FLOOR

STRUCTURES
Floor structures Building Construction I.
● Basic functions and requirements

● architectural function and requirements

- variability of interior layout
- aesthetic function
● structural function and requirements
- load-bearing capacity of floor structure
- deflection of floor structure
- horizontal stiffness
● fire safety function and requirements
- inflammability of materials
- fire resistance
● acoustics function and requirements
- airborne sound transmission
- impact sound transmission
● thermal function and requirements

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Architectural function and
requirements
● aesthetic function

● variability of interior layout – span

● thickness of floor structure

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Structural function and requirements
● load-bearing capacity of floor structure
uniform load (self weight + impose load kN/m2 – 2,0 residential - 3,0 offices - 4,0 cinemas - 5,0 concentration
- 6,0 concentration + movement
requirement of minimal self weight x acoustics

● deflection of floor structure

aesthetics, function of components span: 200 - 500
● horizontal stiffness
interaction with horizontal load bearing structures

● Fire safety function and requirements

● inflammability of materials

● fire resistance 15 – 180 min

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Acoustics function and requirements
● airborne sound transmission loss 42 – 67 dB
● impact sound transmission loss 48 – 68 dB

● Thermal function and requirements

● heat transfer coefficient U
● decrease of touch floor temperature
● thermal stability of room
● limitation of heat bridges

Values of heat transfer coefficient UN

Req. Recom.
Floor structures
W/(m2K) W/(m2K)
floor structures lightweight structure 0,24 0,16
under/above unheated
heavy structure 0,30 0,20
space

Floor structures Building Construction I.

PRINCIPLES OF
STRUCTURAL
SOLUTION
Floor structures Building Construction I.
● Principle of vaults
- external load is carried by the only
internal compression in the vault

e ≤ t/6

- vault produce large horizontal forces at

the support → ratio of rise to span f / l

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Beam structure
- load effects are carried mainly by flexure → interaction of compressed and
tensioned parts of cross section

I = W/e[m4]
inertia moment
section modulus Shear stress

- influence of cross-sectional shape on the affectivity of structure

k = f (E,I)
stiffness

Floor structures Building Construction I.

- influence of beam support on its stress

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Slab structure
- importance of slab support

- one-way slabs → flexure, shear

- two-way slabs → flexure, shear, torsion

- importance of self weight

reduction

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Principle of reinforcement
- combination of two materials:
one with high strength in compression (e.g. concrete)
and one with high strength in tension (e.g. steel)
thermal expansion coefficient

- reinforced concrete (RC) elements

- timber glue-laminated beams with steel reinforcement

Floor structures Building Construction I.
● Principle of prestressing

- in prestressed elements, compressive

stresses are introduced into a member to
reduce or nullify the tensile stresses which
result from bending due to the applied load

- prestressing of concrete structures

- prestressing of timber glue laminated structure
- prestressing of timber or steel beams using
free tension tendons

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Interaction of structural elements
- basic structural principle
- type of joint selection → level of
interaction of elements (not only static!)

- static interaction:
importance of joints rigidity
→ normal and shear stress
- coupled structures: RC floor structures,
composite steel and concrete
structures, timber glued beams and
nailed beams etc.
Floor structures Building Construction I.
STRUCTURAL VARIANTS OF FLOOR STRUCTURES
● Structural classification
● vaults - stone vaults, brick vault, concrete vault
● slab structures - one-way slabs
- two-way slabs
● beam structures - one-way – joist and ribbed floor structures
- two-way – grid bearer floor structures
● Material classification
● timber floors - slab structures
- beam (joist, plank) structures
● stone floors - vaults, floors from stone plates
● floors from ceramic materials - brick vaults
● concrete floors - concrete vaults and shell roofs
- slab structures (RC slabs, composite RC structures)
- beam structures (joist, girder, ribbed)
● steel floors - slab structures (from formed steel sheets)
- beam structures
● combined load-bearing floor structures
- composite steel and concrete structures etc.
Floor structures Building Construction I.
● Technological classification
● masonry floors - vaults
● monolithic floors - monolithic RC floor structures
● precasted floors - precasted RC floors, steel floors, timber floors
● prefa-monolithic floors - composite RC joists and slabs („filigran“),
prefa-monolithic slabs with mushroom ceiling

Real solution of floor structures results from combination of these structural,

material and technological variants. According to dominant characters floor
structures are commonly classify into:

● vaults
● timber floors
● RC floor structures
● steel and composite RC-steel floor structures

Floor structures Building Construction I.

 VAULTS
Floor structures Building Construction I.
● Structure of vault
● shape of main arch of a vault ● structural elements of vaults

● vaults supports

Floor structures Building Construction I.

 f

l buttress – external support

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● construction of vaults

● resistance to horizontal thrust

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Barrel vaults

● straight arch
● inclined barrel arch,
skewed vault
● trumpet arch (conic)
● raking arch (domed)

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Lunette (stripping) vaults

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● Structure of
barrel vault

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● Cloister vaults

● classic classical vaults

● trouhg valult

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● „mirror“ vault

● fake „mirror“ vault

Floor structures Building Construction I.

● dome vault ● Bohemian vault

● Prussian vault

Floor structures Building Construction I.

Prussian vault
Floor structures Building Construction I.
● Cross vaults
● classic cross vault

● lierne vault

Floor structures Building Construction I.

Floor structures Building Construction I.
Floor structures Building Construction I.
Cell vault (diamond vault)

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● Modern vaults
● vaults from mass
concrete

● RC vaults and shells

Floor structures Building Construction I.

Floor structures Building Construction I.
 FUNCTIONS AND
REQUIREMENTS

Floor structures Building Construction I.