Thursday, November 15, 2007

Reclaim Concrete Tunnel

Fellow Structural engineers:

 

I got this heavy industrial project I’m working on. If possible can I get a second or third opinion?

 

Project location: 70 miles away from the new Madrid fault (Missouri)

 

Project description: An underground reclaimed concrete tunnel with 6 openings on top use for loading and unloading coal materials

Discharge to a transfer tower using a diverter chute. A 50 ft high of coal stack pile sits on top of my concrete reclaim tunnel (width =20’, Length = 450 ft., depth = 18 ft).

 

For seismic base shear using non building structure; In addition to the self weight and conveyor inside the tunnel, do you consider 100% of the material weight sits on top of the tunnel? If not, is there a percent reduction?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Engr. Julius Micayas

P.E. license no.32969

Senior Lead Structural Engineer

River Consulting- New Orleans

111 Veterans Memorial Boulevard

Metairie, LA 70005

 

Phone - 504-841-3014 (direct)

504 837-5275 (office)

Fax - 504-837-2986

 

E-mail:            jmicayas@riverconsulting.com