Design of industrial buildings

Major components of industrial

building

Roof trusses
Gantry girder
Side rails or girts with claddings
Gable rafter
Gable columns
Rafter bracings
Vertical bracing in longitudinal side
Gable wind girder at eave level
Eaves girder
Main columns
Column brackets

Roof truss
Roof truss is a frame work which supports the
roofing and ceiling material.
It is supported on either end on either walls or
lines of columns
When a roof truss is attached to and
supported on steel columns , at the ends, it
gives rise to a bent.

Nomenclature of members of trusses

1. rafters or top chord members they directly support
purlins, mainly subjected to axial compression due to LL
and DL
2. Main tie or bottom chord members mainly subjected
to tensile forces due to DL and LL
3. Struts- members which do not belong to top or bottom
chord and are subjected to compressive forces
4. Slings members which do not belong to top or bottom
chord but are mainly subjected to tensile forces
5. Sag ties- members that are not subjected to any loads
because no load is acting at that joint. even then this
member is provided to reduce the sag in other members

Sag rods and purlins

The upper chord of the roof truss is a sloping member,
the weaker axis of the purlin member (which may be
either an angle section, channel section or I section ) is
normal to the slope, and consequently , the purlins are
subjected to biaxial bending due to gravity loads.
Since the z value or rigidity of an I beam or channel is
quite small about its weak axis, sag rods are often
installed in the plane of the slopes which reduce the
span for bending about the weak axis
Generally 2 lines of sag rods are provided in each bay ,
which are connected to the ridge purlins.

Gantry girders or crane girders

Gantry girders carry hand operated or electric
overhead cranes in industrial buildings, to lift heavy
materials , equipments etc and to carry them from 1
location to the other within the building.
The essential componets of crane system are:
1. crane bridge or cross girder
2. trolly or crab mounted on crane bridge
3. gantry girder or crane girder
4. crane runway (rail)
5. column brackets

 The crane bridge spans the bay of the shop.

The trolly or crab mounted on the crane bridge
can travel transversely along the bridge
The bridge has wheels at the ends, and is capable
of moving longitudinally on rails
The rails are mounted on gantry girders
The gantry girders span between brackets
attached to columns which may either be steel or
of RCC. Thus the span of gantry girder is equal to
the centre to centre spacing of the columns.

Gable rafters, Gable wind girder and

Gable columns

At the gable end, no truss is provided , but instead gable rafters are provided .
These gable rafter may either be supported on gable walls(if no openings are
required) or on gable columns
The gable columns when provided , permit wider openings at the gable end, and
at the same time support the DL and WL acting on the gable end claddings.
For a span of truss 8 to 10 m , one can avoid gable columns, but for larger spans,
intermediate columns or gable columns can be provided at a spacing of 4 to 6 m.
The configuration so provided is known as gable frame.
The configuration of the gable frame should be chosen so that it can resist the
wind load acting on the gable face in addition to the DL and WL coming from the
roof sheeting.
Thus the gable rafters are subjected to both bending as well as axial forces, in
contrast to the rafters of the truss which are subjected to only axial forces if the
purlins are provided at the nodal points.

 Gable wind girder is provided at the eaves

level, at the end panel of the building , to
resist the wind loads on the gable end.
It is thus a horizontal girder formed by bracing
together the lower node points of the end
truss and the gable columns

Eaves girder
Eave is the edge of the leaning roof.
Eaves girder is a girder or stiffener beam taken round
the building , at the eaves level, to serve several
functions :
1. It acts as a stiff binder beam
2. Side cladding may be hung from the eaves girder, in
some cases
3. The wind bracing along with the eaves girder acts as
truss in plan view, in which eaves girder is a compression
chord
4. It supports drain gutters and other secondary members
Two channels face to face (or I beams) are used as eaves
girder

Side rails or girts

The height of the industrial building may range from 6 m to 12m.
It is not advisable to build the side walls of such height, since these will
bend as cantilever
Such walls will be very thick and will require heavier foundations.
Alternatively , one may construct the side walls up to 3 to 4 m height , and
then provide sheet cladding.
These side sheets are supported on side rails or girts.
These side rails are spaced 1 to 1.5 m apart.
These rails are in turn , supported directly or indirectly on columns.
The side rails are subjected to vertical bending due to DL and horizontal
bending due to WL .
If the spacing of the columns is more (say greater than 6 m) the size of the
rails or girts becomes uneconomical .
In that case, gird framing , consisting of horizontal beams and vertical
runners are to be provided.

