JLC ??APRIL 1991
Half joking, people often ask of the
architect or structural engineer,
"Will the building fall down?" Well,
when considering light-frame buildings,
I can confidently answer, No!
Such buildings almost never fall
down. But they often have problems
with sagging beams or floors: They
don't break, but they might bend
too much. This bending is called
deflection.
A common example is an overly
bouncy floor. You walk across this
floor, and the dishes on the table rattle.
The candles flicker and the TV
changes channel. You really never
will fall through the floor, but you
might think that you will. Most
important, you just don't feel good in
this room.
Deflection Defects
Deflection becomes a real problem
when the building is