ISSN: 1945-7553
CODEN: JTEVAB
Page Count: 8

A Method for Determining the Effect of Fasteners on the Stiffness and Strength of Wood Drive-In-Rack Pallets

Urbanik, TJ
Engineer, Forest Products Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Madison, WI

Abstract

Wood pallets are increasingly stored in warehouses with drive-in or drive-through racks. A pallet needs adequate stiffness and strength to function safely under conditions where it spans the rack support rails. When the stringers run parallel to the supports, the fasteners reinforce the deckboard load-carrying ability. This report experimentally determines the effect of fasteners on pallet performance. The effect is characterized in terms of the ratio of the joint rotation modulus to a normalized deckboard bending stiffness. This approach enables the joints to be compared with pinned and rigid joints in a pallet stiffness and strength theory.

Keywords:
pallet, racks, warehouse, fork truck, material handling, design, wood structure, nails, fasteners, joints

Paper ID: JTE10967J
DOI: 10.1520/JTE10967J
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