Understanding Load Calculations | Structural Design
Load Calculations | Design of Buildings
In our earlier article, we discussed Different types of loads and their importance in Structural design.
Now we will move on with our discussion on the following points:
further
Design principle assumption and notation assumed Design Constant Assumptions regarding Design Loads on Beams Loads on slabs
Design principle assumption and notation assumed:
The notations adopted throughout are same as given in IS:456:2000 Density of material used in accordance with reference to IS:857-1987s
[Link] Material 1 2 3 4 Plain concrete Flooring material (cement mortar) Brick masonry Density 24 KN/m3 1.00 KN/m3 19 KN/m3
Reinforced cement concrete 25 KN/m3
Design constant
Using M20 and Fe415 grade of concrete and steel respectively for columns and footings Therefore: Fck i. e. Characteristic strength for M15 15 N/mm2 Fck i. e. Characteristic strength for M15 15 N/mm2 Fck i. e. Characteristic strength for M20 20 N/mm2 Fy i. e. Characteristic strength for steel 415 N/mm2
Assumption regarding Design
1. Slab is assumed to be continuous over interior support and partial fixed on the edge, due to monolithic construction of walls over it. 2. Beams are assumed to be continuous over interior support and they frame in to the column at the ends.
Load on Beams Description of load of slab on beam
The load of slab is dispersed on to the supporting beams in accordance with clause 23.5 of IS:456-1978, which states that the load on beams supporting solid spans, spacing in two directions at right angles and supporting uniformly distributed loads.
Self weight of beams
This load acts on the beams as a UDL, this is calculated after assuming the suitable cross section (by stiffness/deflection consideration) of the beam.
Load due to brick masonry wall
In a framed structure, brick masonry are used to construct curtain walls. They do not carry or transfer any load. Hence, the masonry walls do not have to thick.
Point load from intersecting beam
If there is any beam meeting the beam then the load of that beam is considered as point load.
Loads on slabs
Three types of loads are to be considered for the design of slabs: 1. 2. 3. Dead load of the slab Live load of the slab Floor finish load
Dead load of the slab
Self weight of slab acts: This load acts as UDL, this is calculated after assuming the 1m wide square strip and suitable thickness consideration.
Floor finish load
This load also acts as UDL and this is calculated after assuming suitable intensity over 1m wide strip.
Live load on the slab
This is the temporary load on its intensity depends on type and occupancy of building. The intensity can vary with the type of building.
Introduction to the calculation of the loads | Building Construction
Load Calculations | Types of Loads
Students find it difficult to understand the concept of loads although it is a very simple concept. We are going to write a series of articles on Load Calculations and help you all in understanding different types of loads that are to be considered for structural designing and also how to calculate them. In this article, we will discuss different types of loads with examples.
In our next article, we will cover the following points:
Design principle assumption and notation assumed Design Constant Assumptions regarding Design Loads on Beams Loads on slabs
An object is subject to mainly two types of forces:
1. 2. Live loads Dead loads
Basically, an object subject to any type of force which could be gravitational force (weight), pressure or anything affects the object is called a load. This concept is used in Mechanical and structural engineering. Lets take in terms of Structural Engineering. Whenever a structure is designed, these concepts are taken into consideration because real world objects are analyzed in order to design the structure. This is very important in terms of structural stability.
What are Dead loads?
As the name itself suggests, dead loads could be termed as self weight of the non-living objects. It could be the weight of the materials, equipments or any other components in the structure that will remain permanent throughout the life of the structure.
Dead load has to be considered in order to make the structural design accordingly. Dead loads vary from structure to structure. Every building is unique and has different considerations. An additional load is considered in case additional forces build up in a structure in case of settlement or due to secondary effects of prestress construction or due to shrinkage of concrete. For the calculations of dead loads, we could also consider, Columns Beams Footings Lintels Furniture Machinery and other equipment Walls Floors Roofs Ceilings Stairways Built-in partitions Finishes (POP Plaster of Paris) Cladding (Use of various materials which increase the self weight of the structure) etc. Basically, all the permanent loads are to be considered.
What are Live loads?
Unlike dead loads, live loads are variable. We could term them as probabilistic loads. Live load varies from time to time. As the name suggests, live load is the load of human beings living in the building. Their movement is not fixed. The number of people at a time in a structure can also vary. For example:
A person lives in a 4BHK apartment with his wife and two kids. If he happens to throw a party for 50 persons, the live load on the structure increases considerably for that period of time. As soon as the guests leave, the number of persons reduces from 50 to 4. So, heres what I mean by variable force.
Lets take another example: Live load to be considered while designing a staircase:
Pressure of the feet Wind load on the stair in case the staircase is located outside the house
Live load to be considered while designing the roof:
Movement of workers on the roof during construction, maintenance along with their materials and equipments Also, if the owner of the house plans to make a terrace garden on the roof, that adds additional load to it. For dwelling houses to a 10KN/m2. In any building project, slabs are assumed to be 100m thick from stiffness/deflection consideration. Beams are taken separately and the self-weight is calculated and added separately on the frame. The net weight of the above load is multiplied by a load of 1.5 for concrete.
