Warehouse Floor Loading
Warehouse Floor Loading
(OP)
Many warehouse ground floor slabs on geotechnically poor sites are being constructed on piles due to the high specified loads of 50kN/sq.m being set in the Clients brief. This leads to expensive floor slab, or even shelving, ironically, of the whole project.
I presume that the basis of this hign load is BS6399:Table 1 which gives a UDL of "4.8kN/sq.m for each metre of storage height"....giving 48kN/sq.m (hence 50)for a 10m clear internal height of warehouse.
How realistic is this quoted figure of 50kN/sq.m.?
I presume that the basis of this hign load is BS6399:Table 1 which gives a UDL of "4.8kN/sq.m for each metre of storage height"....giving 48kN/sq.m (hence 50)for a 10m clear internal height of warehouse.
How realistic is this quoted figure of 50kN/sq.m.?
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RE: Warehouse Floor Loading
In a recent project, we were designing a covered overhead crane with a storage area beneath for structural steel shapes. The actual calculated load came out to be about 800 psf (38 kn/m^2) which was used. This was also on a very poor site with soil densities below approaching that of water. We used a reinforced mat slab but this was not technically within a warehouse building where slab settlements would be more of a concern.
Check on the basis of BS6399:Table 1 and what the 50 kn/m^2 is intended for. Perhaps the client could be consulted as to verifying the actual loading vs. some arbitrary code amount. It seems over-kill to design for 50 when you might be storing foam products or toilet paper.
RE: Warehouse Floor Loading
Just a note: paper products such as toilet paper have very high storage densities. Try lifting a box of copier paper, then remember that you can get 40 boxes on a pallet. Stack the pallets two or three high and you get a sizeable load. Each sheet doesn't weigh very much but they add up very quickly.
Imagineer
RE: Warehouse Floor Loading
You're right, I guess that real soft stuff my wife has been buying kinda skewed my thoughts.
RE: Warehouse Floor Loading
Thanks for your viewpoint. These high UDL loadings are common in UK building specs, and stems from Property Developers wanting the flexibilibty for future use of the building as a high bay racking warehouse. Actual racking leg loads are rarely given at the outset.
Design for the high UDL on sites with say peat (reinforced water) layers have given piles@3m centres with enlarged heads, 300mm thk slabs with 85kg/m^3 mesh reinforcement quantity. The alternative to this slab is 250 thk fibremesh reinforced slab with 60kg/m^3 of steel fibres....solution which end up being too expensive.
Imagineer,
Your reply reminds me....which is heavier, a ton of feathers or a ton of steel?