Benoit Gilbert

BE MES
Postgraduate Research Student
Centre for Advanced Structural Engineering



School of Civil Engineering, Room 360
Phone: +61 2 9351 4393
Fax: +61 2 9351 3343
Email: b.gilbert@usyd.edu.au

Research project - Behaviour and design of drive-in steel storage racks

Supervisor: Prof Kim Rasmussen

This PhD is concerned with the stability and design of drive-in storage racks. This project is triggered by the disproportionately high number of failures of these racks and the shortage of guidelines for their structural design. It is known that drive-in racks fail because of buckling of one or several uprights or overstressing of the bracing system, and that impact forces generally initiate the failure. This project proposes innovative research to firstly understand the nature of the impact, including the structural response, and secondly devise new systems and/or components that enable drive-in racks to withstand impact without suffering local or global failure. This project will also provide a scientific basis for the design of drive-in racks.