Optimum Design of a Reinforced Concrete Ribbed Slab

In this research, optimum design of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) ribbed slab, also known as waffle slab according to the Indian RCC code (IS 456:2000) is presented. The objective function is the combined cost of the reinforcement, concrete and formwork which sums up the cost of the ribbed slab. The structure is analyzed using the direct design method. The objective function is developed after studying the ribbed slab in detail. The optimization process is carried out for different grades of concrete. The comparative results for different grades of concrete are enumerated and laid out in the tabulated form. Optimization for reinforced cement concrete (RCC) ribbed slab is illustrated and the results of the optimum design and conventional design are compared. Optimization problem is a constrained nonlinear programming problem (NLPP). The mathematical model is analyzed by using MATHEMATICA software. From the analysis, it was found that savings up to 25 percent can be obtained by optimizing the reinforced concrete ribbed slab.