Load Path
Definition
The route forces travel through a structure from their point of application to the ground. When one element fails, loads redistribute onto adjacent elements, sometimes triggering a cascade.
Related terms
- Alternate Load Path
- A route by which loads can be redistributed around a failed element without causing progressive collapse. Its presence or absence is central...
- As-Built Drawing
- A drawing that records what was actually constructed, as opposed to the approved design drawing. Discrepancies between the two are a common...
- Collapse Mechanism
- The kinematic sequence of element failures that produced the observed final geometry of the collapse, reconstructed by investigators from wreckage patterns and...
- Progressive Collapse
- A failure mode in which local structural failure triggers a sequence of failures in adjacent members, resulting in collapse disproportionate to the...
- Tie-Force Method
- A prescriptive design approach requiring minimum tensile continuity across connections so that elements can hang or span around a failed support rather...
Explained in
- Structural Failure Investigation MethodologyThe route forces travel through a structure from their point of application to the ground. When one element fails, loads redistribute onto adjacent elements, s...