The transfer of loads from a slab to beams is controlled by the slab's geometrical dimension and the direction of reinforcements. The load of the slab, including self-weight, live load, and imposed dead load, are distributed over the beams on their sides.
The slab loads are expressed in weight per unit area, whereas the loads of beams are expressed in units of weight per length of the beam.
If the slab has regular dimensions, the load transfer can be carried
out easily and quickly. However, if it has an irregular shape, it is
recommended to use suitable programs such as SAP2000, SAFE, and ETABS.
One-way Slab
The load of the one-way slab, which has a rectangular shape, is divided equally between adjacent beams. The interior beam takes half of the total load of a slab on each side.
Figure-1: Transfer of Loads from Rectangular One-way Slab to Beams on two Sides of the Slab
If a slab is supported on two sides only or supported on all four sides, but the longer side to shorter side ratio is greater than 2, it is termed as one-way slab, see Figure-2.
Figure-2: One-way Slab to Beams
