The forces involved in driving and stopping a 60-ton vehicle on a weighbridge can be severe. The weighbridge rocks on its load cells like the “clapper of a bell”, which means that the civil foundation used to provide adequate support for the substantial forces faced by industrial scales and weighbridges need to be meticulously planned and executed to avoid potential disaster.When installing a weighbridge, Clover Scales needs to make special provisions for the foundations, since our weighbridges are certified for capacities of up to 80-tons, we need to ensure that this part of the process is handled with absolute certainty and care.

HOW WE INCORPORATE CIVIL FOUNDATIONS IN OUR SERVICE

1. Firstly, we need to settle on a suitable sized bridge for your needs.
2. Both the site location and the needs of the client determine what civil foundation is required.
3. Site preparation, levelling, compaction, form work, and foundations.
4. Form work needs to be done to perfection for the weighbridge to fit properly.
5. Earth cable installed for lightning protection.
6. Compacting between plinths.
7. Pour and place concrete according to industry standards. A high level of accuracy is required.
8. Concrete additive added for stability and then levelled.
9. Bridge is installed.
10. Connection to load cells.
11. Software installation.
12. Finally, we hand over to the client.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A DEPENDABLE FOUNDATION

As the truck drives onto the weighbridge the entire structure moves forward and hits the forward stops before bouncing back to rest on the load cells in the weighing position.Because of the heavy weights and forces involved it is essential that a weighbridge has an excellent civil foundation.The extent of these foundations is dependent on the quality of the soil, where the weighbridge is to be installed, and this must be expertly evaluated before the construction of the weighbridge commences.In the case of a pre-existing concrete slab the weighbridge can sometimes be placed on top of the slab dependent on the specifications of the slab. This saves the cost of the foundation.In such cases, a conservative approach is recommended since the industry is full of tales of woe where foundations were under specified.Avoiding unnecessary injury, damage, or loss is a crucial factor when planning and installing both industrial scales and weighbridges, each of which are tasked with handling incredible weight capacities, and in each instance of use, failure is not an option, since it can result in severe damages to vehicles, weight systems, and even public or private infrastructure, resulting in extreme costs, losses, and delays.Safety, being the primary concern of any civil foundation for heavy equipment needs to be handled with professional care to ensure that the specifications required by weigh bridges (particularly in-line with their expected applications) are not missed.

CONTACT CLOVER SCALES FOR DETAILS ON OUR SERVICES

Here at Clover Scales we take a meticulous approach to preparing civil foundations that are up to the specifications of our weighbridges to ensure dependability and safety, and as we mentioned before, this allows for industrial weighing equipment with a capacity of up to 80 tons.If you would like to know more about our offers on industrial scales and weighbridges, be sure to get in contact with a representative from Clover Scales today.