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GuardrailVersusHandrail
Thetermshandrailandguardrailareoftenusedinterchangeably,althoughtheyhavetwodifferentdefinitions.Accordingtomostbuildingcodes,guardrails(orguards)arerequiredatthe
opensideofelevatedwalkingsurfacestopreventafalltothelowersurface.
The2006InternationalBuildingCode(IBC2006)generallyrequiresguardrailswhenthedifferenceinelevationbetweentheupperandlowersurfacesis30inchesormore.
Handrails,ontheotherhand,aresomethingthatcanbegraspedforguidanceorsupportwhilewalking,usuallyonastair.Thebiggestdifferencebetweenaguardrailandahandrailis
thattheareabelowthetoprailofaguardrailisinstalledwithadditionalcomponentssuchthatthereisnoopeninglargeenoughfora4in.diameterspheretopassthroughthis
approximatesthesizeofasmallchild'shead.Openingsshouldbesmallenoughtopreventachild'sheadfromentering,whereitcouldbecometrappedwithdisastrousresults.
TypicalRailingComponents:
Generally,railingsaresystemsdesignedtoprotectpeopleinspecificspacessuchasbalconies,terracesandstairways.Railingsorguardrailsconsistofthefollowingcomponents:
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1.Postverticalloadbearing/Flexuralelement
2.HandrailorGrabrail
3.HorizontalRails(Top&BottomRails)
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4.Infill:
Thesearecomponentsthatfillthespacebetweenposts.Thesemaybemadeupoftensioncables,horizontalorverticalpicketsorcomplementaryelementssuchasbalustersor
temperedglasspanels.
Infill,suchaspicketsandtensioncablesarespacedsuchthatthereisnoopeninglargeenoughfora4inchdiameterspheretopassthrough.Thisapproximatesthesizeofasmall
child'shead.Openingsshouldbesmallenoughtopreventachild'sheadfromentering,whereitcouldbecometrappedwithdisastrousresults.
TypicalRailingLayout:
TypicalRailingLayout
TypicalRailingDetailshownwithposts,horizontalrails,grabrail,andverticalpickets.Therailisdirectlymountedinconcrete.Railsmayalsobebracketmountedordirectly
weldedincasesofsteelsupport.
LoadingonRailing:
TheNAAMM(NationalAssociationofArchitecturalMetalManufacturers)the2006IBC(InternationalBuildingCode)requirethathandrails,guardrails,andtheirsupportsbedesigned
for50lbperlinearfoot,appliedinanydirectionatthetopofthetoprail,andaconcentratedloadof200lbappliedinanydirectionatanylocationalongthetopofthetoprail.The
uniformloadandconcentratedloadsarenottobeappliedsimultaneously.Othercomponents,includingguardrailinfillandbottomrails,aretobedesignedfor100lbsactingona
projectedareaof1squareft,includingtheopenspacebetweencomponents.Theeffectsofthisloadarenottobecombinedwiththeloadonthetoprail.
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TypicalHandrailLoading
Wheredotheseloadingscomefrom?
Theuniformloadingrepresentstheforceexertedbytightlygroupedpersonsleaningonorpressingagainsttherailingsystem.Suchloadingrequirementsrangefrom20to50
poundsperfoot,appliedhorizontallytothetoprail.Insomecodes,railingsystemsincertainlocationsshallbedesignedforloadsashighas100poundsperfootappliedvertically
downwardontherailsandtheverticalandhorizontaluniformloadsshallbeappliedsimultaneously.
Theconcentratedloadingrepresentstheforceexertedbyasingleindividualleaninguponorovertherailorapersonorobjectbeinghurledagainsttherail.Thistypeofdesign
loadingisspecifiedinthemajorityofcodesalthoughsomecodesonlyhaveuniformloadrequirements.A200poundconcentratedloadappliedinanydirectionatanypointalongthe
toprailhasbecomearequirementofanumberofcodesandgovernmentregulatoryagencies.
Currentthinkingbysomeorganizationsistoapplytheconcentratedloadinaperpendiculardirectionatanypointalongthetoprail,horizontallyanddownwardinaverticalplane,but
notsimultaneously.Perpendicularhorizontalloadingappliesthemaximummomenttothepost,andthedownwardloadingsimulateswhatapersonleaningovertherailmightapply.
DesignConsideration:
Themostcriticalloadsarethosewhichareappliedhorizontally,astheseproducethemaximumbendingmomentsonposts.Themaximumbendingmomentonarailoccurseither
underaconcentratedloadwhentheloadisappliedatmidspanorunderauniformloadduetoalongspanbetweensupports.
Postsactascolumnsinresistingverticalloadingonrailsandasverticalcantileverbeamsinresistinghorizontalloadingoneithertherailsortheposts.Thebendingmomentdueto
thecantileverbeamactionunderhorizontalloadingshalldeterminethesizeofthepost.
Thecriticalbendingmomentinthepostsshallbedeterminedbyeither:
1.theapplicationofauniformloadtotherail,or
2.theapplicationofaconcentratedloadtothetopofthepostitselfortotherailsitsupports
TherequiredFlexuralStrengthinforhorizontalrailisgovernedbywhicheverloadingreturnsthebiggestbendingmomentoneachrailcomponent.Itisafunctionofpostsspacing.
Forposts,thebendingmomentreturnedbyconcentratedloadingisafunctionofloadproportionfactorwhichinturnisafunctionofrelativestiffnessofpostsandhorizontalrails
whilethebendingmomentreturnedbyuniformloadingisafunctionofthepostspacing.
Generally,whenarailingsystemisdesignedforamaximumof4feettargetpostspacingtheuniformloadingcontrolsthegoverningorcriticalbendingmoment.
