David Beneke Consulting was commissioned by Schaefer Systems International to undertake a proof check of two satellite racking systems for their client Pepsico. The racking systems were to be installed for sites at Mahul and Bazpur, India.   Each rack system was modelled in 3 dimensional form using 1 dimensional line elements to represent the uprights, beams, pallet rails and frame bracing. Properties such upright base and beam/upright rotational stiffnesses were incorporated into the finite element analysis model (FEA) via discrete moment end releases.

As a part of developing a Chinese manufactured equivalent of the SRM-1200 high bay pallet racking crane, Dematic commissioned David Beneke Consulting to investigate the ultimate and fatigue capacity of 4 castings which form part of the roller connection between the lifting carriage and mast of the crane. 

As a part of assisting Dematic in their design of selective pallet racking for earthquake loading, David Beneke Consulting was commissioned to investigate the vertical load versus displacement characteristics of one their upright footplates. This data could then be used to derive the ductility of this connection in an attempt to reduce levels of earthquake loads.

David Beneke Consulting was commissioned by SSI Schaefer Austria to undertake a proof check of a high bay rack clad building for Blum, Sydney. Conventional high bay pallet racking is such that the rack is independent of the building structure that houses it. In this case though, roof and wall cladding is directly applied to the rack. Accordingly no independent building structure is required.

David Beneke Consulting was commissioned by Dematic to undertake a proof check of a high bay satellite racking system for their client New Cold.

Individual 3D FEA models were created for the Static, Cross-aisle seismic and Down-aisle seismic analyses. The FEA models were created using 1D line elements representing uprights, frame braces, rails, sigma beams and bracing tower members. The inner 30 bays of the rack were represented by a single plane of frames with 30 times the mass and stiffness of a typical frame. This was done in order to reduce model size and computation time.

David Beneke Consulting was commissioned by Witron Germany to undertake a proof check of a LFS sequencer which forms part of a large automated distribution centre in Brisbane. The purpose of the sequencer is to temporarily store totes prior to being organised into a mixed pallet. The sequencer consists of both light gauge steel and hot rolled steel members. The hot rolled steel members are significant as they support a specialised lift which moves totes from ground based conveyors to and from the light gauge steel temporary storage compartments of the sequencer.

Bito Lagertechnik in Germany, developed a light gauge steel racking system called “Adapto” system which can be used for projects in which tote storage is required. One such adaptation of this system is where the rack is used to temporarily store baggage for airports. David Beneke Consulting was commissioned to undertake 3rd Party structural engineering proof checking services of the Early Bag Storage (EBS) racking at Xian Airport (China), Hong Kong Airport (Hong Kong) and Western Sydney Airport (Australia)