1 inch diameter handrail post
1 inch diameter handrail post
(OP)
Has anyone ever used a 1 inch diameter (1.32 inch outside diameter) stair handrail post. In the past I have used 1.5 inch diameter posts. If I run a quick calculation with a 200 pound point load and a 3.5 foot tall post I get a bending stress of 55 ksi over 1.5 times yield stress (assuming Fy=35 ksi). Is there load sharing going on with the adjacent posts?
I appreciate any comments. Thanks in advance!
I appreciate any comments. Thanks in advance!






RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
www.SlideRuleEra.net
www.VacuumTubeEra.net
RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
I still feel that 1" posts are too narrow however.
Edit: found it thread507-405072: Handrail Posts
RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
Dave
Thaidavid
RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
Yes, there is load sharing, but as thaidavid40 noted, there is a need to design for "pedestrian comfort", just as you would for bar grating and other potentially high deflection items.
One thing that significantly stiffens the rail is to make sure it is properly anchored at the bottom of the stair section. At terminating sections, this is a bit difficult to achieve. I use a two place anchorage on stair sections that I design. The last (first) post is welded to the end of the stringer along its full depth, to you don't have bending in the stringer flange. Next, the ADA return is anchored to the concrete. This gives much less deflection at the bottom and thus more perceived stiffness to the entire rail.
RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: 1 inch diameter handrail post
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