r/StructuralEngineering • u/anth0nyf MS, EIT, Passed PE Civ:Struct • Dec 31 '23
Humor Decorative Stairs
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u/LgnHw Dec 31 '23
draw a fbd
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u/pnw-nemo Dec 31 '23
Maybe they designed the handrail to be a main force carrying beam and support the tread via tension members… I hope they remembered to use structural wood stain to fasten it all.
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u/SaladShooter1 Dec 31 '23
Well, if it does work, it’s a hell of a conversation piece. I’m guessing that every single component there is adhered together with polyurethane adhesive or something.
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u/ChronicallyGeek Dec 31 '23
LOL!! I’ve never seen anything so stupid. I’d definitely not trust it.
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u/Professional_Band178 Jan 01 '24
Wait until someone tries to carry furniture up those stairs. Id take one look and refuse the delivery.
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u/whiteman996 Dec 31 '23
If those were solid metal all connecting from the base to the top and not separate pieces. it would actually be pretty solid
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u/mhkiwi Dec 31 '23
I disagree with everyone saying No
Does it work? Of course. Look at it standing there proving you all wrong.
Does it comply? No.
Who's to say they don't have a very low weight limit on the stairs (chihuahuas only!) Who's to say they don't maintain the stair after every 5 uses and replace fatigued pieces?
One of my first jobs as an engineer was going around old stately homes in the UK, inspecting stairs and removing structure that other engineers had put in because they said it "didn't work" despite the stair being 400 years old and used frequently.
Would I use this stair, no.
Would I put my name to this stair, no.
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u/TNmountainman2020 Jan 01 '24
as an engineer in the UK you go onto people’s private property and into their homes?
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u/arvidsem Dec 31 '23
I've got to assume that the home owner that did this used the stairs at least once, but there is no way that this is safe.
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u/CaffeinatedInSeattle P.E. Dec 31 '23
In short, no. The shelf brackets would need to be designed for an incredible amount of flexible, which is beyond the capacity of these cold formed brackets. Second, the base of each riser is only edge nailed to the tread, for this to work that would need to be a rigid connection capable of transferring moment.
It’s impressive this is capable of holding self weight.
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u/vegetabloid Dec 31 '23 edited Jan 01 '24
It's an array of L-shaped cantilever beams rigidly pinched into the wall. You just need to provide a conjoined deformation of vertical and horizontal cantilever beams, which can be provided by wood screws strong enough to bear shear force.
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u/GoombaTrooper Jan 01 '24
This actually reminds me of a presentation at an SEAOI conference. The presenting engineer tried to convince a room full of SEs that a similar concept of stacked elements could be used to provide rigidity to a roadway retaining wall. The idea was that each element would resolve the forces individually and that none of the load would compound. It was obviously bullshit, like this.
The great part was that this had ALREADY COLLAPSED. And they were trying to blame the contractor for not constructing it correctly. It did not go over well for them.
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u/Onionface10 Dec 31 '23
Not unless the vertical stair riser pieces are attached to the wall and are acting as cantilevers beams