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Aquarium Advice Activist
Jcarlilesiu,
I reread my post, and I didn't explain myself properly. I was referring to exceeding a load limit by lets say 50%, over a 1 square foot area, VS 25% over a 10 square foot area, for a given room size. You said there's no mandated safety margin, so that answers my question. The reason I asked, is because there is something similar with aircraft. I know this entire post doesn't really relate to the topic, I just wanted you to see where I was coming from.
I'm not an engineer, but I do know my way around an airplane. In aircraft design limits, aircraft have to be certified for a certain load factor (G force), depending on the category the airplane will be operated in. There is also a set safety margin the airplane must meet. Generally, it's 1.5 times the load limit for that particular category. For example, a normal category airplane needs to be able to maintain structural integrity up to 3.8 G's, and at it's maximum certified weight. To be certified for 3.8 however, it must actually withstand 5.7 before failing. That margin of safety is basically meant to allow for unforeseen circumstances, like an in flight emergency or unnoticed structural problem.
The other trick is that many normal category airplanes can actually be operated in the utility category provided certain conditions are met. The utility category gives G limits up to 4.4, and also increases the safety margin to 6.6 G's. The trade off is a given airplane will have a lower certified weight for the utility category. Basically, you're putting a more concentrated load on parts of the airplane by maneuvering harder, but you compensated by lowering the overall weight of the plane.
I reread my post, and I didn't explain myself properly. I was referring to exceeding a load limit by lets say 50%, over a 1 square foot area, VS 25% over a 10 square foot area, for a given room size. You said there's no mandated safety margin, so that answers my question. The reason I asked, is because there is something similar with aircraft. I know this entire post doesn't really relate to the topic, I just wanted you to see where I was coming from.
I'm not an engineer, but I do know my way around an airplane. In aircraft design limits, aircraft have to be certified for a certain load factor (G force), depending on the category the airplane will be operated in. There is also a set safety margin the airplane must meet. Generally, it's 1.5 times the load limit for that particular category. For example, a normal category airplane needs to be able to maintain structural integrity up to 3.8 G's, and at it's maximum certified weight. To be certified for 3.8 however, it must actually withstand 5.7 before failing. That margin of safety is basically meant to allow for unforeseen circumstances, like an in flight emergency or unnoticed structural problem.
The other trick is that many normal category airplanes can actually be operated in the utility category provided certain conditions are met. The utility category gives G limits up to 4.4, and also increases the safety margin to 6.6 G's. The trade off is a given airplane will have a lower certified weight for the utility category. Basically, you're putting a more concentrated load on parts of the airplane by maneuvering harder, but you compensated by lowering the overall weight of the plane.