Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
(OP)
I am designing a 30' ladder (approx) that will not have any intermediate supports along its height. Is there a rule of thumb regarding the required stiffness of the ladder side rails to satisfy serviceability requirements (i.e. ladder does not shake or sway excessively to cause discomfort to the climbers).






RE: Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
RE: Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
Apparently, this will be midpoint of your railing.
This temporary (overhaul or construction) or permanent?
RE: Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
The ladder (not handrail) is a permanent installation and is replacing an existing ladder. The ladder sway that workers are currently experiencing is in the plane of the ladder (i.e. parallel to the rungs). Out-of-plane direction is not a problem.
The current side rails are C6x8's and the slenderness in the strong axis is approx. 177. If the rungs rotate on the channel web (i.e. no Vierendeel action) then the slenderness ratio in-plane is much higher. Probably a safe approach would be to match the slenderness for both the strong and weak axes and not consider any strength contribution from the rungs.
RE: Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
RE: Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
The beam with a standard ladder is a good idea that I hadn't considered.
RE: Fixed Ladders - Side Rail Stiffness
Angle 2 1/2x2 1/2x3/8" @ 20' max support
C4x5.4 @ 30' max support...
these are are as old as dirt