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Construction Technology-1

STAIRS & STAIRCASES

(SECTION II)
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Text & Ref Book

Building Construction by A.S. Kotadia

Building Construction by B.C. Punmia
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1. Definition
A stair is a set (series) of steps, leading
from one floor to the other, provided to
afford the various floors of a building.
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2. Technical terms
1. Tread- Upper horizontal portion of a step upon
which the foot is placed, while ascending or
descending.

2. Riser- Vertical portion of a step providing a

support to the tread.

3. Landing- Level platform at the top or bottom of a

flight between the floors.

4. Flight- An unbroken series of steps b/w landings.

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Technical terms (cont.,)

5. Rise- Vertical distance b/w two successive tread
faces.

6. Going- Horizontal distance b/w two successive

riser faces.

7. Nosing- Outer projecting part of a tread beyond

the face of the riser

8. Scotia- Moulding provided under the nosing to

improve the elevation of the step & strength to
nosing.
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Technical terms (cont.,)

9. Pitch/Slope- the angle made by the line of
nosing of the stair with the horizontal.

10. Strings/Stringers- Sloping members of

wood/metal which support the steps in a stair. They
run along the slope of the stair.

11. Newel post- Vertical member of wood/metal,

supporting the hand rail.

12. Baluster- Vertical member of wood/metal

supporting the handrail.
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Technical terms (cont.,)

13. Handrail- Rounded/moulded member of
wood/metal, generally parallel to the nosing line and
fixed on the top of balusters.

14. Head room- Min clear vertical distance b/w the

tread of a step and the soffit of the flight immediately
above it.

15. Run- Total length of stairs in a horizontal plane.

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3. Requirements of a GOOD Stair

1. Location
- Provide easy access to the users of the building.
- Well lighted & ventilated.
- Approaches convenient & spacious
2. Width of Stair
- Domestic/ residential building = 900 mm.
- Public building = 1500-1800 mm
3. Length of flight
- No. of steps should not more than 12 nos.
should not less than 3 nos.
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Requirements of a GOOD Stair (cont.,)

4. Pitch/ Slope of Stair
- should not more than 40
- should not less than 20
5. Headroom
- vertical distance b/w the tread and soffit of the
flight immediately above it, should not less than 2100-
2300mm
6. Balustrade
- Open well stair should always provided with this
for safety
- A wide stair should have a handrail on both the
sides
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Requirements of a GOOD Stair (cont.,)

7. Step Dimensions
- Width of landing should not less than width of
stairs.

8. Materials of Construction
- Materials should provide a sufficient strength, fire
resistance.
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4. Fixing of Going and Rise of a Step Or

Dimensions of a Step
1. The design of steps should be carefully worked out, so as not to
make either too wide or short.
2. Thumb rules
a. (Rise + Going) = 400- 450mm
b. (2Rise + Going) = 600mm
3. Combinations of Rise x Going
140 x 300 mm, 150 x 280mm, 160 x 260mm, 170 x 240mm

4. For Residential building-size of steps= 160 x 260mm

5. For hospital, public buildings- size of steps= 100 x

300mm
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5. Types of STEPS

1. Flier- ordinary step of uniform width and rectangular

shape in plan.

Newel Post

Wall

Newel Post

UP
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2. Bull nose step- Starting step near the newel forms the
quadrant of a circle.

Newel Post

Wall

Newel Post

Quadrant of a circle
UP
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3. Round ended step- similar to bull nose except that it

has a semi-circular end which projects out from the stringer.

