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Research and evidence
Published in Stephen Battersby, Véronique Ezratty, David Ormandy, Housing, Health and Well-Being, 2019
Stephen Battersby, Véronique Ezratty, David Ormandy
As well as providing a means of assistance when climbing or descending stairs, handrails are a safety device if there should be a misstep and can help prevent a fall. Handrails on both sides of the stairs provide the safest arrangement. Handrails should be sited between 900 mm and 1,000 mm measured from the top of the handrail to the pitch line or floor. They should be shaped so that they are easy to grasp and extend the full length of the flight. Where the is no wall to one or both sides of the stairs, guarding (e.g., balustrading) should be provided to prevent falls off the sides of stairs. The guarding should be designed and constructed so as to discourage children from climbing onto it. In addition, to prevent small children falling or becoming trapped, openings to stairs and guarding should not be large enough to allow a 100 mm diameter sphere to pass through.
Provide a handrail
Published in Michael Wiklund, Kimmy Ansems, Rachel Aronchick, Cory Costantino, Alix Dorfman, Brenda van Geel, Jonathan Kendler, Valerie Ng, Ruben Post, Jon Tilliss, Designing for Safe Use, 2019
Michael Wiklund, Kimmy Ansems, Rachel Aronchick, Cory Costantino, Alix Dorfman, Brenda van Geel, Jonathan Kendler, Valerie Ng, Ruben Post, Jon Tilliss
Handrails are very…handy in terms of preventing falls. Perhaps the most common examples are handrails built into residential shower stalls and staircases. Some handrails assist individuals who have impaired strength, coordination, and/or balance. In fact, many countries have laws requiring handrails to be available in public facilities to make the facilities accessible to people with disabilities.1
Ergonomics in the Home
Published in Stephen Pheasant, Christine M. Haslegrave, Bodyspace, 2018
Stephen Pheasant, Christine M. Haslegrave
Handrails are helpful in assisting climbing up a staircase and even more in maintaining balance and reducing the risk of slipping when descending. Staircases should have at least one and preferably two easily gripped handrails. As with step dimensions, the choice of handrail height involves a compromise between several factors, as well as between the needs of younger and older users. However, there is some degree of flexibility in the effective height because the user can adjust the position of his or her hand along the rail. The handrail is used more by older than younger people, but in the event of tripping both groups will use it to prevent or ameliorate a fall. Cohen’s (2000) study showed that most people stay within easy reach of the handrail when walking down stairs. The height of the handrail should assist the user in generating stabilising forces and moments at the hand, and for this Maki et al. (1984) recommend a height of 910 to 1002 mm above the front edges of the treads on the basis of experimental trials with able-bodied subjects. The mean preferred height among their subjects was 910 mm. British standard BS 5395 (Part 1; BSI, 2000) also recommends handrail height to be within 900 to 1000 mm above the pitch line of the staircase and banisters (guards) to be at least 900 mm on the staircase and landings (preferably not less than 1100 mm on the latter).
A modified finite element dummy model of Chinese adult male used for train collision simulations
Published in International Journal of Rail Transportation, 2023
Zhenhao Yu, Shaodong Zheng, Kai Liu, Zhipeng Gao, Longmao Zhao, Lin Jing
Discrete beam elements were used to simulate the mechanical properties of force element structures such as springs, shock absorbers, and energy absorption devices in primary and secondary suspension systems [68]. Aluminium alloy car-body adopts follow-up strengthening material model MAT_3 to characterize its elastoplastic characteristics. The material model of the backrest and cushion of polymeric foam was simulated by MAT_57 and the 7005-aluminium alloy of the seat frame, chassis, and handrail was modelled by MAT_24. The stress–strain curves of the 7005-aluminium alloy and polymeric foam are given in Figure 8 [69]. Due to the high strength and rigidity of the wheelset and rail, the rigid material model was used to save calculation costs. In the collision, the rolling of wheelsets was simplified into translational motion, and the friction coefficient was set as 0.008 [70]. Mechanical parameters related to components of the train and dummy integration model are shown in Table 5 [71].
Structural Engineering Heroes and Their Inspirational Journey
Published in Structural Engineering International, 2021
Ignacio Paya-Zaforteza, Maria E. M. Garlock
Finally, the planning process must look ahead to potential dangers and challenges, which often lie in the detail. Details are responsible for the good structural response of a bridge and for its adequate aging with minimum maintenance. Moreover, details are also key elements of the final aesthetics of the work. Freyssinet acknowledged the importance of detail when he explained the design process of one of the bridges built in his early career in the Moulins area (very probably his Le Veurdre Bridge): After some hundred attempts, an idea leapt into my subconscious mind and imposed itself as being the only one possible. I then sketched the project down to its final details convinced that a work is good or bad precisely because of these details.33Similarly, Fig. 15a shows the Martutene footbridge (2016) in San Sebastián, Spain, designed by Mario Guisasola.51 All the details have been carefully thought out from the points of view of structural behaviour, aesthetics and durability (the bridge is in a very rainy area). The abutments are hidden, so the footbridge seems to spring from the soil. The deck is built with weathering steel so as better to blend with the landscape and to avoid corrosion problems. The main deck girders are also part of the handrail and the rest of the handrail has a minimalist design combining weathered and stainless steel. In addition, drainage details are completely integrated and they enhance instead of diminish the bridge’s aesthetics (Fig. 15b). The details of the deck design also enable an easy and imperceptible crossing of the Urumea River by utility pipes (Fig. 15c).
Infrastructure Design for the People: Focus on the User – Exemplified by the Kienlesberg Bridge, Ulm
Published in Structural Engineering International, 2021
Jan Akkermann, Bartlomiej Halaczek, Martin Knight, Heinz-Josef Vieth
The railings (Fig. 14) serve both the definition of shape and the quality of the user's wellness. Extended to a wedge-shaped edge beam, the contact protection required in the area of the overhead lines gives the bridge the formal shape of a wing when viewed from the south and merges into the railing posts. At the same time, LED luminaires are integrated for continuous illumination of the pedestrian and cycle paths. In the two widened rest zones, wood is used for the handrail instead of aluminium to improve the haptic quality and to invite people to lean against it.