Unit-3 Limit State Design

Basis for design: In the limit state design method, the structure shall be designed to withstand safely all
loads likely to act on it throughout its life. It shall not suffer total collapse under accidental loads such as
from explosions or impact or due to consequences of human error to an extent beyond the local
damages. The objective of the design is to achieve a structure that will remain fit for use during its life
with acceptable target reliability. In other words, the probability of a limit state being reached during its
lifetime should be very low. The acceptable limit for the safety and serviceability requirements before
failure occurs is called a limit state. In general, the structure shall be designed on the basis of the most
critical limit state and shall be checked for other limit states.

Steel structures are to be designed and constructed to satisfy the design requirements with regard to
stability, strength, serviceability, brittle fracture, fatigue, fire, and durability such that they meet the
following: a) Remain fit with adequate reliability and be able to sustain all actions (loads) and other
influences experienced during construction and use; b) Have adequate durability under normal
maintenance; c) Do not suffer overall damage or collapse disproportionately under accidental events like
explosions, vehicle impact or due to consequences of human error to an extent beyond local damage.
The potential for catastrophic damage shall be limited or avoided by appropriate choice of one or more
of the following:

 Avoiding, eliminating or reducing exposure to hazards, which the structure is likely to sustain.
 Choosing structural forms, layouts and details and designing such that: i) the structure has low
sensitivity to hazardous conditions; and ii) the structure survives with only local damage even
after serious damage to any one individual element by the hazard.
 Choosing suitable material, design and detailing procedure, construction specifications, and
control procedures for shop fabrication and field construction as relevant to the particular
structure.

The following conditions may be satisfied to avoid a disproportionate collapse: The building should be
effectively tied together at each principal floor level and each column should be effectively held in
position by means of continuous ties (beams) nearly orthogonal, except where the steel work supports
only cladding weighing not more than 0.7 kN/m2 along with imposed and wind loads. These ties must be
steel members such as beams, which may be designed for other purposes, steel bar reinforcement
anchoring the steel frame to concrete floor or steel mesh reinforcement in composite slab with steel
profiled sheeting directly connected to beam with shear connectors. These steel ties and their end
connections should be capable of resisting factored tensile force not less than the factored dead and
imposed loads acting on the floor area tributary to the tie nor less than 75 kN. Such connection of ties to
edge column should also be capable of resisting 1 percent of the maximum axial compression in the
column at the level due to factored dead and imposed loads. All column splices should be capable of
resisting a tensile force equal to the largest of a factored dead and live load reaction from a single floor
level located between that column splice and the next column splice below that splice. Lateral load
system to resist notional horizontal loads prescribed in Cl. 4.3.6 of IS 800:2007 should be distributed
throughout the building in nearly orthogonal directions so that no substantial portion is connected at
only one point to such a system. Precast concrete or other heavy floor or roof units should be effectively
anchored in the direction of their span either to each other over the support or directly to the support.
Where the above conditions to tie the columns to the floor adequately are not satisfied each storey of
the building should be checked to ensure that disproportionate collapse would not precipitate by the
notional removal, one at a time, of each column. Where each floor is not laterally supported by more
than one system, check should be made at each storey by removing one such lateral support system at a
time to ensure that disproportionate collapse would not occur. The collapse is considered
disproportionate, if more than 15 percent of the floor or roof area of 70 m2 collapse at that level and at
one adjoining level either above or below it, under a load equal to 1.05 or 0.9 times the dead load, 0.33
times temporary or full imposed load of permanent nature (as in storage buildings) and 0.33 times wind
load acting together.

THE LIMIT STATE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY; is an engineering design method, that emphasis that certain
specific limits are important when considering the extent of load application unto a structural
components/structure.

Critical limits for typical engineering materials are defined with respect to stress, strain and deformation
ability. These enables the determination of maximum possible limits that can be tolerated during the
service or loading period, and otherwise the material or component will become unfit to support the
loading.
The limit state design technique provides the assurance that the material will not fail or have critical
deformation during load application, this is possible by using suitable FoS, to the material stress
characteristic behavior, leading to allowable and permissible stress, strain and deformation (deflection,
displacement) magnitudes.

FoS = Ultimate stress/allowable stress condition.

Based on these requirements, the following limit states are known,

1. Ultimate Limit State, for loading, stress and strain within the permissible limits

2. Serviceability Limits state, for tolerable or permissible deformation during service/loading

period, and which will not cause discomfort to the structures’ aesthetic and durability.

