Attic Dead Load

Dead load of first floor ceiling not plastered 10 lbs.

Attic dead load.

Live loads are people and animals and tangentially the things used by people. Unless expressly built so an attic s joists are meant for carrying the load of the ceiling below and related elements collectively known as the dead load. If there s wall board covered ceiling suspended from the underside of that floor the dead load increases to about 10 pounds per square foot. This type of truss carries a combination of roof l r or s and floor l loading in addition to the standard top and bottom chord dead loads.

Of floor area dead load on second floor 20 lbs. The dead load on a floor is determined by the materials used in the floor s construction. As a result the live load dead load and distribution of forces are different. In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space.

Dead loads are things that do not move. A the top and bottom chord dead load. Boxes trunks suitcases etc. Analysis of an attic truss requires multiple load cases with multiple duration factors.

It is also an indeterminate structure with a non triangulated web area which interrupts the normal flow of forces thru the truss. Since it is possible to use the attic for storage the live load of the attic floor is set at 20 psf according to code. A typical wood frame floor covered with carpet or vinyl flooring has a dead load of about 8 pounds per square foot. Storage space dead load of partitions 20 lbs.

Unlike the trussed roof live load and dead load of the rafters and ceiling joists must be accounted for as separate systems. Psf ceiling load for a c ducts plumbing and wiring the attic space is considered uninhabitable but will be used for storage. 3 3 dead loads dead loads consist of the permanent construction material loads comprising the roof floor wall and foundation systems including claddings finishes and fixed equipment. Most houses attics are built without flooring and are not designed to carry the heavy load of finished space.

The truss shown below is known as an attic truss or a room in attic truss. B the top chord live include snow load as a live load and bottom chord live load. The ceiling load may include items like drywall ducts recessed lights bathroom fans and attic insulation. The values for dead loads in table 3 2 are for commonly used materials and constructions in light frame residential buildings.