Shear Stiffness of Pallet Rack Upright Frames

PaIIet racks, often fabricated using cold-formed steel, are used for the storage of goods. Uprights of these racks are braced in the cross-aisle direction forming a frame, which behaves like a built-up column. Evaluation of the shear stiffness of this frame is needed to determine the buckling load. Currently two approaches prevail in the rack industry to determine the shear stiffness. The RMI code uses a theoretical formula and the FEM code requires testing. There is a considerable difference in the stiffness values determined by two approaches. The present paper describes experimental and numerical studies conducted at Oxford Brookes University to evaluate shear stiffness in an ongoing research project