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Procedia Engineering 91 (2014) 232 – 237

XXIII R-S-P seminar, Theoretical Foundation of Civil Engineering (23RSP) (TFoCE 2014)

Experimental Investigation on Shear Strength of Hooking-Type

Beam-to-Column Joints, Applied in One of High Storage Pallet
Racking Systems
Paweá A. Królab*, Magdalena Papadopoulos-WoĨniaka, Jarosáaw Wójta
a
Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Building Engineering, Al. Armii Ludowej 16, 00-637 Warsaw,
Poland,
b
Auburn University, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, 213A Ramsay Hall, 261 W. Magnolia Ave., Auburn,
AL. 36849, USA (within PL-US Fulbright Commission Program)

Abstract

The article presents the results of experimental investigation carried on the structural members of a typical high storage racking
system. The assessment of the mechanical characteristics and behaviour of the hooking beam-to-column joints were done in
terms of shearing strength for one-sided configuration of beams attached. The experiments were performed in accordance with
the guidelines contained in European standard EN 15512 "Steel static storage systems. Adjustable pallet racking systems.
Principles for structural design”. Shear strength, just right after the bending moment resistance is the basic mechanical
parameter, characterizing this type of connections. The specific way the storage systems are performing their function, associated
with the use of time-varying position of the beams and the exceptionally high rate of change in the size and position of the loads
acting on the joints, tend to in-depth analysis of the shear phenomenon for this type of joints, very rarely used in any other
structures.
© 2014The
© 2014 TheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd. Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).committee of the XXIII R-S-P seminar, Theoretical Foundation of Civil
under responsibility of organizing
Engineering (23RSP).
Peer-review under responsibility of organizing committee of the XXIII R-S-P seminar, Theoretical Foundation of Civil Engineering (23RSP)
Keywords: storage racks; hooking-type joints; beam-to-column joints; experimental tests; capacity and stiffness of joints

1. Introduction

The specific manner of operation of the rack structures related to variable beams’ positioning during operation
and exceptionally high frequency of changes, both of the amount, as well as position of the loads affecting the joints,
indicate the necessity of shearing behaviour analysis in hooks of the high storage rack structures with adjustable
shelves. Shear strength immediately after bending strength constitutes the basic parameter, by which the general
capacity and joint rigidity is characterised. The specific manner of realisation of the joint between the vertical
elements (beams), and the vertical elements (columns) in the rack structures makes that the phenomenon of shearing

* Corresponding author: Tel. (US): +1-334-8442066; (Poland): +48-22-2346648; fax: +48-22-8256532

E-mail address: [email protected].

1877-7058 © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of organizing committee of the XXIII R-S-P seminar, Theoretical Foundation of Civil Engineering (23RSP)
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2014.12.052
 Paweł A. Król et al. / Procedia Engineering 91 (2014) 232 – 237 233

requires a different approach in terms of quality as compared to classical joints present in the skeleton structures.
Characteristic feature of such type of joint is presence of adequately shaped hook teeth, which as a result of
clamping to the walls of opening made in the column’s profile, transfer the transverse force into its direction in the
form of reaction. Making allowance for the fact that shaping of the hook’s elements takes place by means of cold
processing, the subject of compensation of certain permanent deformations arose during formation of the hook with
increment elastic or elastic-plastic deformations arose during loading of the joints may be raised. Determination of
shear strength for the hook provides binding information on the subject of maximum load, which in a safe manner
may be transferred from the level of beams on the bearing columns of the given rack.

2. Research methods for shear strength

The test stand for examination of the shear strength was prepared on the basis of recommendation included in the
currently effective European standard [1]. The pictorial diagram of the stand was presented in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Arrangement of the stand for the beam end connector shear test, due to the rules provided by [1].

