Upgrading wood columns in an old building
Upgrading wood columns in an old building
(OP)
I'm working on load rating an existing unreinforced masonry building with wood floor systems and interior wood columns. The owner would like to upgrade the floor capacities, which is governed by the lowest level of wood columns (this is an old 5 story factory building). I innitially checked building up the existing columns with additional wood members, but the member stresses were still pretty high. I'm thinking about sandwiching channels to the columns. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks.
Thanks.






RE: Upgrading wood columns in an old building
At each floor, there is now some means of transferring the load from the floor into the column. So your final design would want to include consideration for:
1. How to get the floor load into the new steel shapes.
2. How to get the column loads in the upper stories into the steel shapes at the lower columns.
RE: Upgrading wood columns in an old building
RE: Upgrading wood columns in an old building
RE: Upgrading wood columns in an old building
JIKE: Thanks for the reminder, all of the upper levels of wood columns will require straps to resist the uplift.
CONNECT2: There are ledge outcroppings throughout this basement, and i have not found any signs of settlement. I suspect everything is found on solid foundations, however we cannot tell for certain. The joists and beams max out at around 50-55 psf, and I don't intend to bump up this somewhat low rating.
The lowest level of columns appear to be too light for snow load coupled with the 55 psf on all the floors above. In order to get the stresses down, I'd have to vacate a couple of floors.
RE: Upgrading wood columns in an old building
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering
RE: Upgrading wood columns in an old building
The reinforcement/replacement will be designed for current codes (125 psf with applicable LLR), although the floor members will still only be rated at the 50-55 psf.