Review on Reinforced Concrete Slabs behavior with Presence of Openings

Abstract

Openings in slabs are an important issue that needs to be studied carefully because these openings have a significant effect on load capacity and the general behavior of reinforced concrete slabs. This research aimed to review the previous studies that highlighted the effect of openings on reinforced concrete one-way and two-way slabs in addition to a review of four important codes, ACI Code, British Standard, Canadian Standard, and European Standard, that focused on this topic. The review of previous studies is divided into two sections, the first is the effect of opening in one-way slabs and the second is the effect of opening in two-way slabs. These studies showed that the opening size and position significantly affect load capacity, flexural, shear resistance, and deflection of slabs. The opening in the slab reduces the load capacity and shear resistance by reducing the concrete mass of the section where the concrete is cut.  The flexibility and the deflection of that slab are reduced in the presence of the opening as a result of reinforcement cutting. The effect of opening can be reduced or totally enhanced by using additional reinforcements or by using CFRP, carbon fiber reinforced polymer, strengthening.