Location of a load on a platform

[JosephNY]

Hi,

I'm hoping to better understand the physics involved in building a platform for storage.

I have an exterior wall with a 2x6 header nailed horizontally into it.

10' in from that wall, I have 2x6's vertically from concrete floor up.

On the top of the header and vertical 2x6's is a 2x4 rectangular frame (10' x 20').

I believe that the interior wall of 2x6 has a far (far) greater capacity to hold weight because compression strength of 2x6 is pretty darn high (that's not a technical term).

The header, on the other hard, is nailed. This means (I believe) that the holding strength is a function of the sheer strentgth of the nails and the friction between the header and the wall.

My question is: Does the placement of the load on the 3/4" plywood sitting on the 2x4 frame change the max weight capacity of that load?

Put another way (because I don't speak engineering or physics well), if I put the entire load on the inside edge of the platform (directly above the 2x6 supports) do I get a greater load capacity than putting the load directly above the header nailed to the wall?

Here's some pics to clarify.

Thank you!

Joseph

 

[CWatters]

You should probably ignore friction and say it's just limited by the shear strength of the nails. Thats because ails can't be relied on to provide a clamping force. Should use bolts for this instead of nails.

What size are the joists that run between the two walls? Looks like 2*4 from the description. That sounds too small to be "code" for a floor where I live.

 

[CWatters]

PS is there a danger of racking?

 

[anorlunda]

I'm sorry. I myself would love to offer my advice. But you are asking about structural analysis for a building. Even storage buildings can injure people if they collapse. Below is our standard answer to all such topics.

We do not regulate who will answer, esp. not their expertise.
We cannot give statements with a potentially legal impact.
We are not certified.
We cannot know the entire situation, regardless how detailed your description might be. I.e. we have neither all variables nor enough statistical nor mechanical data, which a responsible judgement would require.
Even an informal answer cannot be given, as we do not have control over its usage.
So as in all of these cases, we strongly recommend to consult a local expert, who can inspect what you are talking about, has sufficient experience and data for comparison, plus most important: is certified, so that his expertise will be of legal value.

You already have some answers. Regrettably, thread locked.