Plastic Design of Continuous Composite Slabs

Most current regulations for continuous composite slabs contain rules that limit the application of plastic analysis in the design process. In this paper, results of numerical studies for positive and negative bending and experimental results for negative bending are presented. From these investigations conclusions can be drawn on the possibilities of using plastic analysis for the determination of the bending moments and shear force distribution in a continuous slab. Background information for the rules in Eurocode 4 on the moment resistance of cross sections is also presented.