Experimental test on steel storage rack components (No. R899)

Abstract

Steel storage racks are commonly used worldwide to store goods on pallets and represent complex and challenging freestanding structures to design. In the current competitive market, storage racks have to be able to carry heavy loads while being designed as lightly and economically as possible. Often unbraced, their stability may depend solely on the pallet beam to column connector and on the base plate connection to the floor characteristics (Baldassino and Bemuzzi (2000)). Moreover, to allow bracings and pallet beam connections, the web and flanges of the upright section are perforated at regular intervals along the length affecting the axial and bending resistance of the section (Hancock (1998)). The main international racking specifications recognise the importance of accurately determining the properties of individual components of storage racks and require testing for this purpose. This report presents experimental results from tests performed on individual components, namely coupon tests, stubcolumn tests, pallet beam to column connection tests, base plate floor connection rotational and uplift tests, upright frame shear tests and four point bending tests of uprights. Clarification of the guidance provided by the European Standard HN 15512 (2009) for the base plate to floor connection test is presented as is an alternative test set-up to the upright frame shear test described in HN 15512 (2009), allowing accurate determination of the in-plane global stiffness of an upright frame.