Will my garage floor hold a motorhome ?help

joshuajim wrote:

westend wrote:
Guys, it's not that simple, at least in the building engineering world. There are forces of compression, tension, restraint, strength, loads (both live and dead), and others I've lost in my memory.

The OP states a compaction of up to 40" of fill and a further layer of gravels, also compacted. He is far above any typical placement of slabs for the use involved. Letting these base layers sit and compact/firm up over a span of time also add to the integrity of his installation. About the only thing that would aid in the strength of the slab is installation of steel rod. He has used wire, which is adequate for this use.

I completely agree with your first paragraph, but I have issue with your second. Letting material "set" over time will result in the material settling, but never compacting. If that was the case, then every piece of native soil would be at optimum compaction due to millions or billions of years of "setting". No, native soils is at 65 to 80% of optimum no matter how long it sets.

In the practical sense, in the type of area where I live, soil subsidence (falling) and expansion occurs with the seasons. Also, we have no idea if the owner parked anything inside this area prior to placing concrete. That would also aid in compaction. As would foot travel. Regardless, the weight of 40" of gravel will tend to compact by itself from just the weight.

I've done a fair amount of concrete placement and driveway/patio paving brick construction to know how things work with different sub-soils and gravels/sand. In my area, letting fill sit through a Winter improves compaction and results in less subsidence with the final product.