“Analytical and Experimental Investigation of a Polycarbonate Raised Floor
System”
by
Kenneth M. (Mac) Will
Georgia Tech - CASE Center
Atlanta, GA
Abstract
An existing raised floor system was
investigated to determine if it was feasible to allow a lift vehicle to
be placed on the floor. The lift vehicle was needed in a high bay
area of an industrial facility in order to perform maintenance on fixtures
in the ceiling of the high bay area. The raised floor system consisted
of nine inch square prefabricated carpeted polycarbonate floor panel assemblies.
A finite element analysis of one panel
was first performed to determine if it was feasible to place the wheel
from a lift vehicle on a single panel. The results from this analysis
indicated that the stresses and the deflections of the panel were too large.
A piece of plywood was then placed on top of the panel to distribute more
of the wheel load directly to the legs of the panel. Finally, a simple
experiment was performed on the panel with two different wheels.
This presentation will focus on the
modeling and analysis of the panel using GT STRUDL. A comparison
of the analytical and experimental results will also be presented.
Biographical Data
Kenneth
M. Will, Ph.D. , Co-Director, Georgia Tech - CASE Center
Associate
Chair, Graduate Programs, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Associate
Professor
Education
Ph.D.
Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
M.S.
Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
B.S. Civil Engineering,
University of Arkansas