Expert: Lee Kilcup - 1/23/2008

Question
I've been told the load capacity of a particular paved area is 4 kilonewtons per sq metre. How do I work out if a 6 tonne truck can drive onto it without cracking the paving? THANK YOU!

Sharon

Answer
Calculate the area of the truck (how many square meters of area) and divide it into the weight to get the bearing weight, then compare that to the allowable capacity. If you have an engineer working with you on the job he may be able to help you out with the calculation. On paving it might come down to the weight per wheel and the contact patch of the tire. Sometimes the underlying group capacity comes into play as well