CFS rack uprights under eccentrical axial force

Industrial pallet racking systems are typically made from thin-walled, cold-formed, and continuously perforated elements. While this design offers remarkable versatility and lightness, it also introduces peculiarities in the structural response, particularly regarding local and distortional instability. This work presents results from an experimental campaign using centered axial load, including “stub-column” and “distortional buckling” tests on a section optimized through a study combining the “effective width method” and the “direct strength method.” The experimental results were reproduced numerically with nonlinear finite element models, extending the analysis to various loading configurations such as pure compression and bending. The numerical models mapped the resistance domain and assessed the optimized mechanical characteristics. Finally, a comparison was made between the resistance domain obtained and that predicted by specialized norms for shelving.