5 Design Elements for Safe, Heavy-duty Racking

L O A D R A C K S
5 D E S I G N E L E M E N T S
O R S A F E , H E A V Y -
F
U T Y R A C K I N G
D
D E S I G N E L E M E N T S

L O A D R A C K S
POORLY
DESIGNED
RACKING IS A
SAFETY
HAZARD THAT
SHOULDN’T BE
OVERLOOKED
HEAVY-DUTY RACKING
Most fabricators have some type of
It’s easy to assume they can handle
heavy-duty racking, and the specifics
the same weight—especially if the
behind their design shouldn’t be
advertised steel sizes and weight
overlooked. Poorly designed racking
capacities are the same.
can be one of the most dangerous
hazards on the shop floor.
The truth, however, is that just like
pickup trucks, you need to do more
What exactly makes a Ford F-250
than kick the tires to ensure you’re
cost more than an F-150? From the
getting a racking system engineered
outside, they look pretty much the
to safely handle your required loads
same, right? It’s not until you lift the
over years of use. The racking you
hood and check the undercarriage
select should contain five critical
that you notice what makes the F-
design elements: 50-KSI I-beams,
250 capable of handling higher
A325 bolts, a 100 percent load
payloads. That’s what makes it
utilization, fully welded arms, and
worth more of your hard-earned
full load-bearing cradles and shelves
cash.
(where applicable).
The same idea applies to structural
Let’s have a look under the hood to
storage racking. When comparing
see how each of these design
different systems at face value, you
aspects affects how effective and
see I-beam construction, heavy-duty
safe your racking can be.
bolts, and structural bracing.

Strong Rack Materials
Choose
it comes to storing heavy
When
the shape and type of steel
materials,
for columns, arms, and shelf
used
significantly affect the racking
beams
performance. Hot-rolled,
system’s
or standard-shape I-
wide-flange,
offer sufficient mass to handle
beams
loads. They also resist damage
high
material handling equipment.
from
cold-rolled or roll formed
Thin-gauge
relies on its shape to support the
steel
Once this type of steel is
weight.
it becomes compromised
damaged,
may no longer support its
and
weight capacity.
designed
soda can trick illustrates this
The
When executed carefully, a
concept.
person can stand on a soda
small
without crushing it—not because
can
extremely sturdy but because its
it’s
in an undamaged state, can
design,
the weight. However, push a
handle
dent in its side and the can will
small
same principle applies to roll
The
steel in racking. Its design can
formed
certain thresholds of weight, but
hold
steel members are susceptible to
the
which can compromise the
damage,
system’s integrity.
racking
in racking systems is normal.
Deflection
heavy material is loaded and
As
the racking shelf or arm will
unloaded,
from holding heavy material and
deflect
to its original position when
return
This can happen thousands of
unloaded.
stronger the steel is, the more
The
it can support before
product
deformation becomes
permanent
Over time, as products are
evident.
loaded and unloaded,
repeatedly
will begin to appear in a
deformation
grade of steel, whereas 50-KSI
cheaper
will continue to bring the shelf or
steel
benefit to using steel with a
Another
KSI is that the rack design can
higher
heavier loads with less mass.
handle
example, a cantilevered arm made
For
a lower-KSI steel will need to be
of
to handle the same weight as
larger
arm fabricated out of 50-KSI steel.
an
a system built with 50-KSI
Choosing
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C H O O S E
S T R O N G
1
R A C K
M A T E R I A L S
Choose Strong
Rack Materials
When it comes to
storing heavy
materials
times over the life of a rack.
collapse under the same weight.
arm back to its original position.
steel can help save space.

uild a sturdy, heavy-duty racking system, it’s crucial to have strong connections
To
the arms, beams, and columns. This is especially true for cantilever rack systems,
between
provide unobstructed storage for elongated materials like pipes and tubes.
which
racks have just one end of the arm supported by a central column.
Cantilevered
connections matter, as do the type of bolts used. Using high-performing hardware
The
the ASTM A325 bolt can make a real difference in the rack’s overall integrity.
like
A325 bolt is the grade of choice for bridge and building construction. Its heavy hex
The
and long shank length (the nonthreaded portion of the bolt body) make it a suitable
head
oversized hex head provides a wide bearing surface to distribute the load. The
The
shank length ensures that the shear plane—between the arm connector plate
long
the column I-beam, for example—falls on the solid shank and not on the threads.
and
weakest section of a bolt is the threaded region, so while this may appear to be a
The
design difference, it does create a stronger connection. An A325 bolt also adds
small
in an overload situation in which a rack is holding more material than it was
strength
to handle. The bolts also can be hot-dip galvanized to resist corrosion and
engineered
a weather-resistant connection.
provide
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H A R D W A R E
choice for structural rack systems as well.

