Assessment 2 – Concrete Design Report 1. Introduction: The Design Project is intended to simulate a realistic design project scenario where students

Assessment 2 – Concrete Design Report

1. Introduction:

The Design Project is intended to simulate a realistic design project scenario where students act as structural engineers in a consultancy office. The task requires the structural analysis and design of a reinforced concrete six-story building consisting of car parking on the ground floor, offices from the 1st to the 4th floors, and a service floor on the fifth level. A full set of architectural drawings and structural design drawings is provided for guidance. The building will be constructed in Australia and must conform to Australian design standards and standard construction materials. Each student must individually design one continuous beam and one slab panel allocated to them.

2. Scope of Work:

Students are expected to complete a full structural design of one continuous beam and one slab panel within their designated design zone. Column and footing design are optional.

Organisation and Assumptions:

• The architectural drawings display dimensions in meters and millimeters and space allocation, without structural details.
• As structural designers, students are required to propose locations, types, and details of structural elements, verifying all assumptions in the final report.
• A concrete beam grid layout is established, and each beam and column is assigned a unique identifier such as B1, B2 for beams and C1, C2 for columns.
• Students must allocate a building location and exposure class to determine concrete cover and compressive strength, which is to be verified later.
• Material selection is essential, and mechanical properties must be specified for the calculations.
• Loading and load combinations are selected based on Australian Standard AS1170, with critical combinations identified.

Concrete Mix Design:

• Students are required to design a project-specific concrete mix that satisfies the strength requirement (N32 or N40 Grade).
• The American Volumetric Method is used following Chapter 5 of the textbook “Properties and Design of Concrete Structures” (Al-Ameri, 2017).
• Coarse aggregate selection includes gravel with crushed particles or sub-angular coarse aggregate.

3. Analysis and Conceptual Design:
Slab Load Calculation:

• Trial slab thickness is nominated.
• Deflection control is ensured by adopting a span-to-depth ratio of 28 or less.
• Dead, live, and ultimate loads are defined and shown on a load summary sketch.
• Slab tributary areas are identified for each supporting beam.
• The critical load for the slab and the beam's share of the load are determined.

Structural Analysis of Beam:

• Trial beam cross-section dimensions are nominated.
• Dead, live, and ultimate loads are defined, accounting for slab load transferred to beams, displayed in a load summary sketch.
• Deflection control is based on a span-to-depth ratio of 10 or less.
• Structural analysis can be conducted using software like SpaceGass or by conventional methods.
• Shear and bending moments along the beam span are calculated and displayed on SFD and BMD diagrams.
• Critical load actions (maximum bending moment and shear force) are identified.

4. Detailed Design:

• Students must provide a detailed design of the allocated beam and slab using the simplified structural analysis method from AS3600.
• Designs must meet strength, safety, and ductility requirements.
• Beams are designed as T-shape or inverted L-shape (for edge beams) with reinforcement for negative and positive moments, shear, and serviceability.
• The beam is designed for maximum moment across all spans, with rebar details calculated for other locations in the spans.
• Slabs are designed as two-way slabs for moments, shear, deflection, and reinforcement detailing.
• All calculations must show correct units and use appropriate figures.
• Typical calculations must support software outputs if software is used.
• SRIA design aids must be applied to assist in reinforcing size and detailing.
• Reinforcement detailing follows recommendations from “The Reinforcement Detailing Handbook.”
• Design is concluded with scaled summary sketches showing necessary details.

5. Deliverables:

• The concrete design report must include structural analysis, conceptual design, and detailed design of the allocated beam and slab.
• Optional designs for columns and footings can be included as Appendix A.
• Reports should contain design calculations, a summary, sketches, and cross-sections.
• The word count must reach at least 10,000 words.
• An originality check must return a score no higher than 15%.
• Submissions exceeding this score will not be assessed.
• Each student must submit individually.
• The report is a hurdle assessment worth 40% of the final grade and due Sunday, 7 September 2025, at 8:00 pm AEDT via DeakinSync’s unit site.
• Only one submission per student is permitted.

6. Report Content Structure:

• Front Page: Include project title and student’s name.
• Table of Contents: Numbered pages for easy navigation.
• Chapter 1: Introduction: Provide a brief project-specific overview.
• Chapter 2: Concrete Mix Design: Follow volumetric mix design method from Week 1 content.
• Chapter 3: Design Concept & Assumptions:
   • Describe the design concept and assumptions.
   • Material properties, exposure class, concrete cover, compressive strength.
   • Load assumptions and load combinations based on AS1170.
   • Floor plans and sections showing all structural elements.
• Chapter 4: Structural Analysis:
   • Use software or simplified methods.
   • Calculate ultimate uniform slab loading and tributary areas.
   • Analyze continuous beam and RC slab.
   • Present outcomes in diagrams (SFD, BMD).
   • Include a load summary sketch.
• Chapter 5: Continuous RC Beam Design:
   • Design compliant with AS3600.
   • Summary sketches with reinforcement details.
   • Design for positive and negative moments, shear, serviceability.
• Chapter 6: RC Slab Panel Design:
   • AS3600-compliant design.
   • Summary sketches and reinforcement details.
   • Design for moments, shear, and serviceability.
• Chapter 7: Reflection:
   • Reflect on design limitations.
   • Propose potential improvements.
• Appendix A (Optional):
   • Design of RC column and footing.
   • Include design summary sketches, axial loads, moments, and rebar details.

