used to determine minimum slab thickness based on the requirements in ACI 8.3.1.1 and 8.3.1.2 for various
types of two-way slab systems assuming Grade 60 reinforcement.
3.3 In-plane Strength Requirements
3.3.1 Overview
Cast-in-place reinforced concrete slabs must have adequate strength to resist in-plane effects, including those due to wind,
seismic, fluid, or lateral earth pressure. In general, both flexure and shear must be considered when determining a required slab
thickness. A diaphragm thickness based on serviceability requirements is usually adequate to satisfy in-plane strength require-
ments.
3.3.2 Flexure
In-plane moments, which are determined by one of the models in Chapter 6 of this publication, are typically resisted by chord
reinforcement placed perpendicular to the direction of the lateral force. In most cases, this reinforcement is determined using a
slab thickness that is sufficient for serviceability or other strength requirements; there is usually no need to increase the thick-
ness of a slab based on in-plane flexural requirements.
Chord reinforcement is normally concentrated near the edges of the slab and around any openings in the slab; however, it is per-
mitted to distribute this reinforcement within 25 percent of the diaphragm depth from the tension edge of the diaphragm (ACI
12.5.2.3; see ACI Figure R12.5.2.3 and Section 8.4 of this publication).
3.3.3 Shear
In-plane shear strength requirements for diaphragms are given in ACI 12.5.3 for buildings assigned to SDC A, B, or C. The
nominal shear strength, , of a cast-in-place reinforced concrete diaphragm is determined by ACI Equation (12.5.3.3), which is
a function of the area of the diaphragm, , the modification factor, , that accounts for the reduced mechanical properties of
lightweight concrete relative to normalweight concrete of the same compressive strength, (which is limited to 10,000 psi),
and the amount of distributed shear reinforcement in the slab, . The following equation must be satisfied for in-plane shear
strength:
(3.1)
3-2
Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Diaphragms
12.0 �at
11.0 �bt
�ct
�dt
10.0 �et
.
��t
n
9.0
i
Minimum slab thickness h �i
�gt
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
Longer clear span n �� t f
�at Flat plate, external panels without edge beams
�bt Flat plate, internal panels and external panels with edge beams and Flat slab, external panels
without edge beams
fm 0.5,
�ct Two-way beam-supported slab, 1
�dt Flat slab, internal panels and external panels with edge beams
1.0,
�et Two-way beam-supported slab, fm 1
1.5,
��t Two-way beam-supported slab, fm 1
�gt Two-way beam-supported slab, fm 2.0, 1
Figure 3.1 Minimum Slab Thickness of Two-Way Slab Systems for Grade 60 Reinforcement
Equation (3.1) is also applicable to diaphragms in buildings assigned to SDC D, E, or F [see ACI Equation (18.12.9.1) for ,
which is the same as that in ACI Equation (12.5.3.3)]. Required shear strength, , due to in-plane forces is determined using
one of the models in Chapter 6 of this publication.
Strength reduction factor, , is equal to 0.60 or 0.75, and information on the correct value to use is given in Section 7.2 of this
publication. The gross area of the diaphragm, , is usually determined using a one-foot diaphragm length in the direction of
analysis, that is, where is the thickness of the reinforced concrete slab. The shear reinforcement ratio, , is
equal to the area of the uniformly distributed slab reinforcement that is oriented parallel to the shear force divided by the gross
area of the slab perpendicular to that reinforcement.
It is not uncommon for the design shear strength of the concrete, , alone to satisfy in-plane shear strength
requirements. Assuming , Equation (3.1) can be solved for the minimum slab thickness, , based on a one-foot dia-
phragm length:
(3.2)
3-3
Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Diaphragms
In this equation, is the maximum factored in-plane shear force in the diaphragm divided by the overall depth of the dia-
phragm in the direction of analysis (minus any opening lengths). For normalweight concrete with , minimum
can be determined by the following equations:
• For :
(3.3)
• For :
(3.4)
In these equations, has the units of kips per linear foot.
The cross-sectional dimensions of a diaphragm must also be selected so that ACI Equation (12.5.3.4) is satisfied (the same
requirement is also given in ACI 18.12.9.2 for buildings assigned to SDC D, E, or F):
(3.5)
This equation essentially establishes a maximum design shear strength for the diaphragm, or equivalently, a lower limit on the
diaphragm thickness for a maximum factored shear force, . Assuming a one-foot diaphragm length, Equation (3.5) can be
solved for :
(3.6)
For normalweight concrete with , minimum can be determined by the following equations where has the
units of kips per linear foot:
• For :
(3.7)
• For :
(3.8)
Comparing Equations (3.2) and (3.6), it is evident that the minimum required slab thickness based on the design shear strength
of the concrete alone is always larger than the minimum required slab thickness based on the maximum permitted design shear
strength where .
3.4 Out-of-plane Strength Requirements
3.4.1 Flexure
Flexural reinforcement is provided in the slab based on the factored moments, , at the critical sections along the span.
Where applicable, the simplified method of analysis in ACI 6.5 for one-way slabs or the Direct Design Method in ACI 8.10 for
two-way slabs can be used to determine for gravity loads. For slab systems that are part of the lateral force-resisting
system (LFRS), these factored moments are due to the combined effects from gravity and lateral forces. Reasonable amounts
of flexural reinforcement can usually be determined at the critical sections using a slab thickness based on serviceability or two-
way shear requirements; out-of-plane flexural strength requirements rarely have an impact on the required slab thickness.
3.4.2 One-way Shear
The one-way shear strength requirements in ACI 22.5 must be satisfied for both one-way and two-way slab systems at the
critical sections defined in ACI 7.4.3 and 8.4.3, respectively. Because shear reinforcement is rarely, if ever, used in one-way or
two-way slabs to supplement one-way shear strength, the design shear strength of the concrete, , must be greater than or
equal to the required shear strength, . One-way slabs are usually not part of the LFRS, so the required shear strength, , is
equal to the factored distributed gravity load, , times the shaded area in Figure 3.2. In this figure, the critical section is located
a distance from the face of the support, which means the requirements of ACI 7.4.3.2 are satisfied; otherwise, the critical
section must be located at the face of the support (ACI 7.4.3.1).
3-4
