Slim Floor Construction

There has been considerable interest in many parts of Europe in developing and designing shallow floor systems for use in steel-framed buildings. This form of construction creates a flat floor in which steel beams are contained within the depth occupied by the floor. Shallow floors therefore achieve the minimum depth of construction and, by virtue of the partial encasement of the steel section, generally do not require additional fire protection for up to 60 minutes fire resistance. These floor systems can be designed to compete with reinforced concrete flat slabs, and offer distinct advantages relative to concrete in terms of speed of construction. The slim floor system using deep deck composite slabs has been tested extensively at the ultimate, serviceability and fire limit states. The partial encasement of the steel section increases its load resistance, stiffness and fire resistance. A fire resistance of 60 minutes can be achieved in otherwise unprotected slim floor construction.