PSI - Issue 78

Alessandro Mei et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 120–127

127

• the investigated reinforcement systems also improve the energy dissipation capacity of dry joints, which could lead to better seismic performance of rack structures and reduced damage during earthquakes, • in cyclic tests, specimens r03 and r04 exhibited more than double the energy dissipation capacity of unreinforced joints, while r06 exceeded it by more than three times, • reinforcements using 90° brackets fastened with rivets, self-drilling screws, or bolts proved particularly effective; they maintain moment and vertical load transfer through the beam-column joint even after weld failure, ensuring a more ductile and resilient response compared to unreinforced joints, • in all tests, the first element to fail was the weld between the pallet beam and the connector; therefore, the most effective reinforcement systems are those that best assume load transfer after weld failure. 6. Acknowledgment The authors thank the racking company ROSSS, Scarperia e San Piero (Florence), especially the President, Silvano Simone Bettini, for providing materials for conducting the tests. The authors appreciate the work of Enzo Barlacchi, Andrea Giachetti, Edoardo Cappelli and Linda Zeni, for their contribution during the experimental tests. This study is part of the SAVE-RackS research project, developed under the scientific supervision of Maurizio Orlando and Giovanni Lavacchini, with financial support from the Tuscany Region within the framework of the Regional Operational Program PR FESR TOSCANA 2021-2027 - Action 1.1.4. References ANSI - RMI. (2023). ANSI MH16.1-2023: Specification for the Design, Testing and Utilization of Industrial Steel Storage Racks . Bajoria, K. M., Sangle, K. K., & Talicotti, R. S. (2010). Modal analysis of cold-formed pallet rack structures with semi-rigid connections. Journal of Constructional Steel Research , 66 (3), 428 – 441. 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