Ultimate and service behavior of ferrocement roof slab panels

The aim of this research paper is to study the ultimate and service behavior of ferrocement roof slab panels. The test results of six simply supported roof slab panels are presented. The parameters of study include: the effect of the percentage of wire mesh reinforcement by volume and the structural shape of the panels on the ultimate flexural strength, first crack load, crack spacing and load-deformation behavior. The results indicate that the use of monolithic shallow edge ferrocement beams with the panels considerably improves the service and ultimate behavior of the panels, irrespective of the number of steel layers used.