7. Assessment Criteria:

• The report must be concise and relevant; superfluous information should be in the Appendix.
• Timely submissions follow the School’s late submission policy.
• Use of design software earns a 5% bonus mark.
• Software printouts must be in the Appendix, not in the main report chapters.

8. Project Resources:

Essential documents include:

• Architectural & Structural Drawings.
• Project Design Brief.
• Project Rubric.

9. Team Task Allocation:

Each student is allocated a structural element by axes and floor level to avoid duplication. For example:

• Student A-B is assigned Vertical axes A-B, Floor 1, with continuous beam design between 1-6 & A-D, and slab panel between 1-6 & A-D.
• Other students receive similarly unique allocations.

Assessment 2 – Concrete Design Report: Brief Summary of Requirements

The goal of this assessment was to simulate a real-world design project in which students act as structural engineers responsible for designing structural elements of a six-story reinforced concrete building in Australia. The primary deliverables included:

• Structural analysis, concept design, and detailed design of one continuous reinforced concrete (RC) beam and one RC slab panel.
• Application of Australian Standards (AS1170 for loading and AS3600 for structural design).
• Development of a project-specific concrete mix design using the American Volumetric Method (N32 or N40 concrete grade).
• Presentation of all design calculations, load combinations, structural diagrams (SFD, BMD), and summary sketches.
• Optional inclusion of RC column and footing design as an appendix.
• A structured design report of at least 10,000 words, with a plagiarism check required to return less than 15% similarity.
• Submission by the deadline as an individual task, assessed for 40% of the final grade.

Key deliverables included the following report structure:

• Front Page, Table of Contents, and Chapters covering Introduction, Concrete Mix Design, Design Concept & Assumptions, Structural Analysis, Continuous Beam Design, RC Slab Panel Design, Reflection, and optional Column & Footing Design.

Assessment Approach: Academic Mentor’s Step-by-Step Guidance

Step 1: Understanding the Project Scope

The academic mentor began by clarifying the purpose of the project — simulating the role of a structural engineer working on a real building design project. The student was tasked to individually design a continuous beam and slab panel, understanding that their work contributes to the overall structural integrity of the building.

Step 2: Concrete Mix Design

The mentor guided the student to:

• Choose between N32 or N40 concrete grade.
• Apply the American Volumetric Method for mix design, selecting appropriate coarse aggregate (gravel or sub-angular aggregate).
• Calculate the mix proportions to meet project-specific compressive strength requirements.

Step 3: Concept Design and Assumptions

Students were instructed to:

• Define project-specific assumptions regarding material properties (concrete cover, exposure class).
• Allocate a building location to determine exposure class.
• Select appropriate mechanical properties for calculation.
• Assign unique identifiers for structural elements (e.g., B1 for beams, C1 for columns).
• Generate load combinations based on AS1170, focusing on dead, live, and ultimate loads.
• Create floor plans with structural elements marked and explain their rationale.

Step 4: Structural Analysis

The academic mentor assisted the student to:

• Nominate a trial slab thickness and beam cross-sectional dimensions.
• Calculate slab loads based on tributary areas and span-to-depth ratios (≤28 for slabs and ≤10 for beams).
• Use structural design software (SpaceGass) to carry out analysis or the conventional simplified method when software use was unavailable.
• Produce structural diagrams: Shear Force Diagrams (SFD) and Bending Moment Diagrams (BMD).
• Identify critical loading combinations and maximum moments/shear forces.

Step 5: Detailed Design of Continuous Beam

The student was guided to:

• Design the continuous beam as a T-shape (or inverted L-shape for edge beams) per AS3600 standards.
• Perform typical calculations for positive and negative moments, shear, serviceability, and rebar detailing.
• Generate scaled design summary sketches for clarity.

Step 6: Detailed Design of RC Slab Panel

The mentor instructed the student to:

• Apply AS3600-compliant two-way slab design principles.
• Design for negative and positive moments, shear, deflection limits, and reinforcement detailing.
• Ensure all calculations include correct units and figures.
• Support software results with typical hand calculations for verification.

Step 7: Reflection on Design Outcomes

The student was encouraged to reflect critically on:

• Design limitations (e.g., assumptions made, areas of uncertainty).
• Potential improvements in material choices or design methodology.
• How the project aligned with real-world practices and design standards.

Step 8: Final Compilation and Report Formatting

The academic mentor supported the student in:

• Organizing the report into structured chapters.
• Preparing the front page and table of contents.
• Verifying the word count (minimum 10,000 words).
• Ensuring an originality check resulted in <15>
• Placing software printouts and optional column/footing designs in the appendix.

Final Outcome Achieved

The student successfully submitted a structured, high-quality concrete design report that included:

• A complete structural analysis of the allocated beam and slab panel.
• A customized concrete mix design meeting project-specific requirements.
• Clear, scaled design sketches with reinforcement details.
• Reflection on design limitations and suggested improvements.
• Well-organized and concise reporting that adhered to Australian Standards AS1170 and AS3600.
• A plagiarism report score under 15%.

Learning Objectives Covered

Upon successful completion of this assessment, the student demonstrated the ability to:

1. Apply the Australian concrete design standards to a real-world structural design problem.
2. Develop a project-specific concrete mix design using the volumetric method.
3. Perform structural analysis of beams and slabs using both conventional methods and design software.
4. Identify and calculate load combinations in compliance with AS1170.
5. Execute detailed RC beam and slab panel designs per AS3600 requirements, including proper reinforcement detailing.
6. Reflect critically on the limitations and potential improvements of their design work.
7. Organize and present a professional technical report suitable for the industry environment.

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