Concentrated loads
Concentrated loads (or point loads) are single loads that act over a relatively small area, they can be dead loads such as columns, or live loads, such as people whose full weight applies a force over the area of their feet when standing up, or a table which applies forces from the weight of a table through the small area at the bottom of the table legs.
This is in contrast to loads such as distributed loads or uniformly distributed loads (UDL), where the the load is distributed across a region of an element such as a beam or slab.
Point loads are expressed by calculating the total load over the object's surface or length and attributing the entire load to its centre point.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Bearing capacity.
- Beam and block.
- Biaxial bending.
- Braced frame.
- Concept structural design of buildings.
- Dead loads.
- Finished floor level.
- Flooring.
- Gross floor area GFA.
- Lateral loads.
- Limit state design.
- Live loads.
- Load-bearing wall.
- Point load.
- Resilient flooring.
- Structural engineer.
- Types of floor.
- Types of structural load.
- Uniformly Distributed Load.
- Wind load.
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Construction Management, 8 July
NEETs crisis drives interest in trades, but apprenticeships barriers remain.
Passive fire protection webinar
MEP services penetration seals.
Where its at podcast (and video) - The role of the Architectural Technologist as an Expert Witness.
More than 200 remarkable buildings added to SAVE’s Buildings at Risk register.
Government scraps pre-application consultation for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Historic England and infrastructure
New projects offer opportunities for the historic environment and local communities.
Construction Management, 2 July
Construction deaths halve in two years.
Green Book changes to drive investment in all parts of UK.
Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES)
CIAT briefing on response to consultations for privately rented non-domestic properties.
Connect, collaborate, shape the future
Registration now live for UK Construction Week Birmingham.
CIOB announces Saul Humphrey FCIOB as new President for 26/27 term.
A quick, simple, and zero-bills solution to prevent overheating.


















Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, or to suggest changes, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.