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Research 7
Research 7
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Abstract
The force mechanism and progressive collapse of steel tube-coupler scaffolds were studied under a local load. A distributed optical
fiber system was used to conduct experiments on four different scaffold erections. The stresses of the vertical rods, horizontal rods
and braces had ladder-like distributions; braces sustained most of the axial force, whereas vertical and horizontal rods sustained an
axial force and bending moment. A reasonable numerical analysis strategy is established on the basis of this research and a
comparison with experiments, and the progressive collapse process is simulated using ANSYS software. Horizontal rods and braces
not only provide auxiliary support for the vertical rods, but also contribute to forces throughout the scaffold; internal forces pass
through the two types of bar and are redistributed in each vertical rod such that all vertical rods are associated with forces in the
scaffold. Braces block the spread of local collapse within the same floor while bottom horizontal rods block that from one floor to
another. The addition of braces and bottom horizontal rods can therefore effectively prevent progressive collapse.
Keywords: steel tube-coupler scaffold, distributed optical fiber system, local load, numerical analysis strategy, force mechanism,
progressive collapse
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1. Introduction and the factors that affect stability. Limited research has focused
on the transmission of internal forces within the frame and the
Steel tube-coupler scaffold is one of the most widely used distribution of forces among vertical rods, horizontal rods and
construction support systems in China at present. It has a high braces; in particular, there has been little specialized research.
bearing capacity, it has a convenient assembly and disassembly, Because of the nature of pouring concrete, scaffolds do not exist
it can be used repeatedly and it is easy to transport. The application under a uniform load but are loaded locally in many cases. It is
of this support system has increased with the continuous expansion therefore necessary to study the mechanical mechanism of
of infrastructure in China. According to the relevant provisions frames under local loads.
of the State Council “Management Regulations of Safety Production Research on continuous collapse has focused mainly on
of Construction of Projects”, scaffold collapse is a major hazard structures of reinforced concrete and steel (Song et al., 2015; Xie
source in cities and it should be thoroughly researched. et al., 2010; Cai et al., 2015), and research on the continuous
There have been many studies on steel tube-coupler scaffolds. collapse of temporary support systems, such as steel tube-coupler
These studies have investigated the effects of the lift height, scaffold, is rare.
distance between vertical rods, building span number, brace We studied the effect of local loads on steel tube-coupler scaffold,
setting and extrusion length of vertical rods from top horizontal focusing on the transfer and distribution of internal forces for each
rods on the stability of the overall frame (Lu et al., 2012; Peng et component. We conducted experiments and studied the continuous
al., 2014; Zhang et al., 2012); semi-rigid fasteners and their collapse and its preventive measures using ANSYS LS-DYNA
simulation (Li, 2013; Chen et al., 2010; Pienko et al., 2012); the software to combine the characteristics of scaffold internal forces.
effects of frame erection and steel-tube defects on the overall
stability of steel tubes (Yang, 2014; Liu et al., 2010); the stability 2. Experimental Testing
of steel tubes (Hu et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2016); and the
reliability and simulation of frame stability (Zhang, 2010; Beale 2.1 Test Purpose
et al., 2014; Yue et al., 2015). Research has focused mainly on The aim of experimental testing was to study the transmission
the stability of the overall frame, and especially on vertical rods and distribution of internal forces in each rod for different
*Associate Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230001, China (Corresponding Author, E-mail: chenchenchu@163.com)
**Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230001, China (E-mail: dingkw@ahjzu.edu.cn)
***Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230001, China (E-mail: 1047080558@qq.com)
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Force Mechanism and Progressive Collapse of Steel Tube-coupler Scaffold Under Local Load
erections of steel tube-coupler scaffold (Fig. 1(a)) where the The frame displacement was measured using an HYD-200
frame is under local loads (Fig. 1(b)). displacement meter.
2.2 Test Equipment 2.3 Configuration of the Test Frame and Layout of Optical-
A loading frame and hydraulic jack were used to provide a fiber Measurements
static load (Fig. 1(b)), and the size of the loading force was The test frame had three layers and three spans, with a vertical
controlled using a computer. rod spacing of 950 mm, a lift height of 1300 mm and bottom
A single measurement made using a distributed optical fiber horizontal rods located 100 mm from the ground along two
test system (BOTDA) provided stresses over the coverage area directions of the frame setting braces. The frame erection and
of an optical fiber. The main instruments used were a single- fiber layout are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and Table 1. The average
mode optical fiber and optical-fiber data-acquisition instrument external diameter of rods was 24.159 mm while the average
(Fig. 2). The resolution for static strain measurement is 2(µε). internal diameter was 20.855 mm. The Q235 steel had yield
strength of 235 MPa, a Poisson ratio of 0.3 and a Young modulus
of 2.06 × 105 MPa.
