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CH 6. Stair
CH 6. Stair
CEng 3083
CHAPTER SIX
STAIRS
Instructor- Tibebu G.
CONTENTS
6.1.Introduction
6.2.Technical terminologies
6.3.Classification of stairs
6.4.Stairs of different materials
6.5.Essential requirements of a good stair
6.6.Ladders
6.7.Ramps
6.8.Elevators
6.9.Escalators
6.10. Staircase calculations
6.1. Introduction
• Stairs are set of steps leading from one floor to another and are provided
in building to afford a means of communication between the various
floors.
• Steps arranged in series and placed in an enclosure is called Stair Case.
• Stairs should be designed properly to provide proper:
• Ventilation
• Light (Natural)
• Location: Near Main Entrance for Public Buildings and
Centrally for easy access and privacy in Residential
Buildings.
Cont.…..
• Nosing: it is the projecting part of the tread beyond the face of the
riser. It is usually rounded off from the architectural point of view. It
improves the safety of the stairs And users.
winder
6.3.Classification of stairs
• Stairs can be classified into two broad heads:
• Each of the turning stairs are of three type;- Newel stairs
• Well or open newel
stairs and
•Geometrical stairs
Cont.…
Straight stairs
• This stairs runs straight b/n the two floors.
• It is used for small houses
where there are restrictions
in available width.
• The stair may consist of either one
single flight or more than one
flight (usually two) with a landing.
Cont.….
Cont.….
Turning stairs
1. Quarter turn stairs: is the one which changes its direction either to
the left or to the right.
• The turn being affected either by introducing a quarter space landing or
by providing winders.
• Quarter turn stairs are of two types:
A. Newel quarter turn stairs
B. Geometrical quarter turn stairs.
A. Newel quarter turn stairs
• These stairs have the conspicuous newel posts at the beginning and end
of each flight.
• At the quarter turn, there may either be quarter space landing or there
may be winders.
Cont.…
Cont.…
2. Half turn stairs: is the one which has its direction reversed or changed
for 180 . Such stairs are quite common.
• Half turn stairs are of three types:
A. Dog-legged or newel half turn stairs.
B. Open newel half turn stairs.
C. Geometrical half turn stairs.
A. Dog-legged stairs
• The name is given because of its appearance in sectional elevation.
• It comes under the category of newel stairs in which newel posts are
provided at the beginning and end of each flight.
• These may be of two types:
With half space landing
With quarter space landing and winders
Cont.…..
Cont.…
3.Three quarter turn stairs: has its direction changed three times with
its upper flight crossing the bottom one.
• It may either be newel type or open newel type
• Such type of stair is used when the length of the stair room is limited
and when the vertical distance b/n the two floors is quite large .
4.Bifurcated stairs: The stair has a wider flight at the bottom, which
bifurcates or splits into two narrow flights one turning to the left and
the other to the right, at the landing.
• It may be either of newel type with a newel post or of geometrical
type.
• This type of stair is commonly used in public buildings at their
entrance hall.
Cont.….
Cont.…..(Bifurcated stairs)
Cont.….
B. Spiral stairs;-have treads which turn and rise around a central column.
• They are usually made either of R.C.C. or metal.
• They are employed at a location where there are space limitations.
• They are also used as emergency stairs and are provided at the back side
of the building.
• All the steps are winders. Therefore they are not comfortable.
Cont.….
C. Helical stairs
•Looks very fine but its structural design and construction is very
complicated.
• It is made of R.C.C. in which a large portion of steel is required to resist
bending, shear and torsion.
Cont.….
Spiral stair
Helical stair
6.4.Stairs of different materials
The selection of materials for the construction of stairs depend up on
The availability of materials and ease of transportation
Funds
Desired life of building
Aesthetical importance
Freedom of design
Expected fire resisting quality
• Thus, stairs may be made either of timber, bricks, stones, mild steel.
Wrought iron, or plain and reinforced concrete.
1.Timber stairs
• Light in weight and easy to construct.
• They have poor fire resistance and sound insulation.
• They are unsuitable for high rise residential buildings and for public
buildings.
• The timber to be used should be well treated before use.
Cont.….
Cont.….
2. Concrete stairs
•They are most widely used for residential, public and industrial
buildings.
• They are strong, durable, can take any desired shape and have good
fire resistance.
• They are less noisy, can be kept clean and may have more attracting
appearances if suitable finishes are used.
• Reinforced concrete stairs can be cast-in-situ or prefabricated.
Cont.….
Cont.….
3. Metal stairs
• These can be produced in cast iron, mild steel or aluminum alloy for use
as escape stairs or for internal accommodation stairs.
• They make a lot of noise and can be built in a smaller area.
• They are normally manufactured in a workshop and fixed on site, which
makes it faster and will be functional immediately.
• Their main advantage is the elimination of the need for formwork.
• Spiral stairs are mainly made of metal.
Cont.…..
Cont.…
4. Stone stairs
• They are strong and rigid and are widely used at the main entrance of
public buildings.
• Stones for such stairs should be dressed and properly bounded to each
other.
• Stone used for the construction of stairs should be hard, strong, and
resistant to wear.
5. Brick stairs
• Similar to stone stairs, brick stairs are used at the entrance of a building.
• Special quality of bricks should be used for the construction of stairs.
• Brick steps may be plastered or pointed at all the joints.
• If properly made, brick stairs are durable, have good aesthetic value, but
requires frequent maintenance.
Cont.….
Stone stair
Brick stair
6.5.Essential requirements of a good stair
E. Head room:
• The clear distance b/n the tread and soffit of the flight immediately
above it should not be less than 2.1-2.3m
F. Balustrade:
• Open well stairs should always be provided with balustrade, to provide
safety to the users.
• Wider stairs should have hand rail to both the sides.
Cont.…..
G. Step dimensions:
• The rise and going should be of such dimension as to provide comfort
to the users (for normal, elderly, disabled people& children).
• Their proportion should also be such as to provide desirable pitch of the
stair.
• The going should not be less than 25cm, though the 30cm is quite
comfortable.
• The rise should be b/n 10cm (for hospitals, etc.) to 15cm.
• The following rules are used as a guide line to obtain satisfactory
proportion of steps in a stair.
Rise + Tread ≥ 40 and ≤ 45cm
2Rise + Tread ≥ 58 and ≤ 63cm
Rise x Tread ≥ 400 and ≤ 500cm2
Cont.….
6.6.Ladders
Electric elevator
6.9.Escalator
1 Geometrical Design
• Assume Suitable Riser And Tread
• No Of Riser ꞊(FF Height) ⁄ (Rise)
• No Of Riser In One Flight ꞊ 0.5(no Of Risers)
• No Of Tread ꞊ (No Of Riser- 1 )
• Going Distance꞊(no Of Tread)× (Tread Width)
• Width Of Landing ≥ Width Of Stair
Calculate for straight stair with single flight