Load paths
UDL on a beam from tributary area
Turn a floor pressure into a uniform line load on a beam: multiply the tributary width by the load. Here is the method, beam self-weight, and the two-way equivalent UDL.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Category
Load paths
Following gravity loads floor by floor, from slab to column to foundation.
Load paths
How to calculate beam reactions from a slab
A slab loads a beam, and the beam passes that load to its end supports as reactions. Here is how to find them by statics, for uniform, triangular and trapezoidal loads.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
How to do a structural load takedown (step by step)
A load takedown traces gravity loads from the slabs down to the foundation. Here are the five steps, a worked column, and the checks that catch errors.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Load paths
Foundation reactions from a load takedown
The foundation reactions are where a takedown ends: the load each column and wall delivers to the ground. Here is how to read them and turn them into foundation design loads.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
What is a transfer beam?
A transfer beam carries a column or wall that stops part-way down and redistributes its load to supports below. Here is what it does, why it is used, and how load flows through it.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
Lintel load calculation, explained
A lintel carries the wall and floor above an opening. Here is how to find its load, the triangular masonry-load idea, and a worked example for a door or window head.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Load paths
Fastest way to calculate column axial loads
The fastest way to get column axial loads is to draw the plan once and let the tributary areas and stacking resolve. Here is the workflow and why it beats sketching.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
Gravity load path: slab to foundation
Follow one gravity load from the slab through the beam, column and footing to the soil. Here is each handoff in the load path and why tracing it prevents errors.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Load paths
Multi-storey load takedown explained
In a multi-storey building, loads stack down the columns floor by floor. Here is how the top-down accumulation works, how transfers fit in, and a worked three-storey column.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
How to calculate column loads
A column's load is every floor it carries, added up. Here is how to find the axial load from tributary areas, stack it through floors, and factor it.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
Bearing wall load takedown, explained
A bearing wall carries floor load as a line reaction per metre, not a point load. Here is how to take a wall down, what feeds its line load, and how it reaches the footing.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Load paths
How to calculate footing loads
A footing carries the column above it plus its own weight. Here is how to find the load for bearing and for footing strength, using service and factored values.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
Column load takedown by hand, step by step
How to take one column down by hand: tributary area per floor, load per floor, accumulate down the building, then factor. A full worked example with numbers.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Load paths
Load takedown, floor by floor: a worked example
A column reaction is just every floor above it, added up in the right order. Here is a full three-storey gravity takedown worked by hand, from slab pressures to a factored foundation load.
Elena Marchetti··8 min
Load paths
Interior vs edge vs corner column loads
An interior column carries about twice an edge column and four times a corner. Here is why, the load ratios, and a worked comparison you can use as a sanity check.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
How to size a column from axial load
Once you have a column's factored axial load, a quick required-area estimate gives a trial size. Here is the preliminary method for steel and concrete, with worked numbers.
Elena Marchetti··4 min