commonly applied to cantilever racking, 100 percent load
Most
means all arms are loaded simultaneously to their
utilization
economize the column and base design, racks sometimes
To
engineered for average loading, which is less than 100
are
utilization. The idea is that a shop manager believes at
percent
point will all arms be used fully, so the base and column do
no
a cantilever rack with 10 arms, each with a 3,000-
Consider
capacity. When fully loaded, that’s 30,000 lbs. of
pound
to support. A manager in charge of installing a rack
material
insist that no more than eight of the arms will be used at
might
one time. To save money, engineers design the column and
any
to hold 24,000 lbs.
base
is never a good idea. Simply put, whatever the cumulative
This
capacity is on the arms or shelves, the base and
maximum
you are installing double-sided cantilever racks, ensure that
If
system is engineered to support uneven loading. The rack
the
be safe and stable, even if it’s fully loaded on one side
should
empty on the other—a common condition when loading
and
rack for the first time. Never rely on material weight on one
the
to balance out the material weight on the other side.
side
will see no visual cues to tell you whether a system is
You
to meet this capability. For this reason, the
engineered
and engineering documents should disclose that the
design
cantilever racks have been engineered to be
double-sided
loaded on one side, regardless of the loading condition
fully
the opposite side.
on
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A R E E N G I N E E R E D
T O 1 0 0 P E R C E N T
L O A D I N G
maximum rated capacity for a given application.
not need to be engineered to that full capacity.
column must be engineered to match.

storing heavy coils, tools, and dies, it’s hard to plan for
When
weights, shapes, and sizes. Some items will span the
future
of the shelf and rest on both steel support beams, but
width
won’t. When this is the case, it’s important to have a
others
rack designed to be fully load-bearing, no matter where
storage
material sits.
the
example, when storing narrow coils, it’s common practice
For
place the coil in the center of the cradle so that it doesn’t
to
over one or both shelf beams. To compensate, rack
rest
should adjust the angle, width, and thickness of
manufacturers
supports to handle the highest load at the weakest
cradle
center of the cradle. Coil cradles also should be
point—the
so that the coils always rest on a flat surface rather
designed
the edges of the cradles, which can lead to severe
than
and dies come in a variety of shapes and sizes;
Tools
they’re very compact and yet very heavy. As a
sometimes
they might not rest evenly over one or both support
result,
but their heavy weight still must be supported.
beams,
a rack engineered to be fully load-bearing, these
Without
eventually may deform the rack beams and endanger
items
products being stored—and, most critically, the people
the
those products.
handling
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A R E F U L L Y L O A D -
B E A R I N G
creasing or flattening.

heavy-duty racking should have fully welded beams and
Safe,
This is especially important on cantilever racks.
arms.
a forklift driver accidentally pushes the forks up under a
When
arm, he creates an uplift load condition that can be
rack
damaging to an arm that isn’t fully welded. A forklift
especially
a mere 6,000-lb. loading capacity can significantly
with
an arm, especially if it does not have any weight stored
damage
it. Welding around the entire perimeter of the I-beam at the
on
plate increases support to protect the arm from
connector
uplift loads.
these
it’s uncommon to find cantilever racks that aren’t fully
While
you can check the weld to make sure. If it’s not fully
welded,
the area most likely to be missing a weld is the
welded,
of the flange or the side of the web. The rack should
bottom
a fillet weld that is continuous around the arm material
have
connector plate. While some aspects of the weld are
and
to inspect after painting, you can check to make sure
hard
weld is placed evenly at the root of the joint between
the
rack manufacturers design their systems using various
Because
methods and materials, buyers should understand
engineering
these differences affect durability, loading capacity, and
how
safety.
these five design elements in your next racking
Specifying
will result in not only a more durable and sturdy system,
system
one that’s safe for both products and employees. Yes, it
but
cost a little more up front, but just like the F-250, you
may
Buck is industrial storage sales engineer at Ross
Tracy
104 N. Maple Ave., Leola, PA 17540, 800-345-
Technology,
www.rosstechnology.com. Images provided by Ross
8170,
Technology
L O A D R A C K S
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5
A N D A R M S A R E
F U L L Y W E L D E D
the arm and plate material.
A WORTHY INVESTMENT
know you have a product that’s built to handle the job.

http://www.carringtonproducts.com.au/ou
r-products/bending-rolling/
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