structengr23
Structural
- Feb 6, 2019
- 33
I've not designed a foundation for a printing press. This one is for a client in Arkansas. The soils are good. Low PI and shale at 4' and beyond. Allowable bearing is around 2500 psf and expected settlement for shallow rigid foundations is less than 1", but the differential settlement tolerance required by the machine manufacturer (Koenig & Bauer) is like 0.05mm/m. That's very strict and similar to another thread I read thru on this site. In that thread, it was discussed to use piles down to bedrock. The weight of this machine is 422 kips spread out over a footprint that is 87'x9', long and narrow. The out of balance forces don't appear to be that bad. But, I typically try to get a foundation weight that is 3/1 ratio to equipment weight as a starting point. That requires a thick foundation that puts me right into the hard shale without any piers, since shale is 4' below grade. The client is whining about piles, so he is really going to whine about the extra plinth size for 3/1 ratio. The client say I don't need to anchor the equipment down, that all the supports can just bear on the concrete foundation with no embed steel plates.
I was hoping for some feedback on foundations done on typical printing presses. I don't want to over think it, but then again the cost of concrete and installation is much cheaper than replacing a damaged machine.
Thanks in advance.
I was hoping for some feedback on foundations done on typical printing presses. I don't want to over think it, but then again the cost of concrete and installation is much cheaper than replacing a damaged machine.
Thanks in advance.