BUCKLING BEHAVIOR OF A WHEEL COUPLER HIGH-FORMWORK SUPPORT SYSTEM BASED ON SEMI-RIGID CONNECTION JOINTS

Abstract

To clarify the buckling behavior of a wheel coupler high-formwork support system with a diagonal bracing, the positive and negative bending behaviors of the connection joints of the support were systematically studied through experiments. Through a parametric analysis and a finite element analysis, a precise numerical model of the connection joints of the wheel coupler was established and verified. Based on the characteristics of the semi-rigid connections, the buckling behavior of the overall structure was analyzed. The results showed that the failure modes in the positive direction were correlated with the insertion depth of the socket into the template; the greater the depth, the more likely the socket was to fracture. The failure modes in the negative direction were closely related to the insertion depth and the bending of the vertical post. An appropriate joint density was conducive to the overall stability. In the presence of a lateral constraint at the top, the greater the angle between the diagonal bracing and the horizontal plane, the better the overall stability under the same joint density. The optimal layout of the vertical diagonal bracing was a 2-span, 4-step arrangement, and the optimal angle was in the range of 30–70°. In the absence of a lateral constraint at the top, the smaller the angle between the diagonal bracing and the horizontal plane, the better the overall stability under the same joint density. The optimal angle was approximately 30° when the lift height was moderate.