How should the foundation be designed for a 150T weighing scale in a soft-ground site?
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There is a chemical manufacturing project in Qingdao; they have never used load cells before and lack experience. I hope those with experience can offer some guidance. The surface layer of the site consists of about 3 meters of mixed fill soil; geological surveys recommend that this surface soil cannot be used as a bearing stratum for a natural foundation. Beneath the mixed fill soil lies silty clay, followed by sand layers, and at a depth of 10 meters lies the weathered bedrock.
Local replacement is sufficient; a raft foundation shall be used for the base
All we can do is dig a few driven piles!
The scale manufacturers specify the requirements regarding the bearing capacity of the foundation, and structural engineers conduct calculations on the foundation based on these requirements. The conventional approach for miscellaneous fill is to excavate down to the underlying soil layer and then replace it with another material (such as a sand and gravel cushion, or a 3:7 lime-soil cushion, etc.).
Replacing the soil is not very economical; the factory site is located in a coastal area with a thick layer of miscellaneous fill soil, about 2–3 meters deep~~
Replacing soil over a distance of 2–3 meters is cost-effective; it becomes uneconomical only when the distance is 20–30 meters:hug: