Load Path: A Complete Load Path Capable of Transferring Loads From Their Point of Origin To The Load-Resisting Elements

Villanova University CEE 4606 - Capstone II
Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Structural Engineering
Load Path
IBC 1604.4
“Any system or method of construction to be used

shall be based on a rational analysis in
accordance with well-established principles of
mechanics. Such analysis shall result in a system
that provides a complete load path capable of
transferring loads from their point of origin to the
load-resisting elements.”
1
Load Path
• How do loads go from their point-of-origin to the
ground?
• As the structural engineer, you must determine a

satisfactory load path, considering:
– Principles of mechanics (i.e. it must work!)
– Architectural plan
– Economy
– Constructability
2
Load Path
• In this project, you will essentially serve as the architect and
engineer
• Lucky you…in many building projects, the most difficult

part of establishing a good load path is working within the
architects’ established layout
• So, as we go forward, you should set up your floor plan

considering that you will be the one that has to establish a
load path
– Keep it relatively simple!
3
Load Path
• A load path must address two distinct types of load:
– Gravity loads
– Lateral loads
• Thus, we will need two systems

– VFRS (Vertical Force Resisting System)
– LFRS (Lateral Force Resisting System)
• These systems can be completely separate or work

together
4
Vertical Force Resisting System
• Several types of systems are possible

• Elements that might be part of the VFRS include:
– Roof, Floors (Slabs), Beams & Girders, Columns,
Walls, Footings
5
Lateral Force Resisting System

• Several types of systems are possible
• Elements that might be part of the VFRS include:
– Roof, Floors (Slabs), Beams & Girders, Columns,
Walls, Footings
– Note that these elements are essentially the same…but
they may carry different types of forces
• Note that there must be a lateral force resisting
system in each perpendicular direction (say, N-S
and E-W) !!!
6
Elements can be part of the VFRS and LFRS…
• For example,
– a wall may carry vertical loads in bearing
(“Bearing Wall”)
– or, it may carry lateral loads perpendicular

to the wall (“Curtain Wall”)
– or, it may carry lateral loads in the plane

of the wall (“Shear Wall”)
– or, it may carry some combination of these

different load types!
7
Importance of Connections
• In any load path, we must consider not just the

elements in the system, but also the connections
between elements
• As we’ve seen before, this is especially important

in high seismic situations, which are less
forgiving!
– Because of this, IBC has several special provisions
related to connections
8
Common Building Systems

(for Concrete & Masonry Structures)
Bearing Wall
System
Moment-Resisting
Frame
Building Frame
System
Dual System
9

Bearing Wall
System
Note: These terms are Moment-Resisting

defined on the first page of Frame
IBC Chapter 16 !!!
Building Frame
System
Dual System
10

Bearing Wall
System
Moment-Resisting
Frame
Building Frame
System
Dual System
11
Bearing Wall System

• Vertical loads are resisted entirely by bearing
walls
– Loads are transmitted to bearing walls by roof and floor
slabs (and beams if necessary to reduce spans in floor
slab)
• Lateral loads are resisted entirely by the shear
walls
– Loads are transmitted to shear walls by roof and floor
slabs acting as diaphragms (resisting in-plane forces)
12

Bearing Wall
System
Moment-Resisting
Frame
Building Frame
System
Dual System
13
Moment-Resisting Frame
• Vertical loads are resisted by a space frame,
consisting of beams (or girders) and columns
– Loads are transmitted to beams and columns by roof
and floor slabs
• Lateral loads are resisted entirely by the space
frame
– Frame action requires rigid beam-column joints that are
capable of resisting moments
– Loads are transmitted to the space frame by curtain
walls
14

Bearing Wall
System
Moment-Resisting
Frame
Building Frame
System
Dual System
15
Building Frame System

• Vertical loads are resisted by a space frame,
consisting of beams (or girders) and columns
– Loads are transmitted to beams and columns by roof
and floor slabs
• Lateral loads are resisted entirely by the shear
walls
– Loads are transmitted to shear walls by roof and floor
slabs acting as diaphragms (resisting in-plane forces)
16

Bearing Wall
System
Moment-Resisting
Frame
Building Frame
System
Dual System
17
Dual System
• Vertical loads are resisted jointly by a space frame
and bearing walls
• Lateral loads are resisted jointly by a space frame
and shear walls
• Distribution of load is generally based on relative
stiffness
– The stiffer the system, the larger the portion of vertical
load or lateral load that system carries
18
Choices for Your Structure
Bearing Wall System or Building Frame System
19
Considerations in choosing a system:

