This book presents the main outcomes of the first European research project on the seismic behavior of adjustable steel storage pallet racking systems. In particular, it describes a comprehensive and unique set of full-scale tests designed to assess such behavior. The tests performed include cyclic tests of full-scale rack components, namely beam-to-upright connections and column base connections; static and dynamic tests to assess the friction factor between pallets and rack beams; full-scale pushover and pseudodynamic tests of storage racks in down-aisle and cross-aisle directions; and full-scale dynamic tests on two-bay, three-level rack models. The implications of the findings of this extensive testing regime on the seismic behavior of racking systems are discussed in detail, highlighting e.g. the confirmation that under severe dynamic conditions “sliding” is the main factor influencing rack response. This work was conceived during the development of the SEISRACKS project. Its outcomes will contribute significantly to increasing our knowledge of the structural behavior of racks under earthquake conditions and should inform future rack design.

The project focuses on the seismic design of static steel pallet racks, which are widely adopted in warehouses. Despite their lightness, racks can be loaded with tons of valuable goods, a live load by far higher than the self-weight, opposite to what happens in usual civil engineering structures. The loss of these goods during an earthquake may represent, for the owner, a very large economic loss, much larger than the cost of the whole rack on which the goods are stored or of the cost for its seismic upgrade. Hence, solution of the problems connected with safe and reliable design of steel storage racks in seismic areas has a very large economic impact. The objective of the SEISRACKS2 project is to increase knowledge on actual structural behaviour and ductility of steel pallet racks, and to assess design rules for earthquake conditions by full-scale testing and numerical simulation. Main outcomes of the research are: 1. Detailed reports on the different aspects investigated; 2. Validation or invalidation of the rules in the current version of FEM 10.2.08; 3. Improvements and extension of the current rules in order to optimize the seismic behaviour of structures designed according to European rules; 4. Definition of standardized experimental procedures to qualify structural elements of rack structures to be used in seismic areas; 5. A new software tool for the design of rack structures under seismic loads.

The project focuses on the seismic design of static steel pallet racks, which are widely adopted in warehouses. Despite their lightness, racks can be loaded with tons of valuable goods, a live load by far higher than the self-weight, opposite to what happens in usual civil engineering structures. The loss of these goods during an earthquake may represent, for the owner, a very large economic loss, much larger than the cost of the whole rack on which the goods are stored or of the cost for its seismic upgrade. Hence, solution of the problems connected with safe and reliable design of steel storage racks in seismic areas has a very large economic impact. The objective of the SEISRACKS2 project is to increase knowledge on actual structural behaviour and ductility of steel pallet racks, and to assess design rules for earthquake conditions by full-scale testing and numerical simulation. Main outcomes of the research are: 1. Detailed reports on the different aspects investigated; 2. Validation or invalidation of the rules in the current version of FEM 10.2.08; 3. Improvements and extension of the current rules in order to optimize the seismic behaviour of structures designed according to European rules; 4. Definition of standardized experimental procedures to qualify structural elements of rack structures to be used in seismic areas; 5. A new software tool for the design of rack structures under seismic loads.

During the past few decades, the number of large public warehouse stores, also known as big-box stores, has grown significantly across the United States and Europe. Large steel storage racks are used in such facilities in order to effectively take advantage of the available space and put on display, for the shopping public, the maximum possible amount of goods. Occupant safety in these facilities during earthquake events depends both on the structural performance of the building and on the performance of the storage racks, while the performance of the racks is determined by the performance of the rack frames and the response of the stored goods. Earthquake shaking may cause pallet contents to spill or topple off racks and rack frames to collapse or overturn. Both occurrences pose a significant life-safety hazard to the exposed shopping public and, therefore, the mitigation of this hazard should be a part of the objectives of any seismic design procedure. This thesis focuses on the behavior of contents stored on steel storage racks and proposes measures for the reduction of hazards associated with content shedding. The effects, on the content response, of (i) several coefficients of friction at the interface between merchandise and rack shelves and (ii) different loading conditions of the rack, are investigated, while the concept of inclined shelves as a measure for reduction of the probability of content overturning is introduced. The concept of inclined shelves refers to back-to-back or back-to-wall rack configurations with their shelves slightly tilted towards the inside or towards the wall, respectively, and represents the anticipated tendency of the merchandise to move inwards, when in motion, due to the contribution of the weight component parallel to the inclined shelf. An analytical model describing the dynamic behavior of pallet contents on rack shelves under earthquake excitation is developed based on rigid body dynamics, Coulomb friction and Newtonian impact laws. This model is implemented in a computer code and parametric incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) studies are conducted examining the effects of coefficients of friction, loading conditions and shelf inclination on the merchandise shedding fragility. A two stage experimental study consisting of pull and shake table tests is conducted to verify the response trends identified by the parametric studies and to provide information on the calibration of the analytical model and on the validity of the assumptions made during its development. During the pull tests, loaded pallets of different weights are pulled over a rack shelf, while during the shake table tests, high intensity ground motions are imposed on the base of a single level - single bay back-to-back rack specimen. Taking advantage of the large amount of experimental data, the analytical model is extended to better capture the observed behavior and a comparison of numerically computed and experimentally measured response is performed for all tests. Finally, two parametric IDA studies are conducted using the updated analytical model. The first study investigates the effects of the inclined shelving on the content shedding fragility for the configuration used during dynamic testing, while the second study investigates the effects of the vertical component of the base excitation on the response by introducing vertical motion components in the context of incremental dynamic analysis.

This book describes methods used to estimate forces and deformations in structures during future earthquakes. It synthesizes the topics related to ground motions with those related to structural response and, therefore, closes the gap between geosciences and engineering. Requiring no prior knowledge, the book elucidates confusing concepts related to ground motions and structural response and enables the reader to select a suitable analysis method and implement a cost‐effective seismic design. Presents lucid, accessible descriptions of key concepts in ground motions and structural response and easy to follow descriptions of methods used in seismic analysis; Explains the roles of strength, deformability, and damping in seismic design; Reinforces concepts with real‐world examples; Stands as a ready reference for performance‐based/risk-based seismic design, providing guidance for achieving a cost-effective seismic design.

Research and Applications in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation contains the Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation (SEMC 2013, Cape Town, South Africa, 2-4 September 2013). Over 420 papers are featured. Many topics are covered, but the contributions may be seen to fall