Structural framing
For purposes of structural analysis and design, industrial buildings
are classified as
Braced frames and
Unbraced frames
In braced buildings, the trusses rest on columns with hinge type
connections and the stability is provided by bracings in the 3 mutually
perpendicular planes.
The bracings are identified as follows :
(a) Bracings in the vertical plane in the end bays in the longitudinal
direction
(b) Bracings in the horizontal plane at the bottom chord level of the
roof truss
(c) Bracings in the plane of upper chords of the roof truss
(d) Bracings in the vertical plane in the end c/s usually at the gable ends

Function of bracing
Function of bracing is to transfer horizontal loads
from the frames (such as WL or earthquake or
horizontal surge due to acceleration and breaking
of travelling cranes) to the foundation
The longitudinal bracing on each longitudinal end
provides stability in the longitudinal direction
The gable bracings provide stability in the lateral
direction
The tie bracing at the bottom chord level transfer
lateral loads (due to wind and earthquake) of
trusses to the end gable bracings

Bracings
The bents, consisting of truss and columns can resist vertical loads
and all horizontal loads acting in their own planes. However , they
offer very little resistance to horizontal loads on acting normal to
their planes
The trusses and columns of an industrial building must be
thoroughly braced to preclude collapse of structure due to wind or
earthquake or the effects of moving loads such as cranes.
The function of bracing is to transfer the horizontal forces from the
frames to the foundations of the building.
Bracings are provided in following 3 planes :
(1) inclined plane of the upper chords of the truss
(2) horizontal plane of the lower chord of the trusses
(3) vertical planes of the columns

 Braces are provided in the form of X,K or knee bracing.

Out of these, X-bracing is quite common.
In a long building, every fourth or fifth bay should be
braced.
Even in shorter building, a min of 2 bays should be
braced
When wind blows in the longitudinal direction (i.e
normal to the plane of the truss) a horizontal truss will
be required to transmit the wind load on the gable end
to the column, and a cross frame (or cross bracing) in
the longitudinal vertical planes of the columns will be
required to transmit the loads to the foundations.

Bracing of industrial bents in

transverse direction
An industrial bent, consisting of 2 end
columns and trusses top is braced against
transverse forces independent of others.
Due to this, each industrial bent remains
stable transversely , immediately after
construction.
This can be achieved by 4 methods shown

 When the column load is heavy( due to large

span of truss) , and consequently the size of
footing is large, the bent can be braced by
fixing the base and providing mechanical
hinges at the top.
The method is suitable when the height of the
building is small so that the overturning
moment is also small.

 When the span of the truss is small, bent can

be braced by providing knee braces.
The column base may be hinged, resulting in
zero BM on the foundation, and consequent
reduction in the cost of the foundation
The reduced moment is transferred to the
column at the junction of knee-brace with the
column.

 In the case of a bent with knee-braces and fixed

columns, the moments are further reduced , though
the foundation becomes costlier these are to resist BM.
Though the braces resist the overturning moment
caused by lateral loads, they produce additional
stresses in the whole of the truss.
Knee braces also reduce the headroom . Where the
headroom requirements are severe , knee braces are
avoided and the bent is braced by fixing the columns at
their base , and providing rigid connections between
the column and truss.

