The Importance of Loading

The importance of loading is quite obvious to everyone. The larger the loads are the stronger the cross section must be. However in simple lessons such as statics loads are always given, in reality loading comes with uncertainties. In simple words we need to design for the worst possible loading condition which might never happens during the lifespan of the structure. we can divide the loads  into live loads and dead loads. looking through a different lens, the nature of the load is either static or dynamic.

The key to designing an optimized structure is to consider the effect of each load based of it relative certainty. This way the live loads are less effective in the load combination.  LFRD is a designing method which considers the relative certainty of each load to reach a more economical design. Some of common loading are listed below and will be explained in these group of articles.

Wind load

Earthquake load

Weight of the structure

Thermal loads

Loads caused by construction procedure