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Note 1 Level 1

40 TheStructuralEngineer Technical
January 2012 Technical Guidance Note

Principles
of design
Introduction Icon • Design principles

This Technical Guidance Note acts as an introduction to the core design Legend
concepts that are found within the current codes of practice used within • Applied practice
the UK. It also explains the relationship between each of the other guidance
notes and how the reader is to navigate and use them. All of the subsequent
• Worked example
notes make reference, be they direct or implied to this core guide; it is
therefore imperative that anyone seeking to use these guides must be fully
conversant with what is contained within this note. • Further reading

All of the guidance notes in this series have an icon based navigation system
• Web resources
designed to aid the reader.

exceed this defined point. w Localto element axial or ‘Torsion Axis’ is

Design
principles
The current codes of practice used in
the UK are the Eurocodes. The design
assumptions, criteria and terminology used
throughout these documents are explained
in this note. These explanations serve as a
reference to all subsequent notes, as they
make regular reference to the terms and
concepts that are defined below.
Definition of Terms and Concepts
The following principles are the core
components of design of structural
elements. They are the basis from which
all design is carried out. Many of the terms
listed below are also found in Eurocode
– Basis of Structural Design, which is
sometimes referred to as ‘Eurocode 0’.
Action: In the most simplistic of terms, an
action is a load that is applied to a structure.
It can also however be an effect on the
structure via an external source. Examples of
such sources include; change in temperature,
differential settlement of foundations,
earthquakes and moisture variation.
Limit State Design: Limit state design is the
guiding principle upon which all of the current
codes of practice are based. The concept
centres on the placing of an extremis upon a
structure and all actions that are placed upon
it during its design working life should not
designated as ‘x-x’
Ultimate Limit State: The ultimate limit
state, sometimes abbreviated to ULS, is the See Figure 1 for further clarification on the
point at which a structure will collapse when geometric axis notation protocol:
subjected to actions that cause it to exceed
this limit. These actions are multiplied by
partial factors that are defined in Eurocode 0.
Serviceability Limit State: The serviceability
limit state, sometimes abbreviated to SLS,
is a defined point at which the structure
fails to comply with pre-defined criteria.
These criteria are normally related to the
movement of the structure that occurs after it
is subjected to an action. These movements
can be of the structure as a whole or
elements within it e.g. the mid-span vertical
deflection of a simply supported beam.
Equilibrium: Equilibrium is an analysis
state that checks for instabilities within a
structure. It is designated as ‘EQU’ within
the Eurocodes and has its own set of partial Figure 1 Local Axis notation
factors that are applied to loads for when
equilibrium analysis is being carried out. Design Assumptions and Criteria
There are a set of key design assumptions
Local Geometric Axes: The nomenclature and criteria described within the Eurocodes
for the local axes to structural elements has that structures are subject to. They must be
been standardised within the Eurocodes. referred and adhered to when carrying out
This notation is defined as follows: any analysis and design of structures.
w Local to element horizontal axis or ‘Minor Competency: All design and construction
Axis’ is designated as ‘z-z’ of the structure is to be carried out by
w Local to element vertical axis or ‘Major people with the appropriate level of skill and
Axis’ is designated as ‘y-y’ experience.

Supervision: Adequate supervision must be
provided to all personnel who are involved
with the design and construction of the
structure.
Maintenance and usage: The structure shall
be maintained and used in a manner that is
in accordance with the design assumptions.
Materials: The materials used to build the
structure will be in accordance with relevant
codes of practice and manufacturer’s
specifications.
Design life: All structures have a design
life period. The designer must take this
into account when considering any element
within a structure in terms of its ability to
achieve that design life period. The relevant
UK National Annex lists 5 categories
for design life of structures. They are
reproduced in Table 1 below:
Category Design Typical structures
No. working life
(years)
1 10 Temporary structures e.g. access
platforms
2 10-30 Replaceable structural parts e.g.
bearings
3 15-25 Agricultural buildings
4 50 Common building structures not
listed under categories 1,2,3 & 5
5 120 Monuments, bridges and civil
engineering structures
Table 1 Design life categories from Table NA.2.1
of UK National Annexe to Eurocode – Basis of
Structural Design
Essential Information
As part of the design process, an expected
level of information is required to be
produced and shared by the designer of the
structure within any given project. What
follows are descriptions of what design
information is typically expected to be
delivered. It must be noted that this is not an
exhaustive list:
Design loads:The designer must describe
what loads the structure has been designed
for. This is then communicated to the rest
of the design team and the end user so that
they know what loads the design of the
structure has been based on. From this they
can then have a good understanding of what
limits have been imposed upon room use,
e.g. where it is possible to use a room for
storage.
Structural member sizes and location: All
load bearing elements within a structure must
be sized and located. This includes lintels for
openings within non-load bearing masonry
walls, as although the element they are installed
within is non-load bearing, the lintel itself is.
Environmental protection: The primary
methods by which elements of the structure
are to be protected against environmental
effects e.g. moisture, are specified by the
designer of the structure. An example
of this would be the corrosion protection
coating to steel elements. Note that this
does not include secondary and tertiary
methods of protection, such as damp proof
membranes within floor slabs.
Fire resistance requirements: All elements
within a structure that require additional fire-
resistance that is over and above what it is
inherently able to resist, must be highlighted.
A good example of this is a steel column that
requires some form of fire-resistant material
applied to it. Note that it is not the requirement
of the designer of the structure to determine
the form of fire protection; they must only
highlight what needs to be protected.
Materials: A description of the materials
used within the structure is normally
included within the specification. This
document describes the materials that
are to be used to build the structure and
the standards they are expected to meet.
Examples of such materials include concrete
mix, steel grade and timber type and
strength class.
Applied
practice
The applicable codes of practice for basis of
structural design are as follows:
BS EN 1990: Eurocode Basis of Structural
Design
BS EN 1990: UK National Annex to
Eurocode: Basis of Structural Design
Worked example
Each subsequent guidance note will include
a worked example that seeks to explain
further the concepts defined within it. This
particular note however acts as more of an
aid to those reading all of the other guides,
and as such does not include such an
example.
It is important that these notes are
navigated correctly. Crucially, they must
not be treated as a replacement for codes
of practice. They are guides that aid the
reader in the design of structures. With
this in mind, they have been developed to
www.thestructuralengineer.org
41
give a curtailed instruction on aspects of
structural engineering design practices.
The reader is therefore urged to use these
guides in conjunction with the current codes
of practice.
With regard to navigation, the guidance
notes are published in an approximate order
of increasing complexity. A higher level (1,
2 or 3) denotes a significant increase in
complexity from the previous level. Figure 2
explains this system as well as the reliance
on prior knowledge of the guides:
Figure 2 Navigation of Technical Guidance Note
example
Glossary and
further reading
Glossary: The list below is of terms used in
this Technical Guidance Note. All notes will
have such a list to aid the reader.
Code of Practice – A set of rules that need
to be followed in order to complete a task
to achieve an appropriate standard. In the
UK, the British Standards Institute authors
and distributes the codes of practice for the
design of structures.
Eurocodes – A set of European-wide codes
of practice for the design of both building
and civil engineering structures.
Technical Guidance Note – A brief guide on
core aspects of the design of structures and
the elements they are built from.
Further Reading Manual for the design of
building structures to Eurocode 1 and Basis
of Structural Design –Institution of Structural
Engineers – April 2010
Web resources
For more information on this subject, please
visit the Institution’s website:
www.istructe.org/knowledge/library