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12/3/2017 GuardRail/Handrail:StructuralDesignCivilEngineeringCommunity

Guard Rail / Handrail: Structural Design


By Civilax - March 12, 2017

GuardrailVersusHandrail

Thetermshandrailandguardrailareoftenusedinterchangeably,althoughtheyhavetwodifferentdefinitions.Accordingtomostbuildingcodes,guardrails(orguards)arerequiredatthe

opensideofelevatedwalkingsurfacestopreventafalltothelowersurface.

The2006InternationalBuildingCode(IBC2006)generallyrequiresguardrailswhenthedifferenceinelevationbetweentheupperandlowersurfacesis30inchesormore.

Handrails,ontheotherhand,aresomethingthatcanbegraspedforguidanceorsupportwhilewalking,usuallyonastair.Thebiggestdifferencebetweenaguardrailandahandrailis

thattheareabelowthetoprailofaguardrailisinstalledwithadditionalcomponentssuchthatthereisnoopeninglargeenoughfora4in.diameterspheretopassthroughthis

approximatesthesizeofasmallchild'shead.Openingsshouldbesmallenoughtopreventachild'sheadfromentering,whereitcouldbecometrappedwithdisastrousresults.

TypicalRailingComponents:

Generally,railingsaresystemsdesignedtoprotectpeopleinspecificspacessuchasbalconies,terracesandstairways.Railingsorguardrailsconsistofthefollowingcomponents:

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1.Postverticalloadbearing/Flexuralelement
2.HandrailorGrabrail
3.HorizontalRails(Top&BottomRails)

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4.Infill:
Thesearecomponentsthatfillthespacebetweenposts.Thesemaybemadeupoftensioncables,horizontalorverticalpicketsorcomplementaryelementssuchasbalustersor

temperedglasspanels.
Infill,suchaspicketsandtensioncablesarespacedsuchthatthereisnoopeninglargeenoughfora4inchdiameterspheretopassthrough.Thisapproximatesthesizeofasmall

child'shead.Openingsshouldbesmallenoughtopreventachild'sheadfromentering,whereitcouldbecometrappedwithdisastrousresults.

TypicalRailingLayout:

TypicalRailingLayout

TypicalRailingDetailshownwithposts,horizontalrails,grabrail,andverticalpickets.Therailisdirectlymountedinconcrete.Railsmayalsobebracketmountedordirectly

weldedincasesofsteelsupport.

LoadingonRailing:

TheNAAMM(NationalAssociationofArchitecturalMetalManufacturers)the2006IBC(InternationalBuildingCode)requirethathandrails,guardrails,andtheirsupportsbedesigned

for50lbperlinearfoot,appliedinanydirectionatthetopofthetoprail,andaconcentratedloadof200lbappliedinanydirectionatanylocationalongthetopofthetoprail.The

uniformloadandconcentratedloadsarenottobeappliedsimultaneously.Othercomponents,includingguardrailinfillandbottomrails,aretobedesignedfor100lbsactingona

projectedareaof1squareft,includingtheopenspacebetweencomponents.Theeffectsofthisloadarenottobecombinedwiththeloadonthetoprail.

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TypicalHandrailLoading

Wheredotheseloadingscomefrom?

Theuniformloadingrepresentstheforceexertedbytightlygroupedpersonsleaningonorpressingagainsttherailingsystem.Suchloadingrequirementsrangefrom20to50

poundsperfoot,appliedhorizontallytothetoprail.Insomecodes,railingsystemsincertainlocationsshallbedesignedforloadsashighas100poundsperfootappliedvertically

downwardontherailsandtheverticalandhorizontaluniformloadsshallbeappliedsimultaneously.

Theconcentratedloadingrepresentstheforceexertedbyasingleindividualleaninguponorovertherailorapersonorobjectbeinghurledagainsttherail.Thistypeofdesign

loadingisspecifiedinthemajorityofcodesalthoughsomecodesonlyhaveuniformloadrequirements.A200poundconcentratedloadappliedinanydirectionatanypointalongthe

toprailhasbecomearequirementofanumberofcodesandgovernmentregulatoryagencies.

Currentthinkingbysomeorganizationsistoapplytheconcentratedloadinaperpendiculardirectionatanypointalongthetoprail,horizontallyanddownwardinaverticalplane,but

notsimultaneously.Perpendicularhorizontalloadingappliesthemaximummomenttothepost,andthedownwardloadingsimulateswhatapersonleaningovertherailmightapply.

DesignConsideration:

Themostcriticalloadsarethosewhichareappliedhorizontally,astheseproducethemaximumbendingmomentsonposts.Themaximumbendingmomentonarailoccurseither

underaconcentratedloadwhentheloadisappliedatmidspanorunderauniformloadduetoalongspanbetweensupports.

Postsactascolumnsinresistingverticalloadingonrailsandasverticalcantileverbeamsinresistinghorizontalloadingoneithertherailsortheposts.Thebendingmomentdueto

thecantileverbeamactionunderhorizontalloadingshalldeterminethesizeofthepost.
Thecriticalbendingmomentinthepostsshallbedeterminedbyeither:

1.theapplicationofauniformloadtotherail,or
2.theapplicationofaconcentratedloadtothetopofthepostitselfortotherailsitsupports
TherequiredFlexuralStrengthinforhorizontalrailisgovernedbywhicheverloadingreturnsthebiggestbendingmomentoneachrailcomponent.Itisafunctionofpostsspacing.

Forposts,thebendingmomentreturnedbyconcentratedloadingisafunctionofloadproportionfactorwhichinturnisafunctionofrelativestiffnessofpostsandhorizontalrails

whilethebendingmomentreturnedbyuniformloadingisafunctionofthepostspacing.

