GATE CE 2024 Set 2 — Question 21

MCQ+1 / -0.33EasyWorking Stress MethodRC Fundamentals & BeamsStructural EngineeringWorking Stress DesignSteel Member Design

Structural Engineering → RC Fundamentals & Beams → Working Stress Design

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

The structural design method that DOES NOT take into account the safety factors on the design loads is

Correct answer (A) working stress method. Solution The Working Stress Method (WSM) is based on elastic theory where the structure is designed to perform under service loads. It applies a Factor of Safety (FoS) to the material strengths (stresses) to keep them within the elastic limit, but it does not apply any safety factors (load factors) to the design loads themselves. In contrast: Load Factor Method and Ultimate Load Method apply load factors to the service loads to find the ultimate load. Limit State Method (LSM) applies partial safety factors to both loads and material strengths. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (A) working stress method. Solution The Working Stress Method (WSM) is based on elastic theory where the structure is designed to perform under service loads. It applies a Factor of Safety (FoS) to the material strengths (stresses) to keep them within the elastic limit, but it does not apply any safety factors (load factors) to the design loads themselves. In contrast: Load Factor Method and Ultimate Load Method apply load factors to the service loads to find the ultimate load. Limit State Method (LSM) applies partial safety factors to both loads and material strengths.

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