ABSTRACT
Buildings and other structures are classified based on the risk associated with unacceptable performance of the structure. To safeguard public safety and welfare, towns and cities across the United States follow certain codes for the design and construction of buildings and other structures. The primary loads on a structure are dead loads due to the weight of structural components and live loads due to structural occupancy and usage. Since the standard unit load in American Society of Civil Engineers 7-16 is for a unit area, it needs to be multiplied by the effective area of the structural element on which it acts to ascertain the total load. There are two approaches to design such as the traditional approach and comparatively newer approach. The distinction between them can be understood from the stress-strain diagram. The structures are commonly designed for elastic moment capacity; that is, the failure load is based on the stress reaching a yield level at any point.
