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.
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.
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.
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.
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.