Floor Loading Capacity Definition

Floor load capacity is the total maximum weight a floor is engineered to support over a given area.

Floor loading capacity definition.

Common sense tells you that large floor joists can carry more load and spacing joists closer together also increases the load bearing capacity of a floor. They are happy to help. Floors are engineered to carry a maximum static load and a maximum dynamic load that can t be exceeded without the risk of compromise to the structure. In order to resist these loads all elements of the floor must have the requisite strength and stiffness typically determined by the maximum allowable deflection of the floor i e.

The extra two inches of vertical distance when a floor is framed with 2 x 10 joists rather than 2 x 12s can be quite important for example. But larger is not always better when builders are constructing a home or adding a room addition. It is measured in terms of pounds per square inch. Floors must be capable of bearing both dead and live loads.

Floor loading capacity definition in the english cobuild dictionary for learners floor loading capacity meaning explained see also floor lamp floor show dance floor factory floor english vocabulary. To determine the minimum design values for strength live and dead loads are added together. Floor load definition is the load that a floor as of a building may be expected to carry safely if uniformly distributed usually calculated in pounds per square foot of area. It is expressed as pounds per square foot.

Increasing the total weight on the floor to 4 480 pounds however results in a live load of 40 psf which is beyond the floor s load capacity. The live load of a floor. How much it will bend under the maximum expected load. When loading a floor with tons of equipment the actual capacity per square foot must be known in advance.

Dead loads are the weight of the building materials the floor is holding up. For especially heavy loads it is recommended to have a structural engineer research the floor framing. If you want someone to help or double check your floor s loading abilities give them a call. With an evenly distributed live load of 30 psf which the tables show the floor is able to support the total weight on the floor would be about 3 360 pounds.

For example a floor joist at 16 spacing s that can carry 53 pounds per linear foot would translate into a 318 pound single point load at its center.