Limit state design

Limit state design

(LSD) refers to a design method used in structural engineering. The method is in fact
amodernization and rationalization of engineering knowledge which was well
established prior to the adoption of LSD. Beyond the concept of a limit state, LSD
simply entails the application of statistics to determine the level of safety required by or
during the design process.
Criteria
Limit state design requires the structure to satisfy two principal criteria: the ultimate
limit state (ULS) and theserviceability limit state (SLS).
[1]
A limit state is a set of performance criteria (e.g. vibration levels, deflection,strength,
stability, buckling, twisting, collapse) that must be met when the structure is subject to
loads.
[2]
Any design process involves a number of assumptions. The loads to which a structure
will be subjected must beestimated, sizes of members to check must be chosen and
design criteria must be selected. All engineering designcriteria have a common goal: that
of ensuring a safe structure and ensuring the functionality of the structure.
Ultimate Limit State
To satisfy the ultimate limit state, the structure must not collapse when subjected to the
peak design load for which itwas designed. A structure is deemed to satisfy the ultimate
limit state criteria if all factored bending, shear andtensile or compressive stresses are
below the factored resistance calculated for the section under consideration.Whereas
Magnification Factor is used for the loads, and Reduction Factor for the resistance of
members. The limitstate criteria can also be set in terms of stress rather than load. Thus
the structural element being analysed (e.g. abeam or a column or other load bearing
element, such as walls) is shown to be safe when the factored "Magnified"loads are less
than their factored "Reduced" resistance.
Serviceability Limit State
To satisfy the serviceability limit state criteria, a structure must remain functional for its
intended use subject toroutine (read: everyday) loading, and as such the structure must
not cause occupant discomfort under routineconditions. A structure is deemed to satisfy
the serviceability limit state when the constituent elements do not deflectby more than
certain limits laid down in the building codes, the floors fall within predetermined
vibration criteria, inaddition to other possible requirements as required by the
applicable building code. Examples of furtherserviceability limit requirements may
include crack widths in concrete, which typically must be kept below
specifieddimensions. A structure where the serviceability requirements are not met, e.g.
the beams deflect by more than theSLS limit, will not necessarily fail structurally. The
purpose of SLS requirements is to ensure that people in thestructure are not unnerved
by large deflections of the floor, vibration caused by walking, sickened by
excessiveswaying of the building during high winds, or by a bridge swaying from side to
side and to keep beam deflectionslow enough to ensure that brittle finishes on
the ceiling above do not crack, affecting the appearance and longevity of the structure.
Many of these limits depend on the finish materials (sheetrock, acoustical tile) selected
by the architect,as such, the limits in the building codes on deflections are generally

descriptive and leave the choice to the engineerof record (this may not be as true outside
the U.S.)