Cantilever Storage Rack Base Beam to Column Connection Design

[Enhao Zhang]

I am designing a cantilever storage rack for a warehouse in California, US. The sort that you can see in all Home Depot and Lowes stores where they store their lumbers pieces, wood panels and etc. Below are some pictures.

The column is connected to a base beam using flush end plate. Plate is welded to the front of base beam at fabricator's shop and bolted to column flange on site installation. Both the column and base beam are then anchored to concrete to prevent rack from overturning.

And I need to design this column to base beam connection to be a fixed connection.

Question:
1. Can the weld between base beam and flush end plate be single sided weld? If no, which code (I am thinking AISC 341 or AWS D1.3) prevents from doing so?
2. Can I use the base beam WEB to end plate weld as part of the connection moment capacity analysis? Or should I just use the weld connecting the base beam flanges to end plate to analyze the connection moment capacity?
3. Does the anchor at column end plate help reducing the demand moment to be designed at the weld connection?
4. Is it realistic for manufacturer (certified welder) to do double sided weld at bottom flange of base beam to the end plate? To my knowledge, no cantilever rack manufacturer does double sided weld at base beam currently.

 

[KootK]

1. Can the weld between base beam and flush end plate be single sided weld? If no, which code (I am thinking AISC 341 or AWS D1.3) prevents from doing so?]

While I know of no formal prohibition on it, I don't think that it's a great idea to use one sided welds on those end plate to flange connections to transfer moment induced flange axial forces. It seems like a fracture mechanics nightmare to do so.

2. Can I use the base beam WEB to end plate weld as part of the connection moment capacity analysis? Or should I just use the weld connecting the base beam flanges to end plate to analyze the connection moment capacity?

I'd be tempted to use only the web to end plate connection to resist moment for this.

3. Does the anchor at column end plate help reducing the demand moment to be designed at the weld connection?

I don't feel that it does, at least not appreciably or reliably.