Practical expressions to calculate the main vertical actions on load-bearing columns/walls to Eurocode

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this review study is to present useful and practical expressions to compute the design vertical actions on load-bearing columns/walls of typical building structures on the basis of EN 1991: Eurocode 1.

Design/methodology/approach

It is derived by a typical case in which wind actions, snow actions and permanents actions are loading a roof construction. The results are finally used to calculate the loading on columns/walls. Both ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state are considered.

Findings

From an instructive point of view, the advantage of this method is that it is simplified, general, not time-consuming, and it can be standardised to typical building structures.

Research limitations/implications

A number of example applications are introduced to illustrate the calculation procedure.

Practical implications

From an educational point of view, this problem is of interest to civil engineering students because the reviewed method is not cumbersome or time-consuming.

Social implications

From an engineering educational point of view, this problem is of interest to civil engineering students because the reviewed method is not cumbersome or time-consuming.

Originality/value

New formulated expressions to calculate the loadings on structural membranes based on Eurocode are presented.

Citation

Hassan, O.A.B. (2017), "Practical expressions to calculate the main vertical actions on load-bearing columns/walls to Eurocode", Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 418-435. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-08-2016-0056