Floor Live Load Explained

To determine the minimum design values for strength live and dead loads are added together.

Floor live load explained.

The term live load refers to the total load carried by the floor including furnishing occupants and other objects being stored. The dead load on the floor is the weight of the floor structure itself and anything else that is permanently attached to the floor. We measure uniform live loads as pounds per square foot psf. Live load is the lesser of the load for l 360 and total load as determined above minus dead load.

Equivalent open aisle live load is 200lbs 3ft. Beams studs joists and rafters act as a structural skeleton and must be strong enough and stiff enough to resist these loads. Bridge live loads are produced by vehicles traveling over the deck of the bridge. For residential floors the live load is usually considered to be 30 to 40 pounds per square foot psf although this varies depending on the location within the home.

When considering an open aisle within the cmfs a realistic live load for this aisle is to place a 200 pound person in front of each shelving cabinet i e. The live load is the weight of furnishings people and anything else that the floor needs to support but which isn t permanently attached. Roof and floor live loads are produced during maintenance by workers equipment and materials and during the life of the structure by movable objects such as planters and people. 3 ft 10 ft 100 lbs sq ft.

For example if the walking surface were 3 feet wide and 10 feet long the total live load on the walkway would be. In other words the weight is distributed or shared uniformly by the members in the floor or roof system. Live loads are imposed on the building and are temporary and dynamic such as the weight of occupants furniture or anything else that can be moved. For the most part live load and dead load values for floor and roof systems are considered distributed loads.

Live loads can be prescribed to any structural element floors columns beams even roofs and will ultimately be factored into a calculation of gravity loads which we ll explain below. Allowable total load for floors is the least of load capacities for l 240 bending and shear. Allowable total load is therefore 173 psf. The live loading of 100 pounds per square foot means that the entire walking surface is assumed to be loaded this amount.