• With either system, you will use shear walls for
your lateral force resisting system
• What are your potential shear wall locations?
– What are your wall locations in general?
– Are these walls in locations where you need openings
(doors and windows)?
• Openings make it tougher to design walls for structural forces,
especially for shear walls!
• So use solid walls for shear walls (tiny openings are OK)
20
H2
Shear Wall Layout
H1
– You will need shear walls

in both directions!
– These walls will need to
be two stories tall
– They should be
symmetrically located
– If possible, use more than
one shear wall to reduce
forces Sample Building Plan &
Shear Wall Layout (#1)
21
H2
Shear Wall Layout
H1

in both directions!
be two stories tall
– They should be
22
H2
Shear Wall Layout
H1

in both directions!
be two stories tall
– They should be
23
Considerations in choosing a system:

• For your vertical force resisting system, consider
the following…
– What are your potential column locations?
– What are your wall locations?
• Assume all walls will be masonry
– Are these walls in locations where you need openings
(doors and windows)?
• Openings make it tougher to design bearing walls, too…
24
The Chapel/Guest House

(Avoid split levels in your structure!) 25
This wall would have been tough to

design as a bearing wall
This structure was

designed using a
building frame system
26
This wall could easily have been

designed as a bearing wall
27
Even if a structural beam is not

specified, they will pour a beam over
each wall!
28
This is the typical forming system for

pouring a concrete floor slab. It uses
wood boards placed tightly together 29
Vertical Force Resisting System Issues

• Whether you use a building frame system or
bearing wall system, you will have a floor slab to
design
(if you have a two story structure…which you now should
assume is the case)
• So let’s take a look at a few issues related to

that…
30
• We presumably know how to do the following from

Structural Design:
– Design a simply-supported rectangular beam of
unknown cross-section size
– Design a simply-supported rectangular beam of known
cross-section size
– Design a T-beam for positive or negative moment
– Design a doubly reinforced beam (beam with
compression reinforcement)
– Design a beam for shear
– Design a simply supported one way slab
• What about continuous beams or one-way slabs???

31
Design of Continuous Beams and Slabs

Gap
• You know how to 
design cross-sections for

positive or negative 
moment
• Reinforcement follows Two Simple Spans
the moment diagram
• Why continuous spans? 
– Moments
– Deflections 
Continuous over Center Support

32
Design Moments (Uniform Dist. Loading)
• Simple Spans
– wL2/8
• Continuous Spans
– Analysis far more complicated
– What type of fixity do we actually have?
– Must consider effects of patterned loading
33
Design Moments – Continuous Spans
• We have a few analysis options

– Elastic Analysis (preferably STAAD)
– Approximate Frame Analysis
– ACI Approximate Moment Coefficients
(ACI 8.3)
• See McCormac text Chapter 13
34
Slab Thickness Considerations
• What governs the thickness of a slab?

– Flexural Strength
– Shear
– Deflections
• Usually, deflections will govern the thickness
requirements for a one-way slab
– Size slab based on deflection requirements
– Check shear
– Design reinforcement for flexure
35
• Review McCormac text, Ch. 5

(serviceability) and Ch. 3 (one-way slabs)
• Review notes from Structural Design,
lectures on one-way slab design and
serviceability
• ACI Sec. 9.5.2.1
36

(such that we do not need to compute deflections)
• For simply-supported beams, total beam depth ‘h’
must be at least L/16
– A 16 ft. long simply supported beam must be at least 12
in. deep.
• For simply-supported one-way slabs, total slab
thickness ‘h’ must be at least L/20
– A 10 ft. long simply supported one-way slab must be at
least 6 in. deep.
• You will have to look up other values!!!
37
• Something to keep in mind….

– Your material properties!
– These tables are based on normal strength
concrete
– You may wish to consider creative ways to
adjust tables for your low concrete strength
• Hint: Think about what the key concrete material
property related to deflections is…
38
Framing Possibilities
• Now we can begin to develop a framing

plan for our structure
– Typical practice on site is a 5 in. thick slab
– We have a methodology to determine how far a
slab of a given thickness can span
– Do our material properties have any effect?
• Consider the Chapel as an example…
39
Note: columns
automatically
placed at each Ln = 10.5 ft.
wall end or
corner
Ln = 14.5 ft.
Ln = 12.0 ft.
Ln = 27.0 ft.
Think we’ll need some additional framing members???
40
Framing Concepts
• Let’s use a simple
example for our
discussion…
• Column spacing
– 30 ft. on center
• Think about relating
it to your design as
we discuss…
Plan
41
Framing Concepts
• We can first assume

