Limit state design

Imagine you are building a tower with blocks. You want your tower to be really tall and strong, so you need to make sure each block is placed in the right spot and is not too weak to hold up the weight of the tower.

In the same way, engineers design structures like buildings, bridges, and tunnels to be strong and safe. They use something called "limit state design" to make sure their designs will not break or collapse under different conditions.

Limit state design is like building your tower with rules. Engineers use math and science to figure out how much weight a structure can hold under different circumstances, like an earthquake or strong wind. They then set a limit or boundary for how much weight or stress the structure can handle before it starts to break or fail.

For example, if a bridge is designed to carry cars and trucks, engineers will determine how much weight each part of the bridge can bear, like the beams or columns. They will set a limit for how much weight the bridge can hold without breaking.

This is important because if the bridge was designed without a limit or boundary, it could break or collapse under the weight of heavy trucks, causing accidents and injuries.

In summary, limit state design is like building a tower with rules to ensure that structures are strong and safe, and can withstand different conditions and stresses.