Comparison between Ribbed Slab Structure using Lightweight Foam Concrete and Solid Slab Structure using Normal Concrete

The aim of this study is to demonstrate that one-way ribbed slab with lightweight foam concrete can be used to reduce the dead load on slab concrete structure. This would allow the structural designer to reduce the size of column, footing and other load bearing elements. In addition, the scope of this study is to design one-way ribbed slab and two-way solid slab by using Esteem software. The methodology employed in this study consists of two parts, the first part is the Lab tests for the density and compression strength while the second part is the analysis of the data made by using the ESTEEM software. The result of this study shows that one-way ribbed slab with beam used in residential building is more preferable from the economical point of view since it is less expensive than the two-way solid slab with beam. Furthermore, one-way ribbed slab with L.W.F.C. is more efficient. As a conclusion, it seems that L.W.F.C. could be considered as an-alternative in place of other frequently used conventional cement due to its capability to reduce the weight of building. On the other hand, ESTEEM software is considered as an efficient and accurate method of making the analysis and the optimization of building structure.