Newel Post

Wall

Newel Post

Semi-circle
UP
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4. Splayed step- beginning of the flight, with its end, near

the newel post, splayed like in fig below

Newel Post

Wall

Newel Post

Splayed edge

UP
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5. Commode step- has curved tread and riser

Newel Post

Wall

Newel Post

Curved edge

UP
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6. Dancing step- which do not radiate from a common

centre
Landing

Dancing Step

UP
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7. Winder- Winders are tapering steps, such as those radiate

from a point usually situated at the centre of a newel.
Winders

UP
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6. Classification of STAIRS
1. Straight flight stairs
2. Turning stairs
a) Quarter turn stairs
b) Half turn stairs
i. Dog-legged stairs
ii. Open-well stairs
c) Three quarter turn stairs
d) Bifurcated stairs
3. Geometrical stairs
a) Circular stairs
b) Spiral stairs
c) Helical stairs
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1. Straight flight stairs- running continuous throughout

their entire length in one direction only.
Used for small houses where long but narrow space is available.
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2. Turning stairs- a) Quarter turn stairs

The direction of flight

changes at right angles
to the left/right.

There are two types

1. With quarter space
landing

2. With winders
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2. Turning stairs- b) Half turn stairs- turned by 180

i. Dog-legged stairs

Used when the length of the

staircase is restricted and width
is such that only two flights can
be accommodated.

There is no space b/w the two

flights.
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2. Turning stairs- b) Half turn stairs

ii. Open-well stairs

Open space b/w the outer

string of the flights

Needs additional space b/w

The flights

Space= 150-1000 mm
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2. Turning stairs- c) Three quarter turn stairs

The direction of the flight is

changed 3 times.

Used when the length and

breadth of the stair room is
limited

Also the vertical distance

b/w two floors quite large.
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2. Turning stairs- d) Bifurcated stairs

Used in public buildings at their entrance hall & in palaces.

The stair has a wider flight at the bottom, which bifurcates

into two narrow flights, one turning to the left and the other
to the right
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3. Geometrical stairs- a) Circular stairs

In this type, stringers as well as handrails are both continuous
w/o any newel post and landing.

Commonly provided at the inner & backside of the building for

providing entry to its various floors for service purposes.
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3. Geometrical stairs- b) Spiral stairs

Used, where space available is too small and the traffic is less.
Used, as a emergency stairs and are provided at the backside
of the building.
Usually made either of RCC or metal.
All the steps are winders, joined centrally with the vertical
newel post/ column.
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3. Geometrical stairs- c) Helical stairs

The stair looks fine but its structural design and construction is
very complicated.

It is made of RCC/metal in which large quantities of steel is

required to resist bending, shear and torsion.
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7. Vertical Transportation Systems

Peoples and various objects must be moved vertically in

multi-level buildings, often required the use of special
equipments such as

1. Elevators (lifts),

2. Escalators.
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7.1. Elevators (Lifts)

1. Used for moving both people and materials in buildings
having more than 4 storey's.
2. People movers are described as Passenger lifts.
3. The lifts used for moving materials are called Freight lifts.
4. For powering of the vertical movements-two basic systems
5. Overhead counter weighted suspension system using
steel cables and electrically powered motors and wheels.
6. Large hydraulic piston provided in a chamber beneath
the elevator cab.
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7. The elevator shaft must be vertically aligned and the elevator

cabs move along vertical guide rails.
8. The mechanical operation of the moving cabs, the entry doors
and the operating equipment for moving the cab must be
properly provided.
9. The dimensional requirements for lifts may depends upon
the cab size and the total no. of elevators used in the
system.
10. For a small two or three storey building with a single lift, the
space required be small vice versa for tall buildings.
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Overhead suspended Lift Vs Hydraulic Lift

1. Relatively rapid travel and 1. Operate slowly
quicker operation.
2. Suitable for tall buildings 2. Used for few stories only
3. Need, considerable height 3. Space reqd at bottom level
above the highest point of
entry of the cab.
4. Both the systems require considerable excavation and
construction below the level of the lowest entry point of the
cab.
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7.2. Escalators
1. An escalator is a power driven, continuous moving
stairway designed to transport passengers up and down short
vertical distances (inclined).
2. Escalators are used in shopping centres, hotels and
public buildings.
3. Escalators move at approx. 0.3 0.6 m/s.
4. Max angle of inclination of an escalator 30
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7.2. Escalators- Components

