I'm looking at building a shop with some living space. I want the shop floor to be able to handle my current & future equipment. At the moment the heaviest pieces I have are a D6C & 225LC. However someday I'd like to find a 235/245.

I've seen videos online of I-Beams cast into the shop slab at a gauge width to accommodate steel tracked equipment.  I'm wondering if anyone has that type of setup, looking to explore design considerations of the foundation required under the slab for a setup like that. And how exactly does one determine the optimum "rail gauge" to use for I-Beam spacing?

I have also seen discussions about threaded fixture points and the like cast into shop slabs to aid in maint. of heavy equipment. Wondering if there is a "ultimate guide" to shop space foundation design.

Here is a link to my shop design:  ETD-BARNDO

do you have room behind the shop to able to make 1 door a drive thru? that way you dont have to back a truck and trailer in you just drive in and out the other side

Railroad rail works great in the slab good grounding strip for some types of welding projects.

Holt Caterpillar dealership in San Antonio, TX put worn out tractor rails in the slabs to prevent damage to the concrete when track-type-tractors were on them.
Craig

Hi, ETD66SS.
I'm no structural engineer but I would suggest that whatever you put in there to stop tracks chewing up your floor needs to be tied into the structural reinforcing in the concrete. Old railway line works pretty well and may be cheaper than I-beams. It is also possible to lay several of them side by side with appropriate gaps between them to cater for different track widths but they do need to be tied together in the floor reinforcing - not hard, just a little 'electric glue' here and there from an arc welder.

A Cat 245 would be about a 65-ton machine with the width to match. They are quite a beast too. Specs here:

www.ritchiespecs.com/model/caterpillar-245-hydraulic-excavator

Just my 0.02.

RR Track --- Tie Side of the rail at surface of the concrete - maintain spacing as said above -
Shop I worked in in early 70's had RR Track in floor - still there. That was the straightest section of floor in the whole building, supported many a D8 and they were turned to 90 degrees inside the building. That scuffing was apparant but certainly the RR Track prevented or lessened a great deal of the damages.
Worst issue - that "track" can be very slippery, especially when it is wet, oily, or even dust covered. Gauging width and spacing will be a challenge - no standards.

Having open ends on a shop is a valid PLUS! Again - consider all factors - easy access and prevailing environmental conditions (wind, slope, etc)

I would suggest you plan way ahead - many buildings erected as lifetime shops ended up with entry doors shirinking as equipment became larger and not nearly enough lighting, heating, cooling, etc

Home within a shop - don't forget the environmental issues - there are many things to consider with "multi -Layer - multi-function enclosed spaces. Many additional "codes" will be presented - and those generally increase costs exponentially.

In light of the latest news and past knowledge - depending upon where your facility will be built - Pitch of the roof - construction and materials, where the run-off falls (thinking of snow), orientation (N-S-E-W) to better protect entry/exit from becoming shaded and ice buildup, and not in the least of concern - roof loading! Also consider that if you plan on having a hoist or crane in the structure, you may want to have special track and walls for that too.

Best wishes, hope this gives you some ideas and possibly pitfalls to avoid.

Please - remember to include seperate facility for your personnal hygene in the shop -  nothing will be more appreciated than being able to take care of issues without entering the living quarters --- Shower - Large Wash Basin (laundry tray) -  Toilet, and you might even like to have a washer/dryer  available for your shop linens.   
CTS

Used conveyor belting from a quarry works good, some are @2' to 4' wide and 1/4" to 1/2" thick. I cut a small opening in the end for a grip handle.

As Rome said, I use strips of conveyor belt that was cut to be skirting rubber, roughly as wide as machine gouser so I can drive machine in and out also work around machine with out tripping on it and can crawl under machine with out it being in the way of shop floor creeper if enough height to use it, when parked for periods they are both on Jarrah wood battens to keep plates dry from moisture and chill coming up from concrete, most people I know use wood to park on.

well rails are nice in the floor. look up C and C equipment on YouTube as he has a nice shop set for working on heavy equipment. if you get the right concert / harder in it tracks wont mark the concrete.
youtube.com/shorts/JmsXrCJ5WhU?feature=share