Table 2. Torsion Test Data for Fasteners Table 3. Change in Stress Acting on Vertical Bars
Tightening torque values of Fastener bolt 40N·m Stress rate of change for 10 vertical rod (135KN)
Moment Sa Sb θ Bottom stress Top stress
Test Stress change
(kN·m) (mm) (mm) (rad) (Mpa) (Mpa)
0.1 1.370 0.732 0.003 one −40 −92.2 130.5% (rising)
0.2 2.297 0.874 0.007 two −41.5 −92.8 123.6% (rising)
0.3 2.988 1.011 0.010 three −56.2 −94.3 67.8% (rising)
0.4 4.147 1.246 0.015 four −62.2 −91.4 46.9% (rising)
0.5 6.106 1.484 0.023
0.6 7.797 1.592 0.031
0.7 10.297 1.632 0.043
gradually increased the overall stress acting on vertical rod #10.
0.8 15.297 1.832 0.067
Table 3 shows the percentage change in stress from the bottom to
0.9 21.297 2.732 0.093
top of the rod was a maximum (130.5%) in the first test and a
minimum (46.9%) in the fourth test. The percentage changes in the
The tests reveal that the right-angle fastener does not completely second and third tests were intermediate of these two values, which
prevent rotation between the two steel tubes linked with the indicates that the braces and horizontal rods transfer stress in the
fastener, although it does restrain the rotation. The right-angle vertical rod that connects them, and reduce the stress acting on the
fastener is thus a semi-rigid node rather than a rigid node. corresponding vertical rod. Fig. 11 shows that the stress and load
had a linear relationship for vertical rod #10, and the force acting on
3. Test Results the rod #10 increased from the first to fourth test.
The vertical rod stress was not uniform but had a ladder
3.1 Scaffold Stress distribution from the bottom to top. The stress also increased
Figure 10 shows the curve of the stress gradient for vertical rod gradually in the optical fiber coverage, which indicates that the
#10 from the bottom to top for a hydraulic jack load of 135 kN. vertical rod bore an axial force and a bending moment. The
In a single trial, the overall vertical rod stress had a ladder removal of the brace and the bottom horizontal rod reduced the
distribution, increasing gradually from the bottom to top. The stress difference of vertical rod #10 but a ladder-shaped distribution
stress decreased gradually for each fiber. Comparison of the remained.
results of the four frame-loading tests reveals that the sequential Figures 12, 14 and 16 respectively show changes in the stress
removal of brace #2, bottom horizontal rods and brace #1 gradient for horizontal rods #1, #2 and #3 from left to right, for a
135-kN load. In a single test, the stress of the entire horizontal
Fig. 10. Stress Gradient of Vertical Rod #10 Fig. 12. Stress Gradient of Horizontal Bar #1
Fig. 11. Twenty-eight-point Load–stress Curve Fig. 13. Three-point Load–stress Curve
rod was bound by vertical rod #10; one side was pulled and the
other was in compression. The stress values were not equal, and
the stress did not have a uniform distribution within the optical-
fiber coverage but was higher near vertical rod #10 (fastener)
than in regions away from the fastener. This indicates that the
horizontal rod bore not only an axial force but also a bending Fig. 18. Stress Gradient of Brace #1
Fig. 19. Twenty-point Load–stress Curve Fig. 20. Scaffold Lateral Displacement
Fig. 21. Finite Element Model Fig. 24. One Stress Node
Using beam188 elements to simulate vertical and horizontal (corresponding to the first experimental test). Fig. 22 compares
rods, each rod is divided into three units. Link8 elements are load–stress curves obtained in the first experimental test and the
used to simulate the brace, and each rod is divided into one unit. simulation for 28 test points on vertical rod #10. Fig. 23 compares
The material model and section size are given in Section 2.3 the load–displacement curves obtained in the experiment and
(with the actual frame size as the standard). Combin39 elements simulation for the top of vertical rod #10. The simulation and
are used to simulate the fastener, and the M–θ curve data are experimental curves are consistent, demonstrating that the numerical
given in Table 2. The lower end of the vertical rod is hinged as a analysis method is reasonable.
boundary condition. A perfectly elastoplastic mode and geometric Figure 24 shows the stress distribution map of node 1 (see Fig. 21)
nonlinearity are considered in the analysis. We also conduct when the hydraulic jack load is 135 kN. The vertical rod in the
secondary development of ANSYS. drawing is on the side of the frame and not in the coverage of the
load of the hydraulic jack, but the vertical rod remains involved
4.2 Results of Analysis through the transmission of internal forces in horizontal rods
A numerical simulation is carried out for the entire frame throughout the framework.
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