Loads on Structures
(Deadload)
CE 115 – Structural Theory II
Engr. Richard A. Badiola, RMP, [Link]’g, [Link]’g (CAR)
Assistant Professor III
CATEGORY OF LOADS
1.)DEAD LOADS – due to the weight of structural system itself and any other
material attached to it.
2.) LIVE LOADS – movable or moving loads due to the use of the structure.
3.) ENVIRONMENTAL LOADS -, which are caused by environmental effects such
as wind, snow, rain load, hydrostatic pressure, soil pressure, temperature
changes and settlement and earthquakes.
Minimum Design Loads and
Combinations
[Link] Structural Code of the Philippines 2015
2. National Building Code
3. ASCE Standard Minimum Design Loads for Buildings
[Link] Building code
DEAD LOADS
- Include floors, roofs, ceilings, walls, stairways, heating and air-conditioning
system, plumbing, electrical system etc.
- Preliminary size of structural member is assumed based on approximate
methods and this assumed weight is compared to the actual weight
Partition Load
Floors in office buildings and other buildings where partition location are
subject to change shall be designed to support 1 KPa uniformly distributed
load in addition to all other loads
Miscellaneous Load (ASCE)
The exceptions to this are minor electrical and mechanical items such as
wiring and plumbing whose exact location is unknown during design, as
well as added density at the connections to supporting structures.
The magnitude of the miscellaneous load generally varies depending on
what you expect the extent of these items to be. For typical cases, values
between 1 and 2 psf are typical.
A Floor System Example of an Office
building
Determine the weights of the various components:
Carpet & Pad: There is a wide variety of carpet & pad out
there with a wide variety of weights. In this case, since the
carpet and pad weight is likely to be small with respect to
some of the other components, we can be a little
conservative without making a significant impact on the
design. Lets use 3 psf for the carpet and pad.
Concrete on Deck: The decking manufacturer provides
weight tables for their product. In this case, the weight is 35
psf.
Steel Joists: A 36LH07 steel joist weighs approximately 16 lbs
per lineal foot according to the Steel Joist Institute
literature. The tributary width of the joists is 5' 10", so the
weight per floor area equals 16 lb/ft / 5.8333 ft = 2.74 psf
Lightweight Suspended Ceiling: According to one reference,
a metal suspension system with tiles weighs about 1.8
psf. We'll use that.
Misc. Loading: We expect that there will be misc. light fixtures
in the ceiling, wiring, and minor plumbing, so we will select a
value between 1 psf and 2 psf that will give us an integer
value for the total load.
Interior Wall Example
Determine the weights of the various
components:
GWB: The wall has two layers of 1/2" GWB,
each weighing 2.2 psf. The total weight of
GWB on the wall is 4.4 psf.
Steel Studs: The manufacturers website says
that the cross sectional area away from
cutouts equals 0.513 in2 for this stud. Since
steel weighs about 492 pcf, this equates to
1.75 plf for the stud. This is conservative since it
does not account for the cutouts. The studs
are placed at 16 inches O.C. (on center),
giving us a weight of 1.31 lbs per square foot
of wall.
Miscellaneous: The wall is likely to see minor
weight from electrical wiring, but not much
else. We will chose a miscellaneous load that
is between 1 psf and 2 psf.
Given the inexact nature of dead load computations, it is common to round dead
loads to integer values of no more than three significant figures.
Linear Members
The dead load of linear members such as beam, columns and large pipes are
generally expressed in terms of weight per unit length.
For large pipes that flow full, the contents can be considered to be dead loads
because their weights and locations are very predictable.
Specific Items
Items that cannot reasonably be treated as being area or linear loads are treated on
a case by case basis. Equipment that is attached to the building is expressed in
terms of the connection loads and are placed at the location of the connection. For
some calculations (generally for those members supporting but not directly attached
to the item) items may be considered as point loads that act through their center of
mass.