Closure of "Minimum Cost Selection of One-Way Slab Thickness"

Considerable cost savings can result from the design of one-way reinforced concrete slabs, beams of constant width, and footings based on cost minimization techniques of flexural capacity. Equations for minimum cost slab depth are developed and a simple iterative method of their solution is presented. Resulting slab costs are compared, one using the minimum cost procedure, the other based on minimum slab thickness requiring no deflection check. The minimum cost slab usually requires a deflection check except where steel is expensive relative to concrete or for intense design loads.