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www.thestructuralengineer.org Note 2 Level 1

Technical TheStructuralEngineer 43
Technical Guidance Note January 2012

Derivation of
dead loads
Introduction Icon • Design principles

This Technical Guidance Note concerns the derivation of dead loads. This is a Legend
core guidance note and as such, subsequent notes will make reference to this • Applied practice
one. It is therefore important to understand the contents of this note before
attempting to digest any of the others.
• Worked example

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

• moveable partitions Some dead loads can be expressed as an

Design • plant room installations, such as air area load. Table 2 lists such loads:
principles handling units and boilers
• cradles for maintenance access, but not Material Area Load (kN/m2)

Dead load is defined as the weight of static the secondary support beams and rails they
materials contained within a structure. This are fixed to Building services† 0.25 kN/m2

includes the self weight of the structure as • sports and gym equipment such as goal Insulation per 25mm thickness 0.005 kN/m2
Suspended ceilings† 0.25 kN/m2
well as the materials it is supporting that are posts, basketball hoops and punch bags
Raised floors† 1.00 kN/m2
fixed to it. Within Eurocode 1 it is defined as • audio and video equipment installations,
Roof tiles 0.39 – 1.00 kN/m2
a Permanent Action. including speaker clusters, televisions and
† These are typical values and can therefore vary.
lighting rigs
Definition of Dead Load Elements Table 2 Typical area dead loads
Within a Structure Densities for Common Materials
Building elements that can be considered to Found in Structures Partial Factors (γG) for Dead Loads
be part of the self weight of the construction Table 1 is a list of common materials found in (Permanent Actions)
form the dead load of the structure. building structures along with their attributed Partial factors are used within Limit State
Examples include: densities: design methodology. They are applied when
designing elements based on their capacity
• self weight of the structure elements i.e. Material
Density (γ) to resist stress, be it shear, bending, torsion
beams, columns and floor slabs or a combination of the three. They are also
• finishes e.g. screeds and ceilings and Soil * 17-25 kN/m3 used when checking for stability within the
ceiling finishes. These are also sometimes Reinforced Concrete 25 kN/m3 structure. The Eurocode’s approach to these
Mass Concrete 24 kN/m3
referred to as ‘super imposed dead loads’ factors considers the nature of the load
Steel 78.5 kN/m3
• building services installations, such as before any factors are applied to it.
Timber (Softwood) 5.5 kN/m3
ducts, cable containment, small pipes and Dead loads, or ‘Permanent Actions’ do
Plywood sheeting 5 kN/m3
lighting not have the duration and frequency factors
Brick (facing) * 13-22.5 kN/m3
• soil defined in Eurocode 1 applied to them.
Brick (engineering) * 21-24 kN/m3
• fixed partitions, i.e. those that cannot be These factors are however expanded upon
Block (lightweight) * 8.5-11 kN/m3
demounted and placed elsewhere and non within Technical Guidance Notes 3, 4 & 5
Block (medium density) 14 kN/m3
load bearing walls (Level 1) as they cover imposed, wind and
Block (dense/architectural) 19-21 kN/m3
snow loads respectively. All of which are
Plaster 19.2 kN/m3
There are many elements that are often subject to duration and frequency factors.
Glass 25 kN/m3
mistaken as being a part of the self weight The only variance in the partial factor
* Varies depending upon material type/manufacturer
of construction when they are imposed load for dead loads occurs when it is acting
elements (see Technical Guidance Note 3, Table 1 Typical dead load densities ‘favourably’ in a certain loading pattern or is
Level 1). These include the following: an element of a sub-structure.

