Field Test Verification Of Ground Bearing Pressure Under Rig Tracks And Implications For Working Platform Design

A full scale test has been conducted to determine ground bearing pressure under rig tracks. The track loads were recorded in real time using Liebherr's Ground Pressure Visualisation system, and the vertical stress induced in the ground was measured with pressure cells embedded in the ground. It has been found that the recommendation of EN 16228 regarding determination of the track length is oversimplified. The contact length should dependent on the susceptibility of the working platform. It has been also demonstrated that the corrected pressure distributions under the tracks influence the dimensioning of the working platforms. As a result, the designed working platform may actually be less secure than is shown by conventional calculations.