Pier Spacing and Load Calculator

ANALife Services AuthorityNational Calculator Authority›Pier Spacing and Load Calculator

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Pier Spacing and Load Calculator

Calculate pier spacing and the load each pier must support based on beam span, tributary width, dead load, and live load inputs.

Total Beam Span (ft)

Number of Piers (including end supports)

Tributary Width (ft)

Dead Load (psf)

Live Load (psf)

Beam Self-Weight (plf) (optional, per linear foot)

Calculate

function pieCalc() { var resultDiv = document.getElementById('pie-result'); resultDiv.style.display = 'block';

var span = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pie-beam-span').value); var numPiers = parseInt(document.getElementById('pie-num-piers').value); var tribWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pie-trib-width').value); var deadLoad = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pie-dead-load').value); var liveLoad = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pie-live-load').value); var beamWeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pie-beam-weight').value) || 0;

// --- Validation --- if (isNaN(span) || span ' + 'ParameterValue' + 'Number of Bays' + numBays + '' + 'Pier Spacing' + pierSpacing.toFixed(2) + ' ft' + 'Total Uniform Load (w)' + w.toFixed(2) + ' plf' + 'Total Load on Beam' + totalBeamLoad.toFixed(1) + ' lbs' + 'ASD (Unfactored) Pier Loads' + 'Interior Pier Load' + interiorPierLoad.toFixed(1) + ' lbs' + 'End Pier Load' + endPierLoad.toFixed(1) + ' lbs' + 'LRFD Factored Pier Loads (1.2D + 1.6L)' + 'Interior Pier Load (factored)' + interiorPierLoad_factored.toFixed(1) + ' lbs' + 'End Pier Load (factored)' + endPierLoad_factored.toFixed(1) + ' lbs' + 'Tributary Areas' + 'Interior Pier Tributary Area' + tribAreaInterior.toFixed(2) + ' ft²' + 'End Pier Tributary Area' + tribAreaEnd.toFixed(2) + ' ft²' + ''; }

#### Formulas Used

Pier Spacing:

s = L / (n − 1)

Where L = total beam span (ft), n = number of piers.

Total Uniform Load per Linear Foot:

w = (DL + LL) × b + wbeam

Where DL = dead load (psf), LL = live load (psf), b = tributary width (ft), wbeam = beam self-weight (plf).

Interior Pier Load (ASD):

Pinterior = w × s

End Pier Load (ASD):

Pend = w × (s / 2)

LRFD Factored Load Combination (ASCE 7-22 §2.3.1):

wu = 1.2 × DL × b + 1.6 × LL × b + 1.2 × wbeam

Tributary Area per Interior Pier:

Atrib = s × b

#### Assumptions & References

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References