• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.49-75
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• 2004

The paper derives, validates and illustrates the application of GBT-based formulae to estimate distortional critical lengths and bifurcation stress resultants in cold-formed steel rack-section columns, beams and beam-columns with arbitrarily inclined mid-stiffeners and four support conditions. After a brief review of the Generalised Beam Theory (GBT) basics, the main concepts and procedures employed to obtain the formulae are addressed. Then, the GBT-based estimates are compared with exact results and, when possible, also with values yielded by formulae due to Lau and Hancock, Hancock and Teng et al. A few remarks on novel aspects of the rack-section beam-column distortional buckling behaviour, unveiled by the GBT-based approach, are also included.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1259-1277
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• 2015

The present study is focused on the behavior and design of perforated steel storage rack columns under axial compression. These columns may exhibit different types of behavior and levels of strength owing to their peculiar features including their complex cross-section forms and perforations along the member. In the present codes of practice, the design of these columns is carried out using analytical formulas which are supported by experimental tests described in the relevant code document. Recently proposed analytical approaches are used to estimate the load carrying capacity of axially compressed steel storage rack columns. Experimental and numerical studies were carried out to verify the proposed approaches. The experimental study includes compression tests done on members of different lengths, but of the same cross-section. A comparison between the analytical and the experimental results is presented to identify the accuracy of the recently proposed analytical approaches. The proposed approach includes modifications in the Direct Strength Method to include the effects of perforations (the so-called reduced thickness approach). CUFSM and CUTWP software programs are used to calculate the elastic buckling parameters of the studied members. Results from experimental and analytical studies compared very well. This indicates the validity of the recently proposed approaches for predicting the ultimate strength of steel storage rack columns.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.49-56
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• 2013

The statistics of recent accidents in warehouses show that a heavy toll of lives were produced by various accidents, e.g. collision, overturn, fall, slip, exposure to harmful substances or environments, etc. Of significant concern amongst them is the collision, especially the collision between forklift and storage rack structure. Accordingly, this study focuses on behavioral characteristics of rack structure subjected to dynamic impact loading of a forklift. For this purpose, time-domain response analysis has been performed on a standard 2-bay six-story rack structure consisting of columns, beams and bracing members with perforated open section. In order to investigate the most critical scenario, the impact loads are applied in both down-aisle and cross-aisle directions, and the impact locations are also varied along the shelves of the palettes. In order to deal with storage distributions, three types of rack structures are further taken into account: original empty rack structure with no storage, half-loaded rack structure and fully-loaded rack structure. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the dynamic characteristics of the rack structure are significantly dependent on the distribution of the storage goods and its natural period varies from 0.24sec to 1.06sec, approximately 4.4 times. Further, the parametric studies show that the forklift impact is most critical to the safety of the rack structure when it collides either at the base or at the top of the rack structure.