Heavy Equipment on Elevated Slabs

[dodson]

This is a pretty generic question. I have often been asked in my career if the contractor can drive equipment on existing floor systems. Sometimes concrete on pan deck or even on existing wood framed floors. Request differ from skid steer to mini excavator or even just scissor lifts. Typically I would just try to go through the entire building to see if the floor can take the point loads but this is often very difficult/time consuming. Has anyone come up with a good or creative way to analyze this type of situation?

 

[JAE]

Yes - I tell the contractor to go hire a good structural engineer to determine if their particular machine can be safely supported by the slab.



But I have done the work in the past and usually it is based on concentrated wheel load punching through the thinner slab/sheathing between the joists.