Hi all! I've finally decided to get my pier done
I am sick of having to set up from scratch, balancing, PA, setting up cables and packing down. Actual weight of what I currently use is ~40kg, but will use 60kg as a conservative ceiling. My friend is a metal worker and he will be doing the build for me. He comes highly recommended by me to anyone else who may need a contact for any custom fabrication
To my disposal is either a Square Hollow Section (SHS) measuring 150mm with a wall thickness of 6mm, or another measuring 120mm with a wall thickness of 9mm. As outlined by Troy (
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=114370) and from my own calcs, the 150mm has better torsional stiffness and less likely to bend. Thus this will be the pier column
The base plate and top plate will be 300mm square with a thickness of 15mm. After talking to rally I learned I need a large concrete slab since my soil is clay, so aiming for 1m^3 of concrete.
I am confident I will be able to pour it almost perfectly level thus am not concerned by an uneven footing. My current dilemma is whether or not to go for the 'rat cage' setup
Without stirring up another heated debate I do believe that the bolts would be the weakest link and unnecessary. I am debating between the following three options, listed in preference:
---------------------------------------------
1. Base plate of Pier bolted directly to slab. The top plate is welded directly to pier and the EQ6 goes onto it. This allows for maximum rigidity
However I have no idea how to access the M12 bolt to secure the EQ6 to the top plate, since that would be within the pier column. Am thinking about cutting out a 100mm square hole on the side of the pier column to grant access to the bolt but concerned about losing structural strength. Is this the best way?
2. Base plate of Pier bolted directly to slab. A rat cage is created by welding atleast 3 solid bars of steel between the top & adapter plate, with the distance between plates minimised to ~100mm.
3. Base plate of Pier bolted directly to slab with a standard rat cage arrangement using bolts. The bolts would be *atleast* M20 high tensile steel bolts which are threaded throughout the shaft, with the distance between the adapter & top plate at ~100mm. One end of the bolts would be welded to the top plate so nuts are only required on the adapter plate.
---------------------------------------------
So what do you guys think? I'd prefer option 1 and if not, then option 2. The only thing stopping me is how to get access to the M12 bolt for the NEQ6 with option 1
I am not sure if cutting a section on the side is a smart idea. Can anyone please provide their opinion on this? How do people without the rat-cage arrangement secure their mounts?
Thank you for reading
