STATIC AND DYNAMIC HANDLING STABILITY OF SERVER RACK COMPUTERS

This paper discusses the static and dynamic stability analysis of rack or frame computer/server products during shipping and relocation. The static stability is the ability of server products to resist tipping over on a typical raised floor in a datacenter or when it is installed in its operational product environment. The dynamic stability is the ability to resist tipping over when a velocity change occurs during re-location either on flat or inclined planes. The product consists of a frame or a rack in which components such as processor units, input-output units and power supplies are installed. The static stability analysis presented here calculates the tip over threshold angle, which is the maximum angle of an inclined plane on which the product can be placed without tipping over. The location of the installed components in a frame, the dimension and weight of the installed components, and the dimension of the product dictate the overall static stability of the product. Specifically, those parameters affect the location of the center of gravity of the product and the tip over threshold angle The tip over threshold angle is a critical parameter influencing the dynamic stability of the product.. The dynamic stability of an unpackaged product moving on casters can be calculated using the conservation of mechanical energy principle. Finite element modeling is a good way to evaluate the dynamic stability of a product during manual handling or mechanical handling; for instance, on a forklift. The objective of the finite element modeling is to provide guidelines on the maximum speed, minimum radius curvature, and safe turning speed of a forklift when transporting a product. The main objective of the analysis presented here is to provide a method for analyzing the static and dynamic stability of a rack style computer server product during shipping, relocation, and handling.