Abstract
Pallet racks used in industry are often exposed to large loads, and in some cases
resistance to failure is reduced by damage or inadequate handling. The present study was undertaken with the aim of investigating a number of different parameters of importance for the load-carrying capacity of pallet racks. Mainly numerical studies, using the finite element method, are performed, but some experimental work is also presented.
The first parameter studied was the influence of damage to upright, cold-formed
proles with thin-walled, open cross-sections. Both numerical simulations and laboratory tests showed that small imperfections result in signicant reduction of the load-carrying capacity. A global pallet rack was modelled to investigate the global influence of damaged uprights. Probabilistic computations, containing up to 300 sets of damaged uprights, were performed. The different damage cases were generated with Latin hypercube sampling. Probabilistic computations were also performed to investigate the influence on the load-carrying capacity of uncertainties in the stiffnesses of the connectors between uprights and horizontal beams. The computational results show that the load-carrying capacity depends on the mean stiffness relation of the connectors, but is not very sensitive to the distribution of the connector stiffnesses around the mean stiffness relation. The last part of the work considers different situations where horizontal beams or cross-aisle bracing members are removed from a pallet rack. The influence of this type of handling, considering the load-carrying capacity, is evaluated.
resistance to failure is reduced by damage or inadequate handling. The present study was undertaken with the aim of investigating a number of different parameters of importance for the load-carrying capacity of pallet racks. Mainly numerical studies, using the finite element method, are performed, but some experimental work is also presented.
The first parameter studied was the influence of damage to upright, cold-formed
proles with thin-walled, open cross-sections. Both numerical simulations and laboratory tests showed that small imperfections result in signicant reduction of the load-carrying capacity. A global pallet rack was modelled to investigate the global influence of damaged uprights. Probabilistic computations, containing up to 300 sets of damaged uprights, were performed. The different damage cases were generated with Latin hypercube sampling. Probabilistic computations were also performed to investigate the influence on the load-carrying capacity of uncertainties in the stiffnesses of the connectors between uprights and horizontal beams. The computational results show that the load-carrying capacity depends on the mean stiffness relation of the connectors, but is not very sensitive to the distribution of the connector stiffnesses around the mean stiffness relation. The last part of the work considers different situations where horizontal beams or cross-aisle bracing members are removed from a pallet rack. The influence of this type of handling, considering the load-carrying capacity, is evaluated.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Lund |
| Publisher | Division of Structural Mechanics, LTH |
| Number of pages | 48 |
| Publication status | Published - 1998 Mar |
Publication series
| Name | TVSM-7000 |
|---|---|
| No. | TVSM-7122 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0281-6679 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Applied Mechanics
Free keywords
- Pallet rack
- Load-carrying capacity
- Finite element method
- Latin hypercube sampling