Generally,whenarailingsystemisdesignedforamaximumof4feettargetpostspacingtheuniformloadingcontrolsthegoverningorcriticalbendingmoment.

Thesamesize(OD)pipe(thoughnotnecessarilythesame"schedule")shallbeusedforbothpostsandrails.Additionalloadingshallbesustainedbyaddingreinforcementtothe

postorbyspacingthepostsclosertogether.

BendingMomentsofRailComponents:

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OnHorizontalRail:

1.UnderUniformLoading
M = wL2 (BendingMoment)

where:

w = UniformLoading

L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan

K = 8 (forOneorTwoSpans)

= 9.5 (forThreeorMoreSpans)

1.UnderConcentratedLoading
M = PL/K (BendingMoment)

where:

P = ConcentratedLoading

L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan

K = 4 (forSingleSpan)

= 5 (forTwoorMoreSpans)

OnIntermediatePost:

1.UnderUniformLoading
M = wLh (BendingMoment)

where:

w = UniformLoading

L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan

h = HeightofPost

1.UnderConcentratedLoading
M = DPh (BendingMoment)

where:

P = ConcentratedLoading

h = HeightofPost

D = LoadProportionFactor

= 65% (forTwoSpans)

= 62% (forThreeorMoreSpans)

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OnEndPost:

1.UnderUniformLoading

M = w(L/2)h (BendingMoment)

where:

w = UniformLoading

L = PostSpacingorHorizontalRailSpan

h = HeightofPost

1.UnderConcentratedLoading
M = DPh (BendingMoment)

where:

P = ConcentratedLoading

h = HeightofPost

D = LoadProportionFactor

= 85% (forTwoSpans)

= 82% (forThreeorMoreSpans)

LoadProportionFactor,PforD:

Inpiperailings,wherepostsandrailsareofidenticalmaterialandsectionandwherepostspacingusuallyvariesbetween3feetand6feet,LoadProportionFactorisfairlyuniform

andthegreatestproportionofaconcentratedloadcarriedbyonepostcanbeestimatedasfollows:

EndPosts: ofa2Spanrailing85%

ofarailingof3ormorespans82%

IntermediatePosts: ofa2Spanrailing65%

ofarailingof3ormorespans60%

Foramoreaccurateproportionfactor,thegraph(nomograph)belowhasbeenusedtodeterminerailingloaddistribution.Thegraphhasbeendeterminedbycomputeranalysisand

confirmedbylaboratorytest.Theformulausedindeterminingthegraphassumesthatallpostsareofidenticalmaterialandsection.

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TheStiffness(k)ofarailorpostis:

kr = EI/L (fortheRail)

kp = EI/hL (forthePost)

TheStiffnessRatio(R)isdeterminedas:R=kr/kp

TheStiffnessRatioisthenplottedonthegraphtoobtainaLoadProportionFactor(Pf).Whentheloadproportionfactorhasbeendetermined,itismultipliedbythetotalloadto

determinetheloadonepostmustsustain.Ifoneorbothendsoftherailingarefreestanding,theendloadedconditionmustbeassumed.Ifbothendsoftherunarelaterallybraced

byachangeindirectionorattachmenttoafirmstructure,thecenterloadedloadproportionfactormaybeused.

(NOTE:Ifendpostsdifferfromintermediatepostsinstrength,theloaddistributionpatternbecomesindeterminateandendpostsshouldthenbedesignedtocarry100%oftheconcentratedload.Intermediatepostsmay

thenbedesignedtothecenterloadedcondition.Insinglespanrailings,eachpostmustbedesignedtocarrythefullconcentratedload.)

Insinglespanrailings,eachpostmustbedesignedtocarrythefullconcentratedload.

DesigningtheRails:

Thedesignofrailingsystemiscomparabletofindingtheweakestlinkofthesystem.Theweakest,andprobablythemoststressedrailingcomponent,determinesthestrengthofthe

system.

Sincethestrengthoftherailingsystem(foragivenorselectedrailingsectionsandheight)isafunctionofpostspacing,thedesignofrailingcanbegeneralizedandexpressedin

termsofthemaximumpermissiblepostspacing.Themaximumpermissiblepostspacingrepresentsthespacingthattheweakestrailingcomponentcanachieve.

Withwrongchoiceofrailingsections,arailingdesignmayendupinaverystrongpostwithaveryweakhorizontalrailoraverystronghorizontalrailwithaveryweakpost.Agood

choiceorarightcombinationofpostandhorizontalrailsectionswillyieldadesignthatisbothstrongandeconomicallypractical.

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Byequatingthecomponent'sappliedBendingMomenttoitsFlexuralStrength,thespanofrail,L,(orpostspacing)canbesolved.Thestrongerthecomponent,thebiggerthevalue

ofspanitcanattain.Theleastspanattainedbyanycomponentwillbethedesignpostspacingorthepermissiblespacingfortherailingsystem.

Thefollowingarethepermissible'L'attainedbyeachcomponent:

HorizontalRailUnderUniformLoading

Lmax = (KMr/w)1/2

where:

Lmax = MaximumpermissibleSpan

Mr = ResistingMoment(orAllowableFlexuralStrength)

w = UniformLoad

K = BendingMomentConstant

HorizontalRailUnderConcentratedLoading:

Lmax = KMr/P

where:

P = ConcentratedLoad

IntermediatePostUnderUniformLoading:

Lmax = Mr/wh

where:

h = HeightofPost

IntermediatePostUnderConcentratedLoading:

hmax = Mr/DP

where:

hmax = MaximumPermissibleHeightofPost

D = LoadProportionFactor

EndPostUnderUniformLoading:

Lmax = 2Mr/wh

EndPostUnderConcentratedLoading:

hmax = Mr/DP

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