Thesamesize(OD)pipe(thoughnotnecessarilythesame"schedule")shallbeusedforbothpostsandrails.Additionalloadingshallbesustainedbyaddingreinforcementtothe
postorbyspacingthepostsclosertogether.
BendingMomentsofRailComponents:
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OnHorizontalRail:
1.UnderUniformLoading
M = wL2 (BendingMoment)
where:
w = UniformLoading
L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan
K = 8 (forOneorTwoSpans)
= 9.5 (forThreeorMoreSpans)
1.UnderConcentratedLoading
M = PL/K (BendingMoment)
where:
P = ConcentratedLoading
L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan
K = 4 (forSingleSpan)
= 5 (forTwoorMoreSpans)
OnIntermediatePost:
1.UnderUniformLoading
M = wLh (BendingMoment)
where:
w = UniformLoading
L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan
h = HeightofPost
1.UnderConcentratedLoading
M = DPh (BendingMoment)
where:
P = ConcentratedLoading
h = HeightofPost
D = LoadProportionFactor
= 65% (forTwoSpans)
= 62% (forThreeorMoreSpans)
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OnEndPost:
1.UnderUniformLoading
M = w(L/2)h (BendingMoment)
where:
w = UniformLoading
L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan
h = HeightofPost
1.UnderConcentratedLoading
M = DPh (BendingMoment)
where:
P = ConcentratedLoading
h = HeightofPost
D = LoadProportionFactor
= 85% (forTwoSpans)
= 82% (forThreeorMoreSpans)
LoadProportionFactor,PforD:
Inpiperailings,wherepostsandrailsareofidenticalmaterialandsectionandwherepostspacingusuallyvariesbetween3feetand6feet,LoadProportionFactorisfairlyuniform
andthegreatestproportionofaconcentratedloadcarriedbyonepostcanbeestimatedasfollows:
EndPosts: ofa2Spanrailing85%
ofarailingof3ormorespans82%
IntermediatePosts: ofa2Spanrailing65%
ofarailingof3ormorespans60%
Foramoreaccurateproportionfactor,thegraph(nomograph)belowhasbeenusedtodeterminerailingloaddistribution.Thegraphhasbeendeterminedbycomputeranalysisand
confirmedbylaboratorytest.Theformulausedindeterminingthegraphassumesthatallpostsareofidenticalmaterialandsection.
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TheStiffness(k)ofarailorpostis:
kr = EI/L (fortheRail)
kp = EI/hL (forthePost)
TheStiffnessRatio(R)isdeterminedas:R=kr/kp
TheStiffnessRatioisthenplottedonthegraphtoobtainaLoadProportionFactor(Pf).Whentheloadproportionfactorhasbeendetermined,itismultipliedbythetotalloadto
determinetheloadonepostmustsustain.Ifoneorbothendsoftherailingarefreestanding,theendloadedconditionmustbeassumed.Ifbothendsoftherunarelaterallybraced
byachangeindirectionorattachmenttoafirmstructure,thecenterloadedloadproportionfactormaybeused.
(NOTE:Ifendpostsdifferfromintermediatepostsinstrength,theloaddistributionpatternbecomesindeterminateandendpostsshouldthenbedesignedtocarry100%oftheconcentratedload.Intermediatepostsmay
thenbedesignedtothecenterloadedcondition.Insinglespanrailings,eachpostmustbedesignedtocarrythefullconcentratedload.)
Insinglespanrailings,eachpostmustbedesignedtocarrythefullconcentratedload.
DesigningtheRails:
Thedesignofrailingsystemiscomparabletofindingtheweakestlinkofthesystem.Theweakest,andprobablythemoststressedrailingcomponent,determinesthestrengthofthe
system.
Sincethestrengthoftherailingsystem(foragivenorselectedrailingsectionsandheight)isafunctionofpostspacing,thedesignofrailingcanbegeneralizedandexpressedin
termsofthemaximumpermissiblepostspacing.Themaximumpermissiblepostspacingrepresentsthespacingthattheweakestrailingcomponentcanachieve.
Withwrongchoiceofrailingsections,arailingdesignmayendupinaverystrongpostwithaveryweakhorizontalrailoraverystronghorizontalrailwithaveryweakpost.Agood
choiceorarightcombinationofpostandhorizontalrailsectionswillyieldadesignthatisbothstrongandeconomicallypractical.
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Byequatingthecomponent'sappliedBendingMomenttoitsFlexuralStrength,thespanofrail,L,(orpostspacing)canbesolved.Thestrongerthecomponent,thebiggerthevalue
ofspanitcanattain.Theleastspanattainedbyanycomponentwillbethedesignpostspacingorthepermissiblespacingfortherailingsystem.
Thefollowingarethepermissible'L'attainedbyeachcomponent:
HorizontalRailUnderUniformLoading
Lmax = (KMr/w)1/2
where:
Lmax = MaximumpermissibleSpan
Mr = ResistingMoment(orAllowableFlexuralStrength)
w = UniformLoad
K = BendingMomentConstant
HorizontalRailUnderConcentratedLoading:
Lmax = KMr/P
where:
P = ConcentratedLoad
IntermediatePostUnderUniformLoading:
Lmax = Mr/wh
where:
h = HeightofPost
IntermediatePostUnderConcentratedLoading:
hmax = Mr/DP
where:
hmax = MaximumPermissibleHeightofPost
D = LoadProportionFactor
EndPostUnderUniformLoading:
Lmax = 2Mr/wh
EndPostUnderConcentratedLoading:
hmax = Mr/DP
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