ACO Polymer Products - Trench Drain Loadings

Loading is the type of traffic the trench drain is exposed to. Traffic refers to any foot or vehicular traffic moving over the trench drain. The following should be considered:

Wheel loads

	Weight of vehicle/cart and its typical load
	Type of wheels - solid or pneumatic tires
	Will other unusual vehicles, e.g., dollies/dumpsters, be going over the trench?

Larger and/or pneumatic tires spread the load over a larger contact area - exerting a low stress (psi).

Small and/or solid tires concentrate the load onto a small contact area, exerting a high stress (psi).
A grate and/or system with a higher load rating will be required in these applications.

Static loads

Load/weight applied vertically onto the trench, no other movement.

Static loads are used when load testing a grate, but poorly simulate real traffic scenarios. They provide a measuring scale to rate loadings of grate/trench drain.

Dynamic loads

	Will vehicles be travelling across or along the trench?
	Will traffic be braking or turning on the trench?
	Frequency of traffic?
	Speed of traffic?
	Is trench located at bottom of a ramp?

Moving traffic creates a dynamic load. This movement tries to twist the trench drain out of position. Trench body, grate loading, installation, and locking mechanisms, are all important factors to consider when addressing dynamic loads.
The more movement (turning and/or
braking) and the faster the traffic, the
greater the dynamic load.