×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Lateral Load-minimum

Lateral Load-minimum

Lateral Load-minimum

(OP)
I have a braced frame structure about 30' high supporting some equipment located inside a warehouse.
The seismic loads are small (.06W).....
What minimum lateral load would one design the structure for?...I would tend to use 10% of the total weight when there are no other major governing loads.
At the moment I have no info on the warehouse..like how many and how large are the openings..doors, etc...if it turns out that it is partially enclosed, then I would assume that I would have to design the structure for some wind load...right now I do not have a handle on it...
appreciate any suggestions or insights......thanks

RE: Lateral Load-minimum

Sometimes we think in terms of general second order effects and assume 0.02W but that is smaller than your seismic.

You could also look at the projected area and apply the interior minimum wall pressure of 5 psf but that may not be very rational.

RE: Lateral Load-minimum

I've used 10% before when I'm doing a platform or something with a small load. However, generally with a braced frame on a structure that's just occupancy your brace slenderness is going to govern significantly more than your lateral load. It obviously depends on your geometry, though, and may not work out with heavy equipment.

Personally, I'd try throwing in the minimum braces for slenderness and backcheck the lateral capacity to see if you're comfortable with it.

RE: Lateral Load-minimum

(OP)
thanks for the replies....your suggestions are in line with my own thinking....
I do not have any info on the warehouse at the moment but anticipate it ending up as a partially enclosed bldg....
it is located in a hurricane zone, V=110mph..
it will probably have a large door for truck access and this equipment support structure will be located in the vicinity of this door..
my question right now is what wind velocity should one use on this structure..I can see that door open or compromised in a hurricane and exposing this structure to a substantial wind loading....
does one assume that these doors are open etc or is this too consrvative..thanks again thanks for your input

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources