Which item is NOT listed as a Permanent Load in the provided material?

• A. Downdrag force
• B. Force effects due to shrinkage
• C. Force effects due to settlement
• D. Miscellaneous locked-in force effects

Answer: (C)

In design, permanent loads are constant, long‑term forces that stay with the structure over its life, including fixed weights and long‑term effects that persist. The force effects caused by settlement are not a load carried by the structure; settlement is movement of the foundations due to soil behavior, which changes support conditions and the distribution of forces. Those settlement-induced effects are analyzed as changes in support and the resulting stresses, rather than as a fixed dead-load item.

The other items listed are considered permanent loads because they represent ongoing, fixed influences on the structure. Downdrag force is a continual vertical load on piles from soil–pile interaction. Force effects due to shrinkage arise from long‑term concrete drying and curing, creating persistent internal stresses. Miscellaneous locked-in force effects are residual stresses from construction that remain as the structure ages.