Cold-Formed Perforated Uprights: Experimental Evaluation of M-N Domains

Adjustable pallet rack systems are framed structures made of cold-formed steel profiles. The columns of these systems usually are open mono-symmetric perforated profiles. Their design ask for a mixed approach, which combines experimental and analytical evaluations. In service conditions, uprights are mainly subjected to a combination of axial force and bending moments. The main features of these profiles and their variability in terms of sections geometry and layout of perforations stress the need of ad hoc investigations. The study presented in this paper focuses on a typical commercial rack upright, which was ex-perimentally investigated under ‘pure compression’ and under a combination of axial load and bending moment, assigned by applying eccentric compression loads. Specimens with a length of 1 meter were studied and a total of 9 eccentricities were considered. Results al-lowed drawing the normalized M-N domains, pointing out the remarkable interaction between axial load and bending moment.