Structural Steel Design

Course Code: CIVE324

Chapter 2:
Loads on Steel Structures
Textbook: Structural Steel Design, LRFD Method, Jack C. McCormack

Instructor: Eng. Sara Alattieh

Dr.Zaid Al-Sadoon, P.hD., P.Eng
Specifications and Building Codes
• The design of structural steel is controlled and governed by building codes.
• These codes provide general guidelines of the minimum requirements for the design
of a structural component or a system.
• These codes, which are actually laws or ordinances, specify minimum:
• Design loads
• Design stresses
• Construction types
• Material quality
• Other factors
Examples of design codes
• Reinforced concrete structures: Generally, designed according to the American
Concrete Institute (ACI).
• Structural Steel Design: Principally based on the specifications of the American
Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

• “LRFD Manual of Steel Construction,”14th Edition, 2010.

• American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).
LOADS
• In designing a structure, an engineer must consider all the loads that can realistically
be expected to act on the structure during its planned life span.
• The accurate determination of the loads to which a structure or structural element
will be subjected is not always predictable.
• Common loads acting on engineering structures are grouped into 3 categories:
• Dead Loads
• Live loads
• Environmental Load (Wind, Snow, Earthquakes, Impact, Rain loads, Hydro static and soil pressure,
Thermal and other effects)
Dead Load Wind Load

Live Load
Seismic Load
1- Dead Loads
• Gravity loads of constant magnitudes and fixed position that act on the structure due
to its own weight and the weight of other materials permanently attached to it.
• The weight of the structure is obtained from member sizes and material unit weight.
2- Live Loads
▪ Movable Loads of variant magnitudes and/or
• position caused by the use of thestructure.
▪ Live load for buildings is specified as uniformly distributed
surface loads:
▪ Human occupants
▪ Furniture
▪ equipment
▪ Vehicles
▪ Stored goods
 Example 1
H D
E

Steel Girder (W 12 x 30)

3 @ 10 ft = 30 ft

The structural system of a G+1 residential

25 ft
building consists of the steel frame shown
4 in
above. Determine the load acting on beams
CG, DH and the girder AD
(W 10 x 22) 5 ft 5 ft
Solution
▪ Beam CG: Tributary area = 10 ft x 25 ft =250 ft2 and the dead load/m is :
Concrete slab = 150 lb/ft3 x 10 ft x (4 in/12) = 500 lb/ft =0.5 k/ft
Steel beam = 22 lb/ft = 0.022 k/ft
Total dead load = 0.5+0.022= 0.522 k/ft
RC = RG = (0.522 k/ft x 25 ft)/2 = 6.525 k
▪ Beam DH: The tributary area is 5 ft x 25ft =125 ft2 and the dead load/m is:
Concrete slab = 150 lb/ft3 x 5 ft x (4 in/12) = 250 lb/ft =0.25 k/ft
Steel beam = 0.022 k/ft
Total dead load = 0.25+0.022= 0.272 k/ft
RD = RH = (0.272 k/ft x 25 ft)/2 = 3.4 k
▪ Girder AD: For the symmetry of the framing system and the loading ,

o the load acting on beam BF = the load onCG

o the load acting on beam AE = the load on DH

▪ The load on girderAD:

o Uniformly distributed load due to its own weight : 30 lb/ft = 0.03 k/ft
o Concentrated loads transmitted to the girder by the beams at points: A, B, C
and D
3.4 k 6.525 k 6.525 k 3.4 k
0.03 k/ft

10.375 k 10.375 k
10 ft 10 ft 10 ft

30 ft
Solution
Steel Girder (W 12 x 30)
3 @ 10 ft = 30 ft

25 ft
4 in

5 ft 5 ft
(W 10 x 22)
3.4 k 6.525
6.525 kk 6.525
6.525kk 3.4
3.4kk
3.4 k
0.03 k/ft
0.522 k/ft 0.272 k/ft

10.375 k 10.375 k
6.525 k 6.525kN
45.4 k 3.4 k kN
24.16 3.4 kN
24.16 k 10 ft 10 ft 10 ft
45.4 kN
25 ft 25 ft
30 ft
3- Wind Loads
▪ Caused by the flow of the wind around thestructure
▪ The magnitude depends on :
▪ The geographical location
▪ Obstruction surrounding the structure
▪ Geometry of the structure
▪ Structural system
▪ The magnitude of the dynamic pressure q
on an object is given by:
• where is themass density of air and the is wind velocity in mph.
• Using the unit weight of air of 0.0765lb/ft3 at sea level and 15o C, the dynamic pressure
is given by
 3- Wind Loads
▪ In the design of usual building types, the dynamic pressure is commonly
converted into equivalent static pressure p expressed as:

▪ Where,

Ce : Exposure factor varying from 1.0 [for 0 to 40ft height] to

2.0 [for 740- 1200 ft height]
Cg : Gust factor = 2.0 for structural elements and 2.5 for small elements including
cladding

CP : Shape factor for the building

4- Seismic Loads
▪ Caused by sudden undulation of a portion of the earth’ssurface
▪ The ground surface moves in both horizontal and vertical directions, but it is the
horizontal component of the ground motion that causes most of the damages.
▪ The magnitude depends on:
▪ Proximity from seismic active zones
▪ Height of the structure
▪ Structural system
▪ Occupancy
▪ Soil type
4- Seismic Loads…
• When the ground under a given
structure moves due to the
earthquake, the inertia of the mass
tends to resist the movement.
• To simplify the design process
building codes describe an equivalent
lateral force procedure such the one
contained in American National
Standards Institute (ANSI).
4- Seismic Loads…
• When the natural period T cannot be determined by rational means
from technical data, it may be obtained as follows:

• For shear walls or exterior concrete frames using deep beams or wide
piers, or both:
 5- Hydrostatic and Soil Pressure
• Structures used to retain water such as dams tanks and coastal
• structures must be designed to resist hydrostatic pressure.
• Similarly, underground structures like basement walls floors and
retaining walls must be designed to resist soil pressure.
• Both hydrostatic or soil pressure act normal to the submerged
• surface with the magnitude varying linearly with the height.
5- Hydrostatic and Soil Pressure…

P=y h
LOAD FACTORS
▪ Load factors are amplifying factors used to account for uncertainties
• in involved in estimating the loads.
▪ Load factors for live loads are usually higher that used for dead loads
since dead loads can be estimated more accurately than live loads.
Notations
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 4
LRFD Design Method
▪ Service load is multiplied by a load factor, normally larger than 1.0.
• reflecting the uncertainty of that particular load.
▪ Resistance factors Ф (also known as strength factors) are usually reductions
factors applied to the strength of the member to account for uncertainties in
material strengths, dimensions and workmanship.

▪ A structure is said to be safe if it has high reliability ( ability to fulfill its design
function during the planned life span), meaning: very small chances of failure.
RESISTANCE FACTORS
• The goal of LRFD Specifications is to keep this chance to very small
values. To do this, the resistance Ф R of each member and the
maximum load Ru during the life span are computed.
Questions ?