TRAVERSING TRUCK LIVE

LOADING ON NON-PUBLIC
BURIED CONCRETE STRUCTURES
MESHING APPLICATION OF AASHTO LIVE LOADS ACCORDING TO ASCE
7/INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS
Code Review
1. 2015 International Building Code (IBC), Section 1607.7 Heavy vehicle
loads. Vehicles greater than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating
shall be designed using vehicular live loads in accordance with
jurisdiction having authority.
a. Considerations for impact and fatigue are to be included.
b. This section of IBC references loading to be according to the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
2. ASCE 7-10, Chapter 4 LIVE LOADS, TABLE 4-1.
a. Garages per Note C - Design trucks and buses shall be per AASHTO LRFD Bridge
Design Specifications; however, provisions for fatigue and dynamic load
allowance are not required to be applied.
b. Sidewalks, vehicular driveways, and yards subject to trucking - Design shall be
designed per the table for a uniform load of 250 psf and a concentrated load of
8,000 pounds.
Code Review (cont’d)
3. 2014 AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Seventh Edition,
Section 3.6. This code includes direction for application of design
trucks to be applied to buried structures. The code equations
consider impact. Fatigue will not govern for concrete structures in
most cases.
AASHTO VEHICULAR LIVE LOADING

Designation: HL-93 – includes application of

uniform load and concentrated load, except for
buried structures. Note: There is a truck and a
design tandem. Use the one that will load your
structure the most. The truck axle spacing is a
minimum of 14 ft whereas the tandem spacing is
4 ft. PennDOT’s designation is PHL-93 and the
axle weights are increased per the state’s design
manual (i.e. DM-4).
AASHTO DISTRIBUTION OF WHEEL LOAD THROUGH EARTH FILLS,
Section 3.6.1.2.6

CASE 1 – depth of fill (H) over culvert/structure < 2 ft

Uses Equivalent Strip Width (E) method, Section 4.6.2.10,
which applies live load directly to top of structure (non- round)
CASE 2 – depth of fill (H) over culvert/structure is ≥ 2 ft
Uses wheel loads uniformly distributed over a rectangular
area upon top of structure (non-round)(i.e. tire contact area
projected through fill onto top of structure)