“Limit States" are the various conditions in which a structure would be considered to have failed to
fulfil the purpose for which it was built. In general two limit states are considered at the design stage
and these are listed in Table

Limit State of Serviceability Limit

Strength State

Strength Deflection
(yield, Vibration
buckling) Fatigue checks
Stability (including reparable
against damage due to
overturning fatigue)
and sway Corrosion
Fracture due to Fire
fatigue
Plastic
collapse
Brittle Fracture

“Limit State of Strength” are: loss of equilibrium of the structure and loss of stability of the structure.
“Serviceability Limit State" refers to the limits on acceptable performance of the structure.
.0 PARTIAL SAFETY FACTOR

The major innovation in the new codes is the introduction of the partial safety factor
format. A typical format is described below:

In general calculations take the form of verifying that

S*  R*

where S* is the calculated factored load effect on the element (like bending moment, shear
force etc) and R* is the calculated factored resistance of the element being checked, and is a
function of the nominal value of the material yield strength.

S* is a function of the combined effects of factored dead, live and wind loads. (Other
loads – if applicable, are also considered)

In accordance with the above concepts, the safety format used in Limit State Codes is
based on probable maximum load and probable minimum strengths, so that a consistent
level of safety is achieved. Thus, the design requirements are expressed as follows:

Sd  Rd

where Sd = Design value of internal forces and moments caused by the design Loads, Fd
Fd = f * Characteristic Loads.
f = a load factor which is determined on probabilistic basis

Rd = Characteristic Value of Resistance

m

where m = a material factor, which is also determined on a „probabilistic basis‟

It should be noted that f makes allowance for possible deviation of loads and the reduced
possibility of all loads acting together. On the other hand m allows for uncertainties of element
behaviour and possible strength reduction due to manufacturing tolerances and imperfections in
the material[42-47].

Collapse is not the only possible failure mode. Excessive deflection, excessive vibration, fracture
etc. also contribute to Limit States. Fatigue is an important design criterion for bridges, crane
girders etc. (These are generally assessed under serviceability Limit States)

Thus the following limit states may be identified for design purposes:

 Ultimate Limit State is related to the maximum design load capacity under extreme
conditions. The partial load factors are chosen to reflect the probability of extreme
conditions,
 when loads act alone or in combination.
 Serviceability Limit State is related to the criteria governing normal use. Unfactored
loads are used to check the adequacy of the structure.
 Fatigue Limit State is important where distress to the structure by repeated loading is a
possibility.
The above limit states are provided in terms of partial factors reflects the severity of the
risks.
An illustration of partial safety factors for applied load and materials as suggested in the
revised IS: 800 for Limit States of Strength and Limit States of Serviceability are given in
Table 2 and 3 respectively.

Limit state of Serviceability

Limit State of Strength
LL’ LL’
Combin ation Ac co
W
Acco mpan WL/ EL Lea din g mp any
DL Lead ing AL DL ing L/ EL
ying

DL+LL+ CL   
1.5 1.5 1.05 1.0 1.0 1.0

DL+LL+ CL+ 1.2 1.2 1.05 0.6

WL/EL  1.0 0.8 0.8 0.8
1.2 1.2 0.53 1.2
1.5
DL+WL/ EL     
(0.9) 1.5 1.0 1.0
*

1.2
DL+ER 1.2       
(0.9)
DL+LL+ AL     
1.0 0.35 0.35 1.0
*
This value is to be considered when the dead load contributes to stability against overturning is critical or the dead load causes reduction in stress due
to other loads.
„
When action of different live loads is simultaneously considered, the leading live load is whichever one causes the higher load effects in the
member/section.
Abbreviations: DL= Dead Load, LL= Imposed Load (Live Loads),WL= Wind Load,
CL= Crane Load (Vertical/horizontal), AL=Accidental Load, ER= Erection Load, EL= Earthquake Load.

Table: Partial safety factors

Sl. No
Partial Safety Factor
. Definition

1 Resistance, governed by yielding m0 1.10

2 Resistance of member to buckling m0 1.10

3 Resistance, governed by ultimate stress 1.25
m1

4 Resistance of Shop Field

connection Fabrica Fabricati
m1 tions ons

(i) Bolts-
Friction Type,
mf
1.25 1.25
(ii) Bolts- Bearing Type, 1.25 1.25
mb
1.25 1.25
(iii) Rivets, 1.25 1.50
mr
(iv) Welds,
mw
: Partial safety factors
Sl.
Partial Safety
No Definition
Factor
.
1 Resistance, 1.10
governed by
yielding gm0
2 Resistance of 1.10
member to
buckling gm0
3 Resistance, 1.25
governed by
ultimate stress
gm1