44 TheStructuralEngineer
January 2012
Stability Analysis Partial
Factors (γG)
Consider figure 1 below, where ‘G ’ refers to
k
the dead load and ‘Q ’ the imposed load:
k forces are based on the maximum partial
Figure 1 Equilibrium partial factors
It can be seen that the load in the main
span is acting favourably to resist the load
being applied to the cantilever section. This
cantilever load is causing instability in the
structure, as support ‘A’ is unable to resist
an upward vertical force.
The factors that are applied to loads
are dependent upon the nature of the
analysis being carried out. In the case of
the above, the stability of support point A
is being checked for uplift. This falls under
the category of checking for equilibrium in
a structure and hence the following partial
factors (γG) apply:
‘Favourable’ dead load – 0.9 Gk
‘Unfavourable’ dead load – 1.1 Gk
The ‘G ’ refers to imposed load that is covered
k
in Technical Guidance Note 3 (Level 1).
Partial Factors (γG) for Super-
Structure Element Design
In the design of structural elements, the
worst case loading pattern is used to
determine the maximum shear and bending
forces the structure is to be subjected to.
Figure 2 is of the same structure for the
stability analysis above. The appropriate
partial factors to Ultimate Limit State (ULS)
design of super-structure elements have
Figure 2 Ultimate Limit State partial factors
›
Note 2 Level 1
Technical
Technical Guidance Note
been applied to the loads placed upon it.
This analysis concerns the design of the
element and its supports. In this instance Worked example
the worst case bending moments and shear
Determine the characteristic and ultimate
factors (γG) that the Eurocode 1 will allow, dead loads that are applied at the base
which are: of the columns at Level 1 of the structure
‘Favourable’ and ‘Unfavourable’ dead shown in Figure 4.
load – 1.0 or 1.35 G
k
This is on the basis of the single-source
principle that requires all dead loads have
a single partial factor applied to them.
Therefore in the case of multi-span beams,
the value of the partial factor (γG) can only
be 1.0 or 1.35 and not a mixture of the two
when analysing the beam.
Again the ‘Q ’ refers to imposed load (also
k
covered in Technical Guidance Note 3 (Level 1).
Partial Factors for Sub-Structure
Element Design
Figure 3 is of the same load condition with
partial factors that apply to elements within
sub-structures:
Figure 3 Sub-structure partial factors
These factors apply when considering
foundation design, specifically for the loads
being applied to the footings. Hence the
partial factor (γG) is:
‘Favourable’ and ‘Unfavourable’ dead load –
1.0 G
k
Applied
practice
The applicable codes of practice for the
derivation of dead loads are as follows:
BS EN 1991-1-1 Eurocode 1: Actions on
Structures – Part 1-1: General actions – Figure 4 Worked example structure
densities, self weight, imposed loads for
buildings
BS EN 1991-1-1 UK National Annex to
Eurocode 1: Actions on Structures – Part
1-1– densities, self weight, imposed loads for
buildings
BS 648: 1964 Schedule of Weights of
Building Materials
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45

Glossary and
further reading
There are a total of 6 storeys to this building above Level 1; the 400mm
square column layout is a grid measuring 8m x 12m. Levels 2,3,5,6 have Action – The consequences of an applied
raised floors and suspended ceilings with services installed within them. load.
Level 7 is the roof and has a suspended ceiling and services fixed to its
soffit and a 50mm screed and 15mm thick tiles on its external surface. Characteristic load – A load that has had no
Level 4 is a plant room with no finishes to the floor or suspended ceiling at partial factors applied to it.
level 5. There are building services hung from the soffit of level 5.
Favourable load – A load that does not
increase the bending/shear stresses within
Initially the self weight of the elements that form the structure is an element or create instability, but instead
determined: acts to resist failure.

Super-imposed dead load – Load from

applied finishes and building services. It does
not include plant e.g. air handling units and
boilers.

Ultimate load – A load that has had partial

factors applied to it.

Unfavourable load – A load that does

increase the bending/shear stresses within
an element or generates instability within a
structure.

Further Reading

Manual for the design of building structures

to Eurocode 1 and Basis of Structural Design
–Institution of Structural Engineers – April
Then the super-imposed dead load from finishes 2010
and building services are calculated:

Web resources

For more information on this subject, please

visit the Institution’s website at:
www.istructe.org/knowledge/library

Finally the total characteristic and ultimate dead loads acting at

the base of the column on Level 1 are calculated: