Load Take-Down Guidance Manual
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jeddijLoad Take-Down Guidance Manual
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Powered by AITRM 160 recommends ignoring the effects of sinking supports in structures less than eight storeys high, without transfer beams, and with predicted settlement below span/400, as these scenarios are less likely to result in significant differential sinking. In such cases, the structural load distribution remains relatively unaffected, making detailed adjustments unnecessary .
BS 6399's loading reductions for area and number of floors cannot be applied simultaneously in office and residential structures as per TRM 160. Limitations include exclusion of roofs, plant, storage, and car parks from area reductions. Flat slabs also exclude beam-based area reductions. For effective load management, TRM 160 advises manually incorporating area reductions for certain floors, especially top floors, to optimize loading conditions without violating BS 6399 regulations .
In simply supported structures, tributary areas are straightforward, with uniformly distributed loads allocated 50% to each support. In contrast, continuous structures require consideration of elasticity in load distribution and do not account for moment redistribution, except for a 20% redistribution for moment and shear calculation as per BS 8110-1. The definition of tributary areas in continuous structures, such as flat slabs, varies and is influenced by the structure's continuity, requiring different splits for perimeter, interior, and middle panels based on moment envelopes .
The WSP spreadsheet in TRM 160 aids in calculating characteristic loads for foundation design and multiplies them by load factors to derive ultimate loads for column design. For special cases, like sinking supports, the spreadsheet allows specifying a factor for each column to accommodate changing tributary areas. It also helps distribute loads from columns on transfer beams to supporting structures, although area reductions need manual input for more accurate top-floor calculations .
Foundation settlement, particularly in clay soils, and axial shortening due to different loads and reinforcement levels can significantly impact high-rise buildings, potentially causing differential settlement and additional elastic shear. These effects should be addressed by starting with a realistic load assessment assuming level supports and then estimating differential settlement to account for additional shear. It is important to use long-term parameters, including cracked sections in concrete, for these estimations. These considerations are less critical for structures below eight storeys or without transfer beams .
Long-term parameters are critical in estimating differential settlement effects as they account for continued settlement over the building's life, impacting load distribution and structural integrity. TRM 160 emphasizes the importance of using parameters including cracked sections for non-prestressed concrete, ensuring more accurate predictions of elastic shear and compounding effects from sinking supports. This comprehensive approach helps engineers make informed design changes early in the planning stages .
TRM 160 advises applying load reduction according to the Building Regulations, where BS 6399 allows area and floor number reductions. However, these reductions cannot be applied simultaneously, and the spreadsheet only applies the floor number reduction. TRM 160 suggests inputting area reduction manually, especially beneficial for the top floors of a building. Roofs, plant areas, storage, and car parks cannot take advantage of these reductions, and flat slabs strictly adhere to beam area reductions only .
BS 8110-1 suggests that elastic shear can be ignored when calculating axial forces in compression columns, which TRM 160 considers dubious due to the low ductility of columns and walls even at ultimate load. Without significant redistribution at ultimate load, safety relies on load factors. Ignoring elastic shear could lead to underestimated loads in interior supports with high negative moments, whereas perimeter supports experience reduced load .
Continuous structural systems complicate tributary area allocation due to the involvement of elastic distribution of loads. TRM 160 suggests an analytical approach using moment redistribution from BS 8110-1 table 3.12. In flat slab structures, TRM 160 uses the Cardington flat slab as an example, recommending distinct tributary area splits for perimeter, interior, and middle panels based on their respective moment contributions - such as a 43:57 split for perimeter panels and a 50:50 split for middle panels based on symmetry .
Realistic tributary areas in load estimation are crucial for accurately determining sustained loads, which affects checks like foundation settlement, beam deflection, and column shortening. Specifically, for interior columns, failing to consider realistic tributary areas can lead to underestimation of loads due to increased stress from surrounding panels. In flat slab structures, considering a tributary area around 0.6 L can increase the load by 1.44 times, matching the average load factor necessary for safety .