A testing equipment for seismic studies of steel rack frames

Abstract

The strategies worldwide adopted nowadays for static and seismic rack design are based on approaches efficiently developed for the traditional carpentry frames, i.e. realized with hot-rolled bi-symmetric cross-section profiles. An open question is hence related to the effective degree of safety of these design rules when applied to racks, i.e. to structures realized by means of thin-walled cold-formed members, highly sensitive to second order effects. A study is currently in progress to define reliable seismic design procedures accounting for rack key features. In the framework of different planned activities, an ad hoc experimental equipment for testing full-scale racks under variable load conditions was developed. This paper presents the key features of the testing set-up, equipped with independent dynamic actuators, which allow applying vertical and horizontal loads.