Has anyone considered Rack Supported structures?
Last Post 17 Sep 2022 02:07 PM by JayCleverly. 10 Replies.
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22 Oct 2020 12:54 AM
I was looking for info on pallet racks and using them for scaffolding and I came across rack supported structures. The idea is if you are building a warehouse that's going to be wall to wall pallet racks, why not support the walls and roof with the rack structure? That way you aren't dealing with pillars or long roof spans. For a warehouse it makes a lot of sense. For a house, probably not but I'm going to put an "RV cover" steel building on my land for extra garage/storage space and I was thinking about putting some rack inside. If I add a little more rack, I can tie it in to the structure to make it much stronger than the plain carport and give me rack storage in the bargain. The only catch I see is having to get permit approval. There is a guy doing 4 story rack supported community and makerspace buildings in India and evidently one in LA. I am going to be looking in to it because I think I can incorporate some off the shelf and modified carport hardware to make something that is strong, durable, very utilitarian and pretty cheap. The construction will lend itself to an external insulation that eliminates thermal bridging. I'm thinking about 1-2" foam with an "attic" fan to keep temperatures ambient so what is inside will get warm but not cook. That's my concern in the desert. The goal is a 35x24' building that can store a 30' RV, possibly 5 cars (vertically) and have some rack storage also. I don't have an RV or 5 cars to store but those are goals and three of those "cars" would probably be spare shells for a project car. Initially it would be a staging area for construction materials for my ICF build.
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22 Oct 2020 12:18 PM
Ground after being disturbed during excavation doesn't seem to lend itself to this. IMHO
"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlins
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22 Oct 2020 07:35 PM
I was thinking of a slab foundation with a few beams.
newbostonconstUser is Offline
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23 Oct 2020 09:52 AM
Most places you still have to go down 2 feet to keep animals out. Ground doesn't end up flat or stable. The you have to over dig to stop caving in per Osha.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlins
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23 Oct 2020 07:05 PM
I don't see what OSHA has to do with a garage or what kind of animal can chew through a concrete slab?
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24 Oct 2020 10:34 AM
Sorry I missed your point....I thought I remember you wanting to use racks to put up ICF walls.

Anyway....You will definitely need a PE to sign off on this. You are planning a variable loaded rack as a structural part of a building. This is not in and not covered by the standard code book so the PE sign off would likely be needed. These rack are made to support in the vertical load direction so you would have to engineer them for shear forces from wind and uplift.

A pole barn has this figured out for a fraction of the cost.

"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlins
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25 Oct 2020 07:57 PM
I wish engineering requirements were more reasonable.

The 25x35' building I want would have 9 rack uprights that would be rated to at least 114,000 lb total load. A worst case scenario is that it would be carrying maybe 2,500 lbs worth of roof and walls and 15,000 lbs of load on the racks if I decide to stack really heavy stuff on the racks. That's a safety factor of 6.5 on top of the safety factor baked in to the rack.

Beside the shear resistance of the rack, the walls and roof would do more than just be along for the ride...

I'm pretty sure I could get a PE to sign off on it but at what cost?

I could get a "standard" carport and spend less to get a weak structure that doesn't suit my needs as well but why not let people upgrade if they can build it better?

If you know of any PEs that would sign off on this cheap, let me know.
newbostonconstUser is Offline
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26 Oct 2020 11:06 AM
Might make you think twice.....

https://youtu.be/i8YdMhCEqsQ

https://youtu.be/raSJaiGjEIs

https://youtu.be/ZXvWARWM-OE
"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlins
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27 Oct 2020 07:53 PM
A heavily loaded pallet rack collapse caused by forklift damage to the legs is not the type of thing that will happen. That's a buckling compression failure and the key to that is it needs compression or it won't buckle that way.

My worst case scenario would be a 19,000 lb rack upright with about 3,500 lbs load (possibly 7,000 lbs carried by two uprights) my typical load would be 1/2 that. Now if I manage to back an RV in to an upright, first, I'm going to be careful not to hit it and second I'm going to be going slow because moving an RV in or out of the garage will be infrequent. It's not the same thing as a minimum wage big box store employee whipping around on a big forklift.

If I did manage to hit a rack hard, I think it would be more likely to just twist the building because there won't be enough load to buckle the upright, it will just bend and being connected to the wall and roof structure (shear panels), it will just twist and warp it. That would take one hell of a hit too.

If the price isn't too much higher, I'll go for 30,000 lb 3x3" structural rack uprights and have even more safety factor.
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28 Oct 2020 11:31 AM
No worries....you won't get it approved anyway. Then when you sell the Home inspector will have a field day with it which will get to the mortgage underwriters.....Sad life we live in.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlins
JayCleverlyUser is Offline
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17 Sep 2022 02:07 PM
Do I need a Racking Inspection? Rack inspections are required under the Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) and PUWER Guidelines, which states that, pallet racking 'falls under the category of work equipment, which must be maintained and inspected on a regular basis'. Why should I use a SEMA Approved Inspector? SEMA inspectors have to pass rigorous training and evaluation before they can become an approved inspector. By utilising a SEMA Approved Rack Inspector, you can relax in the knowledge that your racking is being inspected to the highest industry standards. Inspections cover the following: The condition of your racking Assessment of the professionalism of design and installation Correct usage of racking Housekeeping Any other observations that may help you to maintain safe working practices regarding the racking See more information about racking inspections here -> (https://michaelvaughanrackingservices.co.uk/)
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