The test stand presented in Fig. 1 is comprised of rigidly mounted short section of a column, to which a hook with
beam’s fragment was affixed. In the conducted tests stiffness of the area next to the joint was ensured by means of
doubling the horizontal elements situated near the examined joint. The adopted cantilever beam’s length amounted
approximately 600 mm. Free ending of the beam, in the distance around 500 mm from the side wall of the column,
was stiffened by means of joint support that enabled possibility of adjustment in the vertical direction, so that the
beam was in the horizontal position all the time during the tests. Load was applied to the test element by means of
hydraulic actuator ended with ball joint.
The load jack was put on the beam in the possible minimum and technically acceptable distance from the hook’s
endplate. Stand’s frame provided adequate rigidity and geometric invariability during the beam’s loading process.
Control of the horizontal position of the beams during the test was realised by means of inclinometers mounted near
the hook’s endplate. Adjusting support was rectified on a current basis, in accordance to indications of the
inclinometers, so that pursuant to the requirements of the standard [1] maintain the horizontal position of the tested
beam’s section. The used inclinometers were connected by means of wires with a central unit, which registered the
obtained results in a totally automated manner. Recording took place in the set and programmed time intervals,
correlated to the load increment. Sensitivity of reading of the inclinometers was set at 0.01°. The test stand was
presented in Fig. 2.
234 Paweł A. Król et al. / Procedia Engineering 91 (2014) 232 – 237

Fig. 2. General view of the test stand (before the experiment).

3. Course of experiments and analysis of test results

The tests were carried out in total in the laboratory of the Institute of Building Engineering of Warsaw University
of Technology, making use of the available equipment and technical facilities. Characteristic load values obtained
during the tests were automatically recorded with designation of the stage of experiment, from which they
originated. The load was transferred by means of hydraulic actuators by additional cross-beam, simultaneously into
two sections of the beams situated on one side of the column (configuration of single-sided joints). Specificity of the
examined rack system resulted in the necessity of modification of the initial elements intended for the tests, by filling
of the closed cross-section of the beam with high resistance low-shrink mortar. Such a treatment was made due to
insufficiently high resistance of the walls of the beam’s cross-section on clamping. The beam’s cross-section was
subject to breaking with a load values not causing any deformations within the tested hook. Such adopted
configuration of joint resulted in the fact that the shear strength of the joint was limited by resistance of the cross-
section of the used beam on local clamping, originating from application of load to a certain point, practically not
present in the actual structure in the form of a single force with such a significant value.
The observed manner of behaviour of the structure provided information only regarding the given element that
was the weakest joint component, but not added anything more, which would allow for correct evaluation of its
bearing strength. It also did not enable to evaluate the characteristics of joint strength at the place of contact of the
hook with the column, which was the main, planned purpose of the test. Having regard to the above-mentioned,
authors of the paper deemed increasing of the beam’s resistance as appropriate, for the purpose of determination of
the value of the force causing deformation or total breaking of the examined hook. Fig. 3 presents the manner of
breaking of the tested beam’s section without the applied filling. Fig. 4 presents the characteristic dimensions of the
hook’s endplate and the manner of joining with the hook.
 Paweł A. Król et al. / Procedia Engineering 91 (2014) 232 – 237 235

Fig. 3. The observed way of destruction, specific to the beam without any internal filling.

Fig. 4. Side-views of the beams used in experiment.

In case of elements with filled space within the beam’s cross-section substantial increase of the value of loading
force was obtained, the value of which caused visual deformations or even breaking of the hook as a result of acting
of transverse force. The value of the force breaking the hook was determined for four of the conducted experiments
and, pursuant to the recommendations of the standard [1], the value of the hook’s resistance in shearing was
determined. Characteristic manner of breaking of the hook was presented in Fig. 5.
236 Paweł A. Król et al. / Procedia Engineering 91 (2014) 232 – 237

Fig. 5. The observed way of hooks destruction, specific to the beam with internal filling.

Values of shear strength were calculated making allowance for correction, taking into consideration the actual
yield limit and thickness of the examined elements. Precise manner for determination of the value of adjustment was
taken from the research paper [2]. Characteristic value of the shear strength was determined pursuant to the
European standard [1] on the basis of the following dependencies:

Rk Rm  k s ˜ s (1)

where: Rm - the mean value of the adjusted test results,

ks - coefficient given in Table 13 of [1] based on 95 % fractile at a confidence level of 75 %,
s - the standard deviation of the adjusted test results,

1 n
s ¦ ( Rni  Rm ) 2
(n  1) i 1
(2)

n - number of tests results in the group,

Rni - individual test result, corrected for thickness and yield stress.

