I am looking for some sign post foundation resources. I would like to understand how to approach the process.

I am reasonably familiar with pad and pier foundations for steel buildings, but have been given some display signpost foundations to support a half ring of signs around the front of a car dealership. I am not looking to replace the structural designers who have produced the work, but I would like to understand the process.

We are looking at 2 kip to 3 kips axial dead Loads for the structure at each sign post and approximately 3 kips horizontal wind load with about a 750 in-kips moment at the bottom of the post. Post are HSS 8" x 8" x 0.5" thick square post approximately 18'-6" tall. They are bolted to a 6" x 6' x 9' deep reinforced concrete pier with 1 1/2" x 48" anchor bolts (6).

Again I am not looking to redesign these sign post, I just want to understand how they developed the numbers.

Jim (EIT)

ps. I am also familiar with flag pole foundations, but these are not quite the same.

This is not too different from a pole.
Check the dimensions, 6 No. 1 1/2" bolts but only 6" wide? Is the moment uni-directional?

Michael.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

Jim...the moment at the base of the pole is transferred to any type of foundation you design. In this case, it is typically a pier or short pile foundation. Many state departments of transportation use similar methods for foundation design of traffic control structures. Check a few...you'll get a lot of info directly applicable to your situation.

There is a book dedicated to your topic: "Engineering Sign Structures: An Introduction to Analysis and Design" by Benjamin Jones, 1998.

Paddingtongreen,
Sorry I just read you comment and then re-read my question. The main pier for the sign is 6 Feet x 6 Feet x 9 Feet deep. Sorry about the inch marks, I never saw them when i proof read the question.

I hope this makes it clearer.

Jim

I would probably use this:
http://bse.wisc.edu/bohnhoff/Publications/Copyrigh...

They give you a limit on when the equations are no longer applicable (i.e. the foundation is too flexible)

EIT
www.HowToEngineer.com

Special Thanks to Paddingtongreen, Ron, FixedEarth and RFreund for commenting on my question. Your replies have been helpful and I have purchased several of the books and downloaded some of the articles.

Ron, do you have specific DOT's which might have Design Standards for pier foundations. I have looked at Illinois and Florida DOT sites and found volumes of info. It will take a while to review some of it and learn how they specify standard sign post pier foundations.

Again thank you for comments and help.

Jim (EIT)