1. Top & bottom landing platforms
i. Curved sections of the tracks, as well as gears and motors
that drive the stairs.
ii. The top platform contains the motor assembly and the
main drive gear.
iii. Whereas, the bottom holds the step return idler.
iv. The platforms contain a floor plate and a comb plate.
v. Floor plate- provides a place for the passengers to stand
before they step onto the moving stairs.
vi. Comb plate- the piece b/w the stationary floor plate and
the moving step.
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2. The truss
i. It is a hollow metal structure that bridges the lower and
upper landings.
ii. It is composed of two side sections joined together with
cross braces across the bottom and just below the top.
iii. The ends of the truss are attached to the top and bottom
landing platforms via steel/ concrete supports.
iv. The truss carries all the straight track sections connecting
the upper and lower sections.
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3. The tracks
i. The track system is built into the truss to guide the step
chain, which continuously pulls the steps from the bottom
platform and back to the top in an endless loop.
ii. There are two tracks-one for the front wheels of the steps
(called the step wheel track)- another for the back
wheels of the steps (the trailer-wheel track)
iii. The tracks carry the steps down along the underside of the
truss until they reach the bottom landing, where they pass
through another curved section track before existing the
bottom landing.
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4. The steps
i. The steps are solid, one-piece, aluminum.
ii. Rubber mats affixed to their surface to reduce slippage,
and yellow lines added to indicate their edges.
iii. The steps are linked by a continuous metal chain so they
form a closed loop with each step.
iv. The position of the track controls the orientation of the
steps.
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5. The railing
i. It provides a convenient handhold for passengers.
ii. 4-distinct sections
a) Slider- allow the railing to move smoothly along its
track.
b) Tension member- consists of steel cable, which
provides the handrail with the necessary tensile
strength and flexibility.
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c) Treated rubber- on top of tension member are the

inner construction components, which are made of
chemically treated rubber designed to prevent the
layers from separating.

d) The outer layer- only part actually passengers see, is

the rubber cover. This cover designed to resist
degradation from environmental conditions,
mechanical wear and tear, and human vandalism.
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Stair- Planning- Numerical Problem

1. Plan a staircase for a residential building in which the
vertical distance b/w each floor is 3.96 m. The size of stair hall
is limited to 4.64 x 3.24 m.
(Tread, Rise, Width of stair , Width of Landing, width of
passage)
300 mm
Solution:-
4.64 m

3.24 m
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a) Let us take Width of the stair/flight = 1.20 m

b) Space b/w two flights = 3.24 2(1.2) = 0.84 m
this suggests can provide Open Well Type Stair
c) Let the height of Riser = 180 mm = 0.18 m
d) No. of risers/flight = (1/2)*(3.96/0.18) = 11 nos.
i.e., No. of treads/flight = 11-1 = 10 nos.
e) Keeping width of tread = 280 mm and
width of landing = width of stair = 1.20 m
f) Horizontal distance reqd to accommodate 10 nos. of treads
= (0.28 x 10) + (1.2) = 4 m
i.e, Width of passage= 4.64 4 = 0.64 m (Not sufficient)
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We can accommodate 3 treads, each of 280 mm., which is equal

to the width of Well.

So provide 8 treads in each flight.

i.e., Total treads= 8+3+8= 19 nos.
The stair will be a quarter space landing.

Total no. of risers= 19 + 3 = 22 nos.

i.e., ht of rise = 3.96/22 = 180 mm
TREAD = 280 mm
RISE = 180 mm
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Horizontal space reqd for 8 treads= 8 x 0.28 = 2.24 m

i.e., width of passage hall = 4.64- (2.24 +1.2) = 1.20 m (OK)
Final Plan
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Assignment Questions

Submit- class notes

Last date of Sub: 07.09.2013 (Saturday) @ 2 p.m.