that we’ll have major
girders running in
one direction in our
one-way system
Plan
42
Framing Concepts
• If we span between
girders with our slab,
then we have a load
path, but if the spans
are too long…
Plan
43
Framing Concepts
• We will need to
shorten up the span
with additional
beams
Plan
44
Framing Concepts
• But we need to
support the load from
these new beams, so
we will need
additional supporting
members
Plan
45
Framing Concepts
• Now we have a
viable plan…
• Let’s think back
through our load path
now to identify our
“heirarchy” of
members
Plan
46
Framing Concepts
• One-Way Slab
(continuous)
• Beams
– Interior (T-beams)
– Exterior (L-beams)
• Girders
– Interior (T-beams)
– Exterior (L-beams)
Plan
47
Framing Concepts
• Note that by running the
one-way slab in this EW
direction, we are actually
making the EW running
beams our major girders
• The NS running beams
simply transfer the load
out to these girders (or
directly to a column)
Plan
48
Framing Concepts
• Now let’s go back

through with a
slightly different
load path
Plan
49
Framing Concepts
• We again assume
that we’ll have major
girders running in
one direction in our
one-way system
Plan
50
Framing Concepts
• This time, let’s think

about shortening up
the slab span by
running beams into
our girders.
• Our one-way slab
will transfer our load
to the beams.
Plan
51
Framing Concepts
• With this approach,

we have already
established our
“heirarchy”
• The only difference
is in the “direction”
of our load path
– 90 degree rotation
Plan
52
Framing Concepts - Conclusions
• Either load path will work

• In this case, they are identical
• With a rectangular bay (instead of a square)
bay, there will be a difference
• Tradeoff is usually in number of supporting
members vs. span of supporting members
53
Two Load Path Options
54
Framing Concepts
• Note that in this example, we used a building
frame system, but the same principles apply for a
bearing wall system:
• How far apart are the walls?
• Can the one-way slab span the distance between

those walls, or do we need intermediate framing
members (beams) to shorten up the spans?
55
Framing Concepts - Considerations
• For your structure:

– Look for a “natural” load path that suits your
floor plan
– Identify which column lines are best suited to
having major framing members (i.e. girders), or
which walls are best suited to be the main
bearing walls
56

Load Path: A Complete Load Path Capable of Transferring Loads From Their Point of Origin To The Load-Resisting Elements

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Villanova University CEE 4606 - Capstone II

Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Structural Engineering

“Any system or method of construction to be used

• As the structural engineer, you must determine a

• Lucky you…in many building projects, the most difficult

• So, as we go forward, you should set up your floor plan

• Thus, we will need two systems

• These systems can be completely separate or work

Vertical Force Resisting System

• Several types of systems are possible

Lateral Force Resisting System

Elements can be part of the VFRS and LFRS…

– or, it may carry lateral loads perpendicular

– or, it may carry lateral loads in the plane

– or, it may carry some combination of these

• In any load path, we must consider not just the

• As we’ve seen before, this is especially important

Common Building Systems

Common Building Systems

Note: These terms are Moment-Resisting

Common Building Systems

Bearing Wall System

Common Building Systems

Common Building Systems

Building Frame System

Common Building Systems

Choices for Your Structure

Bearing Wall System or Building Frame System

Considerations in choosing a system:

– You will need shear walls

– You will need shear walls

– You will need shear walls

Considerations in choosing a system:

The Chapel/Guest House

This wall would have been tough to

This structure was

This wall could easily have been

Even if a structural beam is not

This is the typical forming system for

Vertical Force Resisting System Issues

• So let’s take a look at a few issues related to

• We presumably know how to do the following from

• What about continuous beams or one-way slabs???

Design of Continuous Beams and Slabs

design cross-sections for

Continuous over Center Support

Design Moments (Uniform Dist. Loading)

Design Moments – Continuous Spans

• We have a few analysis options

• See McCormac text Chapter 13

Slab Thickness Considerations

• What governs the thickness of a slab?

Slab Thickness Considerations

• Review McCormac text, Ch. 5

Slab Thickness Considerations

Slab Thickness Considerations

• Something to keep in mind….

• Now we can begin to develop a framing

• We can first assume

• Now let’s go back

• This time, let’s think

• With this approach,

Framing Concepts - Conclusions