> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openbrim.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openbrim.org/templates/openbrimfea/loads-fea/staged-construction-fea/loading-fea.md). # Loading \[FEA] A Loading entry attaches an existing load case to a construction stage, so that its loads are applied at that point in the sequence. It is the mechanism for everything beyond self-weight: erection equipment, temporary counterweights, superimposed dead load, barrier installation, and any load that belongs to a specific moment in the build. Loading entries **generate load** by scheduling an existing case. They define no loads of their own. {% hint style="info" %} The load's magnitude and distribution live in the **Analysis Case** it points at. This object only decides *when* that case is applied and *at what factor*. A case with no loads in it contributes nothing here. {% endhint %} ## Data **Construction Stage:** The stage the load is applied in. *Engineering influence.* This is what makes staged analysis meaningful: the load is applied to the structure **as it exists in that stage**, not to the completed structure. The same superimposed dead load applied before and after a deck becomes composite produces materially different girder stresses, because the section resisting it is different. Applying a load to a stage before the structure that should carry it has been activated puts the load onto an incomplete structure — sometimes producing enormous deflections, sometimes a mechanism, and sometimes just a quietly wrong distribution. A Loading entry with no stage assigned schedules nothing. **Case:** The analysis case whose loads are applied. *Engineering influence.* The **connectivity** parameter. Any case can be scheduled, which means a case can be applied in more than one stage — legitimate for a load genuinely applied repeatedly, and a double-count otherwise. **Factor:** The multiplier applied to the case in this stage. *Engineering influence.* Scales the case linearly. Its most important use is **partial application**: applying a fraction of a load in one stage and the remainder in a later one, which is how a progressive operation — lowering a segment onto its bearings, staged removal of falsework, a phased pour — is represented. The default is **0**, which means a Loading entry created but not given a factor applies **nothing**. This is a frequent and completely silent failure: the entry exists, the stage runs, and the load is absent. When splitting a case across stages, be clear whether your factors are **cumulative** or **incremental**. Applying 0.5 in one stage and 1.0 in the next applies a total of 1.5 unless the second is meant as the remaining increment — this is the same trap as staged cable stressing and it is worth writing the intended totals down before entering them. A negative factor removes load, which is how falsework release or the removal of a temporary counterweight is modelled. ## Verification * Sum the reactions at the end of the sequence and compare against the total load that should have been applied. This catches both the zero-factor trap and double-counting. * Confirm each Loading entry has a non-zero factor. * Step through the stages and confirm each load appears in the stage you intend, applied to the structure as it exists then. * Where a case is split across stages, add the factors and confirm the total is what you intend. * For a load applied before composite action, confirm the stress goes into the bare section rather than the composite one. * Check that removal operations (negative factors) reduce the reactions by the expected amount. ## Common mistakes * **Leaving the factor at its default of 0**, so the scheduled load does nothing at all. This is the single most common problem with this object. * **Scheduling the same case in several stages** unintentionally, multiplying the load. * **Confusing cumulative with incremental factors** when splitting a load across stages. * **Applying a load before the structure that carries it is active**, producing a distribution that is quietly wrong. * **Applying superimposed dead load in the wrong stage** relative to composite action, putting stress into the wrong section. * **Forgetting to remove temporary loads**, leaving falsework or counterweights in place for the rest of the sequence and into the final state. * **No construction stage assigned**, so nothing is scheduled. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.openbrim.org/templates/openbrimfea/loads-fea/staged-construction-fea/loading-fea.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.