How to model a concealed beam in ETABS & How to design the Hidden Beam

Concealed beam is a myth. Before even discussing how to model a concealed beam or thinking about a concealed beam design, know this fact that there is nothing called concealed beam.
Why I say this about the so-called concealed beam?
A hidden concealed beam shall be only used as a tie for columns so that the slenderness of the column can be reduced and also its sway can be controlled.
You can also adopt a concealed beam when there is a concentrated load or a line load from a wall on a slab. This hidden concealed beam will help to reduce the intensity of the line load on the slab. The beam needs to be hidden if architecturally we cannot provide a beam there.
Basically, a concealed beam is a part of the slab as it is only as thick as the slab and is not stiff enough to behave as a beam and take the load from the slab.
You will have to design the slab as a single panel with out considering it separate at the concealed beam location.
If you design the slab as separate panels, there can be cracks or even failure of the slab depending up on the redistribution ability of the slab and also on the margin on load considerations and factor of safety adopted
Now how do you do the concealed beam design?
You don’t have to even design it as a beam. It is not taking any gravity load from the slab. If you design the slab that’s adequate.
In case you have provided the hidden beam in slab as a tie to columns, it will attract a tie force - Basically a tension and compression when the column sways. The slab itself is stiff, only that there are no continuous bars in it. So, this concealed beam strip will help if there are continuous rebars in it to take the column tie forces.
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