Garage floor load?
Garage floor load?
(OP)
I'm designing a residential garage floor that will be supported on framing. I am considering using a steel center beam and wooden I-joists and plywood flooring.
Can anyone tell me what the usual design approach is on garage floors?
a) What is the usual design live load for a garage with vehicle parking? This garage will be 50' long by 32' wide. The plan is to utilize a 50' long steel center beam supported at mid-span and at the ends. Wood I-joists would span 16' perpendicular to this and be covered with plywood.
b) Is the design generally based on a uniform live load over the entire surface or are concentrated wheel loads separately analyzed? (hopefully uniform loading). If concentrated loads, what are the assumptions for the load distribution and what are typical design wheel loads?
c) While I will of course conduct a structural analysis to determine member sizes and spacing, does anyone have anything to offer on what is typically seen
Can anyone tell me what the usual design approach is on garage floors?
a) What is the usual design live load for a garage with vehicle parking? This garage will be 50' long by 32' wide. The plan is to utilize a 50' long steel center beam supported at mid-span and at the ends. Wood I-joists would span 16' perpendicular to this and be covered with plywood.
b) Is the design generally based on a uniform live load over the entire surface or are concentrated wheel loads separately analyzed? (hopefully uniform loading). If concentrated loads, what are the assumptions for the load distribution and what are typical design wheel loads?
c) While I will of course conduct a structural analysis to determine member sizes and spacing, does anyone have anything to offer on what is typically seen





RE: Garage floor load?
RE: Garage floor load?
Steel beams will loose strength in a fire and may be subject to some serious warping when the firemen put cold water on the hot steel. The beam would have to be fire protected and with the difficulty in placing the heavy steel beam the costs can easily be more than for a wood beam.
I’d re-look at using a wooden main beam.
Also consider how you will waterproof the floor system. Cars will drip rainwater and in Canada melting snow. This would have to be prevented from soaking into the wood and causing rot.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
www.kitsonengineering.com
RE: Garage floor load?
As far as the steel beam is concerned, I'm not sure I have any other practical alternative. The owner wants to span the full 50' with only one center column. I don't believe that it would be practical for a wood or wood composite beam (if that's what you're thinking) to span this distance under this load.
As far as the 2000 lb concentrated load over a 20 sq. in. area, are you sure that it has to be handled this way? This is a pretty demanding load on the floor joists and it seems that this would almost always be the governing factor instead of the 50 psf uniform load. Does this have to be applied to the joists or can it just be that the decking has to be able to handle this load and be capable of spreading it to the joists?
Thanks,
Paul G.
RE: Garage floor load?
RE: Garage floor load?
RE: Garage floor load?
RE: Garage floor load?
SBC
Table 1203.1
Mimimum Uniformly Distributed Live Load
garage (passenger only) 50 PSF LL
Table 1203.3
Minimum Concentrated Load
Garages(1) for passenger cars accomodating not more than 9 passengers, 2000 pounds acting on an area of 20 square inches; (2) mechanical parking structures without slab or deck, passenger cars only; 1500 pounds per wheel: (3) for trucks or buses maximum wheel load on an area of 20 sq in.
I agree with dik concrete w pan is more appropriate. Discuse with the owner the maintaince, durabilty, life span, and life cycle cost of the two options.
RE: Garage floor load?
Just a thought!
RE: Garage floor load?
RE: Garage floor load?
It would seem the concentrated load rating would always be significantly higher, by magnitudes, then the requirement for a 50 psf load rating?
RE: Garage floor load?
20 sqin x 100 psi(max truck tire pressure)
The 50 psf is a live load over the entire area