Reccomended Live Floor Load

[ToadJones]

Trying to find recommended minimum live floor loading for and industrial powerhouse. Any recommendations?
ASCE 7 and IBC tables don't seem to address this specifically.

 

[hemal1214]

For Industrial Building, We use 250psf of live load min.

 

[ToadJones]

hemal-
Thanks, I also found that in the Mill building Spec of all places for boiler house operating floors.
Thank you.

 

[ble31980]

250 psf is typical for us as well. In maintenance laydown areas we go as high as 500 psf.

 

[MontrealEng]

The National Building Code of Canada 2005 states different minimum live loads for specified applications, however "industrial powerhouse" is not a listed application. The closest stated application is "Factories," which states 6.0kPa (125psf).

This being said, we generally use 200psf for elevated concrete floors, 300psf for electrical equipment rooms, and have a flurry of standards stating different live loads design criteria for different uses topping out at 1000psf for the "ground floor" or paper machine buildings.

 

[JLNJ]

Last couple of boiler room floors we did were 300 psf.

I like to size the elements with small tributary areas for a greater load. Don't skimp on the slab thickness or reinf.

 

[JoshPlumSE]

Am I the only one who thinks these live loads are really, really high? What are you trying to account for with these loads?

In my experience, industrial structures are almost completely unoccupied. You get a couple of maintenance workers every now to check gauges and stuff. But, that's it.

Now, if the assumption is related to the dead load or operating load of equipment or piping, those can get pretty heavy. But, that's not what I would normally call live load.

 

[delagina]

yeah it's high. i have designed equipment structures for petrochemcical/oil and gas industry and floor live load is only 100 psf.

 

[mtu1972]

Yes "industrial structures are almost completely unoccupied".

Except when they are staging equipment and/or parts as prework for maintenance downtimes, rebuilds, etc. Then the wide open floors see lots of load - not all of which is uniformly distributed.

Not uncommon to design large areas for 300 to 500 psf so that localized slabs and members will not be overstressed.

gjc

 

[ToadJones]

agree with mtu1972....
This floor has giant turbines which sit on foundations in the basement, independent of the floor area in question. But, maintaining these areas can require some big equipment.

 

[DWHA]

I have seen turbine decks with loadings from 300psf to 500psf.
And the turbine was set on columns/walls going to bedrock.