Can a cargo container with 14 ga. steel roof and sides be safely burried, and at what depth. What is the psi?

Question

I am interested in building a fallout shelter using 40' x 8' cargo containers. How deep can I go using this before the weight of the earth is too heavy. The sheetmetal panelling is 14 gau. I believe that earth is 100 lbs. per square ft. or something close, although I haven't looked too closely.

I will be completely sealing it with a waterproofing material normally used in basement construction before backfilling

Answer 1

If you're really worried about North Korean lobbing in a few nukes, any depth over a meter will give you good shielding. Good enough that air filtration will be the bigger issue and the tricker thing to do (once the power goes out).

Considering that they stack those things 8 high and more, being 10 or 20 feet is not a problem in itself. The side and roof will bow in a bit, like a drumhead with weight on it, but only a few inches until the tension on the steel is equal and opposite the pressure effect.

If you want to go really deep, like 50 feet or more, look at pre-cast concrete culvertults. Available up to huge sizes and really strong and designed to be fairly waterproof.

About the rusting: If you backfill with well-draining material, (and, of course, are above groundwater levels), the tank won't rust immediately. But old-style, bare steel underground storage tanks at gas stations sometimes rusted in a decade or two even in pea gravel. Anodic, cathodic or epoxy paint protection helps a lot.

If, on the other hand, you're going to grow pot in them like most people who bury shipping containers, you really only need to get it a foot or two down and out of sight. It is plenty strong enough for that. But when your eletric bill skyrockets and/or you leave that generator running 24/7, that is highly suspicous to the authorities.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The weight is not your worst worry. Unless it is made out of stainless steel or heavy duty plastic or properly painted (epoxy) your greatest worry is "rust".