How much weight can a slab hold safely?

[drummerdimitri]

I am looking to install a lathe and a mill on the second floor of my workshop (approx. 3000 sq-ft.) however, I am not sure if the slab will hold the weight safely.

The slab is mostly made up of hollow blocks with steel reinforcement and is around 8 inches thick. That being said, there are many support columns beneath the ceiling so it would probably be wise to place said machines above them as to decrease the "floating load"

The machines weigh around 1800-2000 lbs. each and their weight is not too spread out so that's what has gotten me worried.

Can this be done safely or should I get looking at lighter machines in this case? I will eventually be dedicating this entire floor to machine shop tools.

 

[cvairwerks]

Machinery on the second floor of a building that's not designed for it, is going to be an exercise in frustration. It's not a question of if it will vibrate or flex, but how much it will.

 

[Firebrick43]

I am looking to install a lathe and a mill on the second floor of my workshop (approx. 3000 sq-ft.) however, I am not sure if the slab will hold the weight safely.

The slab is mostly made up of hollow blocks with steel reinforcement and is around 8 inches thick. That being said, there are many support columns beneath the ceiling so it would probably be wise to place said machines above them as to decrease the "floating load"

The machines weigh around 1800-2000 lbs. each and their weight is not too spread out so that's what has gotten me worried.

Can this be done safely or should I get looking at lighter machines in this case? I will eventually be dedicating this entire floor to machine shop tools.

It could be perfectly fine or terrible, you have not described what you have in any meaningful fashion

 

[drummerdimitri]

It could be perfectly fine or terrible, you have not described what you have in any meaningful fashion

That's because I still haven't purchased any machinery for the second floor.

For the moment, I am considering a Bridgeport Series 1 and a Precision Matthews PM-1440E-LB style lathe. Might need to add a surface grinder later so basically dedicating that floor for machining purposes while all the other fabrication stuff happens on the ground floor.

Can't give you much more info than that sorry about that.

 

[ConCretin]

The slab is mostly made up of hollow blocks with steel reinforcement and is around 8 inches thick.

There is no way for anyone on a discussion board can answer your question based on the information you have provided. It's not even clear to me what the construction method of the existing floor is. I'd suggest contacting a structural engineer.

 

[larry_g]

That's because I still haven't purchased any machinery for the second floor.

For the moment, I am considering a Bridgeport Series 1 and a Precision Matthews PM-1440E-LB style lathe. Might need to add a surface grinder later so basically dedicating that floor for machining purposes while all the other fabrication stuff happens on the ground floor.

Can't give you much more info than that sorry about that.

You have to describe the construction of the FLOOR, not the machines that are going on it. What is the weight rating of the floor? How was it constructed, of what materials, and what is the support structure under it column material, size and spacing. With that information then we can make somewhat of an educated guess but nothing that I would rely on. A local expert should be brought in.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[drummerdimitri]

There is no way for anyone on a discussion board can answer your question based on the information you have provided. It's not even clear to me what the construction method of the existing floor is. I'd suggest contacting a structural engineer.

I am no expert when it comes to civil engineering so I will take your advise and contact a structural engineer for a consultation visit.

 

[bluedog225]

Really good idea to consult with civil engineer on this. And the vibration issue may still be an issue. That is, it may be structurally safe and vibrate too much.

 

[duneslider]

When we design mezzanines at work we are designing them to handle 125lbs/sqft, that's generally what our customers are needing. You for sure need an engineer to look at this to see what it was designed for, no telling what it really is but I can't say I have seen many concrete floored mezzanines that fall much below 125lbs/sqft in the commercial world I work in but being in Lebanon, who knows, I have seen some sketchy concrete floors in south america that didn't give me comfort.

 

[Firebrick43]

That's because I still haven't purchased any machinery for the second floor.

For the moment, I am considering a Bridgeport Series 1 and a Precision Matthews PM-1440E-LB style lathe. Might need to add a surface grinder later so basically dedicating that floor for machining purposes while all the other fabrication stuff happens on the ground floor.

Can't give you much more info than that sorry about that.

The floor I was talking about, not the machinery.

 

[RaceDeck1]

really dependent on what kind of slab you have? Thickness, how much rebar, etc