Originally Posted by
JimYUL
I don't know where the original poster found here
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...trictions.html
got his information, but if his numbers are correct, I'm not too worried about the overhead bins failing.
" ...anywhere from 140 to 180 pounds per bin, and typically you can squeeze two, and on a few exceptions three rollaboard cases up there, still within the load capacity if we go by the 40 lb limit. If Boeing or Airbus are anything like the rigging industry that I frequently work with, these bins would typically be designed with a safety factor of anywhere from 6:1 to 10:1, in other words if the bin is "rated" for 100 pounds, it technically can handle anywhere from
600 to 1000 pounds." (bolding mine)
JimYUL...
Each overhead bin has a placard specifying the maximum weight to be permitted. Not every bin will necessarily accept the same amount of weight and you will see placards with different weight limits depending on the size/length of the bin.
Something else to consider when looking at the numbers presented by that poster is that the airframe manufacturers do indeed take into account a safety factor. That factor is based upon emergency landing dynamic conditions that could reasonably be expected in a survivable accident. For example, new aircraft type designs are equipped with "16G seats". This means that the seat is designed to avoid failure in a accident involving a force of up to 16 times the force of gravity.
While I'm not certain what multiplication factor is used for the bins, if the weight of the items in a bin exceeds it's placarded limit, then the structure will fail at a lower limit then designed in the event of a survivable accident.