Performance of steel storage racks in the Darfield earthquake
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5459/bnzsee.45.2.61-70Abstract
The author inspected 18 racking installations at various food storage facilities in Christchurch for damage from the 4th September 2010 Darfield Earthquake. The type of racking installations and damage suffered are listed with some photographs of specific damage. The damage ranged from minor to complete collapse with large product loss. Although inspection access was limited, the collapse mechanism for racking installations is assessed and suggested. The damage inspected indicated some variation in the application of design approaches and potential areas where the behaviour of rack structures may not have been fully understood during design. General conclusions are drawn from the damage inspections, and suggestions offered for the refinement and improvement of racking design approaches.
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