Horizontal movements of frame structures induced by vertical loads Available to Purchase

This paper considers the significance of vertical loads that can produce horizontal movements of frame structures. It is shown that, with a small number of exceptions, vertical loads can induce horizontal movements of symmetric, antisymmetric and asymmetric frames, which represent a wide range of engineering structures. The magnitudes of the horizontal movements depend on both the structural form and the location of the vertical loading. When vertical loads are applied dynamically, the movements of a structure can be significantly enlarged if one of the natural frequencies of the structure in the horizontal direction is close to one of the vertical load frequencies. These findings are illustrated by site measurements showing the horizontal movements of a framed building induced by vertical loading. Some implications of the findings are discussed briefly for several types of structure, including cantilever grandstands, temporary grandstands, cable-suspended bridges and rail bridges, in which horizontal response induced by vertical loading may need to be considered in design.