Unbraced frames
Unbraced frames in tehe form of portal frames is the most
common form of construction for industrail buildingd
The frames can provide large column free areas, offering
max adaptibility of the space inside the building. Such large
spans require less foundation , and eleimante internal
columns, valleu guttersand internal drainage.
Advantages more effective use of steel than in simple
beams
- easy extension at any time in the future
- ability to support heavy concentrated loads
Disdvantages relatively high material unit cost
- susceptibility to differential settlement and
temperature stresses

Items to be considered while planning

and designing an industrial building

Selection of roofing material and wall material

Selection of bay width
Selection of structural framing system
Roof trusses
Purlins, girts and sag rods
Bracing systems to resist lateral loads
Gantry girders , columns ,base plates and
foundations

Items to be considered while selecting

Roofing material

Type of roof deck

Type of purlin used
Purlin spacing
Deflections of secondary structural members
Roof pitch
Drainage requirements

Items to be considered while selecting

a cladding/wall system

Cost
Interior surface requirement
Aesthetic appearance (including color)
Acoustics and dust control
Maintenance
Ease and speed of erection
Insulating properties
Fire resistance

Cladding/decking
Cladding or wall system carries only its own
weight and weight of the loads imposed by
wind
Cladding will have an impact on the design of
girts, wall bracing, eave members and
foundation
In Roof decking, the sheeting supports
insulation and water proofing, self weight and
loads due to wind and/or snow

Cladding/Decking material used in

practice
Corrugated galvanized iron (GI) sheets
Light-gauge cold-formed ribbed steel or
aluminum
Asbestos cement (AC) sheets

Galvanized iron (GI) sheets

Corrugated iron sheets are galvanized for protection against corrosion .
Most common sizes of corrugated GI sheets are
(a) 8 corrugations (75 mm wide and 19 mm deep) per sheet
(b) 10 corrugations ( 75 mm wide and 19 mm deep) per sheet
The weights of the sheets vary from 50-156 N/mm2.
When the sheets are installed , side laps and end laps should be provided to
make the joint water proof.
The sheets should be used with following overlaps:
For roof: Side overlap 1 to 2 corrugations
End lap 150 mm
For side cladding : Side overlap 1 corrugation
End lap 100 mm
The sheets are fastened to purlins or side girts by 8 mm diameter J type or Ltype bolts at a max pitch of 350 mm
The spacing of purlins depends upon the applied loading, thickness of sheets
and length of sheets

AC sheets

Asbestos sheets are better insulators for suns heat compared to GI sheets
They are used commonly the factories and godowns .
They are available in 2 common shapes viz. Corrugated and Trafford.
They are available in the lengths of 1.75 ,2 ,2.5 and 3 m.
They are available in the thickness of 6 mm and 7mm
The max permissible spacing of purlins
for 6 mm sheets - 1.4 m
and for 7mm sheets 1.6 m
The weight of the asbestos sheets varies from 160- 170 N/mm2
They are t be used wit a longitudinal overlap of 150 mm and a side overlap of
1 corrugation.
Spacing of purlins are to be adjusted such that as far as possible the cutting
of sheets is avoided

Selection of bay width

A bay is defined as the space between 2
adjacent bents.
The roof truss along with columns constitutes
a bent.
The space between 2 rows of columns of an
industrial building is called aisle or span.

Selection of bay width

In most cases , the bay width may be dictated by the owner requirements.
Gravity loads generally control the bay size.
The choice of the wall system dictates whether or not girts are provided for the structure .
If girts are required , light gauge C or Z girts may be chosen , which are most cost effective.
Based on both strength and stiffness( L/180 ) requirements , the max economical span of such girts
is approximately 9 m.
Hence, for buildings w/o cranes , a 9m bay is the most economical choice.
A 12 m bay may prove economical for large square buildings
For crane buildings (for light and medium cranes) , bays of approximately 4-8 m may be economical
because of the cost of the crane gantry girders.
Large bays may increase the cost of the tension flange bracing of the gantry girders
Soil conditions may not have major impact on bay width in the range of 4-8m, when shallow
foundations are used.
However when piles are used in poor soils , larger bays may be economical , because they reduce
the number of foundations
Though the bay widths in the range of 4-8 m provide economy , truss spans may range from 10-25
m or more.