Loads in Industrial Buildings

Importance Category

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 Importance factors

Some Loading Terms Used by NBCC

Principal load– specified variable or rare load that dominates in
a loading combination
Companion load- specified variable load that accompanies the
principal load in a given load combination

Importance factor – factor to indicate the importance/

consequences of the structure in case of failure

Factored load- (specified load) x (load factor)

Resistance factor, φ, a factor applied to account the variability

of dimensions, material properties and other uncertainties

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 Loads on Structures
Dead (permanent) Loads - D

Live Loads - L

Snow Loads - S

Wind Loads - W

Earthquake Loads- E

Load Combinations by NBC 2015

Load Combinations without Crane Loads for Ultimate Limit State

Case Load Combinations

Principal Loads Companion Loads
1 1.4D -
2 (1.25D or 0.9D) + 1.5L 1.0S or 0.4W
3 (1.25D or 0.9D) + 1.5S 1.0L or 0.4W
4 (1.25D or 0.9D) + 1.5W 0.5L or 0.5S
5 1.0D + 1.0E 0.5L + 0.25S

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 Example 1 (Load Combination)

An industrial building roof is subjected to a DL of 6 kPa,

a LL of 1.0 kPa, and a snow load (S) of 3.0 kPa.
Determine the factored load according to NBC 2015

Load case 1: wf = 1.4D = 8.4 kPa

Load case 2: wf = 1.25D + 1.5 L +1.0S = 12.0 kPa

Load case 3: wf = 1.25D + 1.5 S +1.0L = 13.0 kPa

Specified uniformly distributed LL

Use of Area of Floor or Roof Minimum specified
load, kPa
Assembly areas with or without fixed seats 4.8
Arenas, Auditoria, Gymnasia, Museums, Theatres , Dance
floors, Churches
Assembly areas with fixed seats that have backs over at least 80% 2.4
the assembly area
Churches, Courtrooms, Lecture Halls, Theatres etc.
Classroom with or without fixed seats 2.4
Office areas located in
Basement and first storey 4.8
Floors above the first storey 2.4
Residential areas in apartments, hotels, and motels
Exterior balconies 4.8
Main floor corridors 4.8
Sleeping and living quarters 1.9
Bedrooms 1.9
Roofs 1.0

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 Live Load Reduction Factors
Why do we need to apply LLRF ???
Consider a multi-storey building. It is very unlikely (low probability)
that all the floor will be fully loaded at a certain time. So, one can
apply LLRF.
For members supporting areas greater than 80 m2 with LL ≥ 4.8 kPa
20
LLRF  0.5  A is the tributary area in m2
A

For members supporting areas greater than 20 m2

9.8
LLRF  0.3  A is the tributary area in m2
A

Live load = Specified LL * LLRF

2-storey steel building

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 Calculate LL for the column in every floor

Snow Load, S = 1.48 kPa

Live Load , Floor = 2.40 kPa at floor and 1.0 kPa at roof
Dead Load, Roof = 1.12 kPa
Dead load, Floor = 4.26 kPa

First floor height = 5.0 m

Second floor height = 3.85 m

Snow Loads (Clause 4.1.6.2)

Ss and Sr for different cities are given in NBC 2015 Vol. 1

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 Table 4.1.6.2-A from NBC 2015

Important Factor for Snow Loads

Importance factor, Is
Importance category Serviceability limit
Ultimate limit state
state

Low 0.8 0.9

Normal 1.0 0.9

High 1.15 0.9

Post-disaster 1.25 0.9

Snow Loads

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 Snow Loads

Snow Loads

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 Snow Loads

In NBC 2010, Ca was called as shape factor

Snow Load Calculations

Consider a 4-storey wood-framed building in Montreal east
Calculate design snow load for the building

1
3

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 Snow Load Calculations

S  I s S s CbC wC s Ca   S r 
I s  1 For normal importance
Design data for major Canadian locations:
S s  2.7 kPa and S r  0.4 kPa for Montreal east

C b  0 .8 since larger plan dimension of the roof is less than 70m

Wind exposure factor C w  1.0

Roof slope α = tan-1(1/3)=18.430 slope factor, Cs  1

Snow Load Calculations

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 Ca = 1 for load case I
Ca = 0.25+α /20 for load case II
= 1.17
Snow load, S = 2.56 kPa for load case I

Snow load, S = 2.93 kPa for load case II (govern)

Snow distributions for lower levels of adjacent roof

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 Example 2
Find snow load distributions for the lower roof of the Industrial building

Consider the building in Montreal east. Calculate design snow load

for the lower roof

S s  2.7 kPa and S r  0.4 kPa for Montreal east

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 Obstruction on Roof
 
For   𝑙0 3 𝑚, 𝐶𝑎 1.0  
For   𝑙0 3 𝑚, 𝐶𝑎0  𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓: 
𝛾ℎ
𝐶𝑎0 0.67  
𝐶𝑏 𝑆𝑠
𝛾𝑙0
𝐶𝑎0 1 
7.5𝐶𝑏 𝑆𝑠
Where 𝐶𝑎0  is the peak accumulation factor 
 
Drift length, 𝑥𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓: 
2
3.35ℎ 𝑜𝑟 𝑙0  
3
 
𝐶𝑤 1.0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥𝑑 10ℎ/  
𝐶𝑏 𝐶𝑤 𝑆𝑠
ℎ/ ℎ  
𝛾
 

l0 is the longest horizontal dimension of the obstruction

When l0 (the longest horizontal dimension of the obstruction) is less
than 3 m, drift surcharge adjacent to obstruction need not be considered.

Obstruction on Roof

l0 is the longest horizontal dimension of the obstruction

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 Example 3
Find snow load distributions around the mechanical room
4m

2.25 m

W=30 m, l=40 m

Consider the building in Montreal east. Calculate design snow load

for the lower roof

S s  2.7 kPa and S r  0.4 kPa for Montreal east

Snow distributions for multi-level roof with a sloped upper roof

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 Snow distributions for multi-level roof with a sloped upper roof

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