INTRODUCTION

Design Process

Schedule of unit masses of building materials (based on BS 648)

Unit weights of various building materials (kN/m3)
Aluminium Bricks Concrete Concrete blocks (lightweight) Concrete blocks (dense) Glass-fibre composite Steel Timber * Subject to considerable variation 24 22* 24 12* 22* 18 70 6*

Schedule of unit masses of building materials (based on BS 648)

Acoustic ceiling tiles Asphalt Aluminium roof sheeting Glass (single glazing) Plaster ( per face of wall) Plasterboard and skim Rafters, battens and felt Sand/cement screed (25 mm) Slates Steel roof sheeting Timber floorboards Vinyl tiles * Subject to considerable variation 0.1 0.45 0.04 0.1 0.3 0.15 0.14 0.6 0.6 0.15 0.15 0.05

Unit weights of various sheet materials (kN/m3)

Imposed loads
Floor loads in kN/m2
Art galleries Banking halls Bars Car parks Classrooms Churches Computer rooms Dance halls Factory workshop Foundries Hotel bedrooms Museums Offices (general) Offices (filing) Private houses Shops Theatres (fixed seats) 4.0 3.0 5.0 2.5 3.0 3.0 3.5 5.0 5.0 20.0 2.0 4.0 2.5 5.0 1.5 4.0 4.0

Example 1 Self- weight of a reinforced concrete beam Calculate the self-weight of a reinforced concrete beam of breadth 300 mm, depth 600 mm and length 6000 mm (Ans: 25.92 kN)

Example 2 Design loads on a floor beam

A

composite floor consisting of a 150 mm thick reinforced concrete slab supported on steel beams spanning 5 m and spaced at 3 m centers is to be designed to carry an imposed load of 3.5 kN/m2. Assuming that the unit mass of the steel beams is 50 kg/m run, calculate the design loads on the typical internal beam.

Plan

5m

3m

3m

3m

Example 3
A

single storey house has a living room measures 4.0 m x 5.5 m, how many people can be invited to a party if the floor loading is not to be exceeded? Assume average weight of a person to be 80 kg. (Ans: 42)