Indoor floors in areas of loading docks

Autor: Ramon Planas Masip

In a previous article we talked about the outdoor floors in the logistics warehouses. The transition between these and the floors of the warehouse area are made in the area of loading and unloading trailers, which has special characteristics and must be paid special attention:

• At this point is established the connection between the surface of the truck box and the concrete floor. The machinery passes from one place to another with load.

• It is an area that receives the blow of the trailers at the time of approach. The possibility that some truck will impact something faster than normal with its 40 tons of weight cannot be underestimated.
• Along with the corridors, they are the areas with more traffic, and therefore, more exposed to the wear of joints and surface.
• Due to the presence of loading docks, it is the most irregular area of the ship in terms of the geometry of the concrete panels, which makes it more vulnerable to shrinkage cracking.
• For the same reason, the base is usually more difficult to compact and level.

To overcome the risks posed by these conditions, when designing and building it must be borne in mind that, to make the transition described above, a loading dock will be installed. For this, the vast majority of the industrial buildings are designed with pits leaving embedded these platforms, but the advisable thing is to use, if the space allows it, ramps type autodock, that have the next advantages:

• Improves the load distribution of the truck hit and moves it away from the pavement.
• It allows to make regular concrete slabs loading area, being able to opt for jointless floors with much less maintenance.
• Facilitates and speeds up enormously the implementation of the pavement-platform. The assembly of the ramp is completely detached from the interior of the building, and instead of an expensive interior wall to receive the device, only a perfectly leveled metal angle in the fa?ade should be provided.

Of having to adapt to the embedded ramps, the design should foresee:

• An uncoupling of the pavement, through a construction joint along the entire line of platforms. Permaban Wave joint without impact is recommended by high traffic.
• It must be ruled out to make a slab without cuts from the uncoupling board to the facade. Additionally, it is recommended to complement the reinforce to combat the increased risk of retraction cracks, either by increasing the dosage of fibers or by adding electro-welded mesh.

In any case, as each design must be adapted to the local characteristics above these general recommendations, it is necessary to consult with an engineering specialist in industrial floors that supports us in the design.