Stochastic assessment of the lifetime maximum live load

摘要

This paper reports on the study of live loads in public assembly areas, churches, hospitals and retail shops in Ghana. A summary of the point-in--time sustained live load values of all user categories in each major occupancy region studied is presented. A total of 740 rooms covering a floor area of 770,000 m~2 were surveyed. The floor load data are utilised in a probabilistic design model describing the stochastic nature of the live load. This model then synthesises the load events obtained from the surveys into a lifetime maximum sustained equivalent uniformly distributed load (EUDL). In addition, transient load values are evaluated for each user category by using a stochastic model. The sustained and transient load events are then combined to give the lifetime maximum equivalent uniformly distributed load. The results of the study are compared with known surveys of industrialised countries and the significance of the study to structural engineers is stated.