Transient Analysis of Pallet Rack Structural Members With Point‐Masses by Means of the GBT

Abstract Thin‐walled open cross‐sections members suffer section deformations which significantly affect their stiffness and consequently their dynamic behavior. Two different numerical models of a rack cold‐formed structure are developed; one using shell finite elements and another one using Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) based finite elements. The models include point masses in order to simulate the weight of stored pallets. The feasibility and accuracy of the GBT model is investigated by carrying out a transient analysis. The displacement fields of several points obtained through both models are compared. The main objective of this paper is to describe how accurate the GBT can be in analyzing the dynamic behavior of pallet rack members by comparing the results obtained by the GBT and the shell models. It also describes some of the advantages of this method, such as the way in which boundary conditions can be incorporated or deformation modes can be evaluated.