Comparison of ABAQUS FEA with SAFE analysis of RC Waffle Slabs to evaluate their design cost saving

A RC-waffle slab in a steel frame is simulated using both Finite element method (FEM) in ABAQUS as well as Csi/Safe as an integrated building design software which is a popular one in building design offices. Both concrete and steel is modeled as plastic materials and their plastic behavior is shown through static gravity loads in service design loading. The gravity loads have been applied according to the ‘2800Loading Regulation’. The simulated results visualize static evolution of equivalent instantaneous slab creep, slab and steel column normal and shear stresses, especially around the concrete slab and steel column contact surfaces. It is shown that the results obtained from FEM are less than those of in SAFE meaningfully, and the waffle slab can be designed much lighter from the perspective of reinforcement and supporting column. So it can be saved much costs in designing long waffle slab spans through analyzing them through FEM instead of integrated design software.

Comparison of ABAQUS FEA with SAFE analysis of RC Waffle Slabs to evaluate their design cost saving Keywords:

Waffle slab , FEA , ABAQUS , CSI-SAFE , Steel Frame