How thick should the concrete be for the forklift aisle?
The aisle slab must be adequately designed to handle the load of the forklift. If there is a minimum of 2500 psf soil bearing pressure we recommend a concrete slab requiring a minimum of 8″ thick structural slab with two mats of #5 rebar on 12″ c-c. Now that forklifts are capable of handling much larger boats, thicker slabs – from 10″ to 16″ thick – are often required. It is not uncommon for us to build pile supported structural concrete slabs in areas where the soil conditions are poor. Earlier on in the project planning stages we strongly recommend that soil borings be taken and a geotechnical report obtained. Underestimating the wear & tear on the slab could result in replacing it in the future…almost impossible when your dry stack building is full of boats. [Top of Page]What about galvanizing the rack system? We recommend that the rack system, or at least a minimum of the shelf beams, timber clamps and ground stands, be galvanized if the facility is in a salt water environment. B