The values of the corrected breaking forces (failure loads), average value of corrected failure load and
characteristic shearing strength of the hooking-type joint are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Characteristic value of the shear strength and values of failure loads.
Number Corrected failure Mean corrected failure load Characteristic value of the shear
of test load (kN) (kN) strength, according to (A.13) [1]
(kN)
1 40.96
2 45.12
43.22 38.41
3 44.16
4 42.64

4. Conclusions

On the basis of the conducted analysis the following conclusions may be formulated:
x Characteristic value of the shear strength given in Table 1 represents the value of the force acting on one
 Paweł A. Król et al. / Procedia Engineering 91 (2014) 232 – 237 237

tested element only, with a standard deviation equal to 1.83 kN. Relatively high value of the correction
factor ks, which according to the standard [1] and concerning such number of tests, amounts to 2.63,
indicates significant impact on the obtained result;
x During similar tests conducted by the Team from the Rzeszow University of Technology the obtained
characteristic value of shear strength for one hook joint was equal to 29.72 kN with a standard deviation
amounting to 1.77 kN, according to [3]. Nevertheless, the results were determined for the hook’s endplate
with smaller basic geometric dimensions and smaller number of hooking teeth. That gives a basis for
admitting the result obtained during the hereby research (i.e. conducted by the authors of this paper) as
highly probable and actually reflecting the method of operation of the examined elements and their real
behaviour;
x Impact of the manner of reinforcing of the tested beam’s fragment, by filling of the closed cross-section of
the beam with high resistance low-shrink mortar, discussed in chapter 3 of the hereby paper requires
exceptionally high level of attention. Reaching about 10% of the difference in values of the average
corrected breaking force attributable to single element, suggests the necessity of analysing other
possibilities of reinforcing of the beams during the shear strength tests. Application of other, strengthened
cross-sections during tests of the shear strength of the hook’s endplate should be taken into consideration as
an alternative;
x The difference between the adopted test method, and the real method for transferring of load by the stored
goods should also be taken into consideration in such type of analyses;
x Value of the shear strength of the hooking-type joint used in this study is significantly related to resistance
and stiffness of the used beam’s cross-section. It means that in case of using thin-walled cross-sections with
insignificant resistance to transverse forces or concentrated loads, resistance of the beam’s cross-section
will be the factor limiting the possibility of complete utilization of the hooking-type joints’ bearing
capacity;
x In a situation when in the complex rack system some steel elements with lower resistance parameters
comparing to other significantly stronger components are applied all together, breaking usually regards the
weaker elements. In the examined case, the columns made of steel of higher resistance were subjected to
much smaller permanent deformation in relation to the hooking-type endplate;
x The research presented in the paper can be considered as a preliminary study. At this stage the scope of the
conducted tests does not give any basis for formulation of more specific recommendations for the design
practice. The obtained results and observed regularities may be a basis for continuation of such type of
research in the near future.

References

[1] EN 15512:2009, Steel static storage systems. Adjustable pallet racking systems. Principles for structural design, European Committee for
Standardization, Brussels, 2009.
[2] P.A. Król, M. Papadopoulos-WoĨniak, J. Wójt, Badania podatnych wĊzáów zaczepowych rygiel-sáup w stalowych regaáach magazynowych
wysokiego skáadowania (Experimental tests on semi-rigid beam-to-column joints in steel storage pallet racks), in: Czasopismo InĪynierii
Lądowej, ĝrodowiska i Architektury (Journal of Civil Engineering, Environment and Architecture), Quarterly, Vol. XXX, Issue 60 (No.
2/2013), Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Rzeszowskiej, Rzeszów, 2013, pp. 153-174, (in Polish).
[3] A. Kozáowski, L. ĝlĊczka, Experimental analysis of beam-to-column joints in steel storage pallet racks, in: Proceedings of the 3rd European
Conference on Steel Structures - Eurosteel, Coimbra, 2002, pp. 897-906.