A Comparasion of Rack Supprted Warehouse vs. Conventional Steel Frame Research Paper

A Comparasion of Rack Supprted Warehouse vs. Conventional Steel Frame Buildings - Research Paper Example Warehouse construction is a flourishing industry and thus requires sophisticated methods of construction to fulfill the requirement. Loading and unloading of goods is required that are stored on pallets which are in turn placed on pallet racks. Cranes and forklifts are used to transport these goods to and from the pallets racks to the transportation vehicles. Conventional steel frame structures have been used to build the warehouses, but with the advancement of technology, rack supported warehousing is also in practice. But the two structural designs need to be analyzed and compared in terms of their usage, economic viability, technical feasibility and storage capacity. The two structural systems will be explained briefly before proceeding with the comparison. Steel frame structure A skeleton frame is used in the conventional steel frame which is based on vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams or trusses. The roofs and walls are attached to the frame and are supported by const ructing the building in a rectangular grid. Material storage is provided through freestanding racks (Kotecki and McHugh, 2009). Hot rolled steel structures and cold form steel structures are the two types of steel frame structures. A wide choice is available in the cross sections of the single storied hot rolled steel industrial building, but economical viability is usually granted through limited number of shapes. A 250Mpa of strength is yielded by the cross section used in the hot rolled steel industrial building (Satpute and Varghese, 2012). The cold form steel building is a pre-engineered structure that has been tested through time for its aesthetic and structural quality. Components of cold form steel Main frame, which is based on I-sections with columns and rafters made of hot rolled sections. Secondary frame, which is provided through Z or C sections. Purlins, eave struts and side girts are used. Wind bracing is provided through circular cross section rods. Exterior cladding is provided through trapezoidal sheeting. Various options are provided through the steel frame construction in terms of width, height and roof slope to suit the operational requirement of the main building structure that will house the pallet racks. In case of a warehouse the following options are commonly used: Clear span, straight column steel building frame: no interior supporting columns are needed, which provides a column free space for steel storage racks (Armstrong Steel, 2012). Width =16’ to 50’ and over, Height =8’ to 60’ and over, Standard roof slope = 1/2:12 to 1:12. Multiple span, straight column steel building frame: interior columns are provided to distribute the load and reduce the cost (Armstrong Steel, 2012). Width =10’ to 600’ and over, Height of=20’ to 60’ and over, standard roof slope =1/2:12. Multiple spans, tapered column steel building frame: tapered columns and interior straight columns are provided in t his structure (Armstrong Steel, 2012). Width = 10’ to 600’ and over, Height =20’ to 60’ and over, standard roof slope =1/2:12. Multiple spans, single slope steel building frame: a sloped roof is provided by adding walls of different height on both the sides creating a slope (Armstrong Steel, 2012). Width =10’ to 600’ and over, Height =20’ to 60’ and over, Standard roof slope =1/2:12. The above options may provide the main frame, but free standing pallet racks may be required separately to store the goods. A teardrop style is used to manufacture these racks. The pallets rest on the horizontal load beams that are held in position by mounting clips. The shelves can be adjusted