Author: Haroon Khalil

Ramps are sloping surfaces that join two floors. These are provided where large numbers of people or vehicles or equipment have to be moved from floor to floor. Now-a-days, ramps are specially provided in all public places like hospitals, railway stations, etc., for movement of aged and physically challenged persons. Multi-storey car parks that are…

Distribution of load for two conditions are given below:

Following are the norms for the size of rise and tread: The following guidelines may be followed while deciding the size of rise and tread of a stair:

Figure 21.15 Effective span for stairs supported at each end by landings (Source: IS: 456–2000)

For residential buildings, a uniformly distributed load of 2–3 kN/m2 may be adopted depending on the users. For public buildings, a uniformly distributed load of 5 kN/m2 is specified.

Dead loads to be considered for staircase design comprise of self-weight of the waist slab, treads and risers, and self-weight of finishes. Finishes include hand rail, balusters and newel post.

The following provisions are to be adopted as per IS: 456–2000 in the design of staircases.

Plain concrete stairs are used in place of stone stairs these days. They are mostly used for the entrance to the buildings. These steps are mostly of spandril type and are supported as in the case of stone stairs. Now-a-days, RCC stairs are mostly used in all types of buildings. Reinforced concrete stairs derive a…

Steel stairs are of special type which are fire resistant and are preferred in factories, workshops, godowns, etc. These are made of pre-stressed sheet steel. The steel sheets are formed into risers or pans to which the treads are inserted. The treads and risers are supported on angles which are in turn connected to the…

Brick stairs may be of solid masonry construction or provided with arches in the lower portion. When arches are provided, the total masonry work is reduced. This space may be used as a cupboard or as a passage. Here the treads and risers are generally made equal to length of  bricks and height of two layers…