Boundary element modelling of flat plate floors under vertical loading

The present paper develops a boundary element model for flat plate floors. The floor slab is modelled using the shear-deformable plate bending theory. Internal columns or walls are treated using internal collocation technique, where three interaction generalized forces are considered at the slab–column connection: two bending moments in two directions and shear force in the vertical direction. Such forces are considered to be constant over the column cross-sections. The present technique takes into account the realistic geometric modelling of the column cross-sections. The effect of considering such geometry in the analysis of the bending moments transferred from slab to columns is studied. Several examples, including solution of practical building slab, are presented. The results are compared to those obtained from other numerical methods to demonstrate the accuracy and the reliability of the present formulation. The present formulation can be considered as an accurate tool to predict moment transferred from the slab to the column