Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
(OP)
Hello,
I'm working on a manufacturing facility that has quite a few large storage tanks. These storage tanks are spaced very closely together and are producing a loading of around 2500 psf on the floor slab. I'm not very familiar with handling loads of this magnitude for a slab on grade. Could someone please offer some general advice or point me in the direction of a good reference to research this topic so that I can get a little more comfortable with this loading. As it is, the facility has an 8" slab on grade but I'm thinking that this loading may require a thickened mat at the storage tanks. Due to the close spacing, I'm not sure if it's accurate to analyze the punching shear for the tanks individually. Thanks for the help :)
I'm working on a manufacturing facility that has quite a few large storage tanks. These storage tanks are spaced very closely together and are producing a loading of around 2500 psf on the floor slab. I'm not very familiar with handling loads of this magnitude for a slab on grade. Could someone please offer some general advice or point me in the direction of a good reference to research this topic so that I can get a little more comfortable with this loading. As it is, the facility has an 8" slab on grade but I'm thinking that this loading may require a thickened mat at the storage tanks. Due to the close spacing, I'm not sure if it's accurate to analyze the punching shear for the tanks individually. Thanks for the help :)






RE: Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
In this type situation I have always preferred to go with a minimum slab thickness of 12 inches. Then you have "room" inside the concrete for identical top and bottom reinforcing steel mats. The twin mats are cheap insurance for unexpected loading conditions.
RE: Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
Depending on where you are located, there could be significant seismic forces that would be applied to the tank and you should have a competent load path for these seismic demands.
Either the tanks are braced by some external frame or system, or the base of the tank must be significant enough to resist overturning.
Be sure to check.
RE: Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
RE: Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
Portland Cement Association publishes a great booklet that deals with slabs on grade design and construction. You can visit their web site at http://www.cement.org/bookstore/profile.asp?store=&pagenum=1&pos=3&catID=&id=316
Good luck
RE: Heavily Loaded Slab on Grade
The best reference for floor slab DESIGN is "Designing Floor Slabs on Grade", 2nd Edition, by Ringo and Anderson, published by The Aberdeen Group, 1996. There are numberous charts and graphs for both rack storage design and fork truck traffic.
The PCA and ACI both have very good publications for floor slab CONSTRUCTION details.