Experimental analysis on the cyclic behaviour of beam-to-column joints in steel storage pallet racks

Design rules for steel storage pallet rack systems have recently been developed for static loading. The proposed approaches require monotonic tests to evaluate the behaviour of the key components of racks and to assess the main parameters governing their performance. By means of analysis of test data, rack design is based on use of the state-of-knowledge developed and codified for traditional cold-formed structural systems. As far as racks in seismic zones are concerned, no research activities have recently been carried out and only the Specifications developed by the Rack Manufacturing Institute (USA) provide practical design rules, while the European standard for the earthquake resistance of structures does not refer to rack systems. y is currently in progress at the Department of Structural Engineering of the Politecnico di Milano (I) on the development of simplified rules for the design of steel storage pallet rack systems in seismic zones. This paper deals with the first part of the research, which consists of an experimental analysis aimed at investigating the behaviour of beam-to-column joints. Key features of tests are discussed and the main parameters characterising the joint moment–rotation curve under cyclic reversal loading are singled out.