Concealed Beam in Reinforced Concrete Structures: A Performance-Based Analysis

Abstract

The use of hidden beams in reinforced concrete construction is seen as an effective method of reducing excessive deflection in large spans. However, despite its presumed advantages and growing usage, no mention of it in standard civil engineering literature, codes and standards. In this paper, performance-based analysis is carried out on three different cases of slab arrangement involving hidden beams using SAP2000. The process is performed under dead and live load combination and based on the design guidelines in BS8110. The result of the performance-based analysis shows a 4%, 2% and 11% decrease in deflection, stress distribution and area of bending steel reinforcement required for the case with hidden beam in comparison with the case without beam. This indicates that the presence of a hidden beam in a slab is significant. Thus, it is recommended for reducing excessive deflection in large spans, hidden beams can be introduced. However, further studies should be conducted to determine the optimum width of the hidden beam for the most effective utilization.