Minnesota Administrative Rules

7601.3020 RAILWAY TRACK SCALE FOUNDATION.

Subpart 1.

Soil bearing.

The owner, operator, or installer of a railway track scale shall complete a soil bearing test, performed by a registered engineer, before constructing the scale foundation. The soil bearing test must determine the load-bearing capacity of the soil that will lie under the completed scale foundation. The engineer's report, including a statement that the soil bearing is suitable for the scale to be installed, must be submitted to the director before constructing the scale foundation. The director shall review and approve the report before issuing a permit for a scale installation.

Subp. 2.

Materials and construction.

Foundation walls, floors, footings, and weighing element support piers must be constructed of reinforced, poured concrete that conforms to the scale manufacturer's design requirements and drawings. The concrete must be uniform and continuous. Reinforcing material in the piers and walls must be securely tied to the reinforcing material in the adjacent walls and floor.

Subp. 3.

Dimensions.

The foundation must be deep enough to provide a finished pit seven feet deep, measured from the top of the finished foundation wall to the top surface of the finished pit floor.

Subp. 4.

Length.

For a railway track scale installed after January 1, 1995, the length or combination of lengths of the weighing element or elements must be sufficient to allow single draft weighing.

Subp. 5.

Aboveground scale; concrete pier foundation.

An aboveground railway track scale foundation must meet the requirements in items A to H.

A.

The weighing elements must be supported on reinforced concrete foundation piers.

B.

Concrete surface slabs must be poured independently between the main foundation piers.

C.

The end piers of the foundation must have end walls to prevent fill material from interfering with scale operation.

D.

Where foundation construction techniques allow, the surfaces of the concrete slabs between the foundation piers must be sloped down from the longitudinal centerline to each side to prevent dirt accumulation under the platform.

E.

The clearance between the bottom of the weighbridge or other main structural member and the slab surface must be at least six inches.

F.

The scale platform, structural member, foundation surfaces, and surrounding area must be designed to allow access for cleaning under the scale platform and around all weighing elements.

G.

For outdoor scales, the tops of the piers and the surfaces of the slab or slabs between the piers must be above the existing grade level so that water will drain away from the scale.

H.

The piers must extend below the local frost line.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 239.06

History:

20 SR 1928; 30 SR 346

Published Electronically:

October 2, 2007