American ABS Pier Pad used in Canada

[woodman1967]

Good Day Everyone,

I have a client who sets minihomes here in eastern Canada. They have been using an ABS pier pad to support the CMU piers. They have a chart of the maximum load capacity of the pads depending on the unconfined soil compressive strength. This chart is an American chart and after contacting the manufacturer we were told they do not have Canadian charts. We have the loading on each pier for this minihome (Both factored and unfactored). Would we be alright to compare the unfactored pier loading to the maximum pad capacity?

Amy help will be appreciated.

 

[dhengr]

Woodman1967:
The engineering/natural laws of Physics and Structural Engineering don’t really change when you step across the boarder btwn. the USA and Canada. The two nations have borrowed from each other over the years in code development, research, etc. , so they might as well be one. I’m not that familiar with the Canadian Bldg. Code, but I suspect any difference btwn. the two is in a few minor adjustment factors in a few minor formulas. The primary concepts and end results do not vary by an iota. Do the units of measure conversions and use the American table for your design. What ever happened to using some engineering judgement, common sense, and ‘rational analysis in accordance with well-established principles of mechanics.’ Of course, you want some proof of the quality and strength of the product you/they are proposing, whether that be an ICC ESR report, or otherwise. With all of the codification B.S. going on in the last 20 years or so, we seem unable to do anything which is not explicitly covered by a code para., formula or design guide example problem, and that’s a bunch of crap, except for some AHJ’s who want to lord it over us. ICC acceptance seems like a pretty good leg to stand on, even in Canada. Talk with your local AHJ before you go to far. One of the problems we have these days is too many unqualified company’s trying to get their part of the market, with inferior/untested products, which we then have to deal with ten years later for their inferior quality.