Abstract
The analysis and design of skew structures, is of considerable importance and practical interest. Greater speeds on highways, with their more exacting safety requirements, demand better alignment. In order to achieve this skew bridges are frequently built. In bridges the slabs are often strengthened with edge beams, which make the behaviour of such structures more complicated. In this thesis, the structural behaviour of skew slabs, which are simpler components of such structures, has been presented. The methods of solving skew slab problems have been critically reviewed. The behaviour of skew slabs in bending has been examined, using the finite difference technique, with a skew co-ordinate system where the axes are parallel to the sides of the slab. The finite difference operators have been applied in such a way that any ratio of sides and angles of skew may be treated. The effect of varying the mesh size on the deflections and moments has been investigated. The effect of angle of skew on the behaviour of the slabs is clearly shown. The college computer facilities have been used to fully programme the finite difference computations to obtain deflections and moments. Three types of boundary conditions have been treated. In each case, the two opposite skew sides have been assumed simply supported and the remaining two sides are either simply supported, free or supported on elastic beams. The analysis has been confined to uniform normal loading. The deflections obtained from dial gauges have been compared with the values given by the finite difference method. The moire technique has been utilised to obtain the moments. Three types of skew slab have been tested. The experimental and theoretical moments have been compared and the scope and limitation of the two methods has been discussed. General conclusions have been drawn and suggestions have been made for future research.