Concrete Slab Point Load vs Articulating Boom Load

[haztorgan]

We are building a 2 story mall with underground parking. The structural engineer told me that the poured concrete slabs of level 1 and level 2 are capable of holding taking 35kN or 7850lbs point load. "The maximum point load allowed on the floor will be 35kN or 7850lb without revising the current slab design. This load limit can be the criteria for the scissor lift selection."

The boom/scissor lifts I am looking at give me a weight of 15,500 lbs. However, I believe that I should divide this by 4 (4 wheels) to get the point load of the machine. Is this correct?

Am I over the limit here?


Thanks

Haz

 

[jayrod12]

If slab on grade then yes you can divide it by 4 (Sometimes I only divide by 3 to account for unbalanced loading)

If structural slab, then no you can't just divide by four but rather need to indicate the loading to the engineer and get him to provide more guidance for the specific loading condition.

 

[haztorgan]

thank you jayrod12. I will ask him to calculate it based on the specifications of the machine

 

[TLHS]

Even if it's slab on grade, multiple wheels are close together and will interact. It's best to ask what they meant in these cases.