Numerical and Experimental Study on the Member Performance and Stability Bearing Capacity of Wheel Coupler Formwork Supports

To evaluate the performance of wheel coupler formwork support components, the bearing capacity of the horizontal bar, the shear capacity of the wheel, the shear capacity of the sleeve, and the stability bearing capacity of the single- and double-layer vertical poles were investigated through systematic full-scale tests. The feasibility and correctness of the experiment were verified by comparing the results with those of a finite element analysis. The results demonstrated that the weak point of the horizontal bar was the bearing capacity of the weld at the connection between the socket and the horizontal bar. Preventing buckling failure of the weld at the connection between the horizontal bar and the socket was critical to ensure the bearing capacity of the horizontal bar. Under the action of a shearing force, the wheel underwent buckling failure of the welding seam at the connection between the wheel and the vertical pole. With a decreasing number of connecting horizontal bars on the wheel, the shear capacity of the wheel decreased significantly. The shear failure mode of the sleeve was buckling failure. The connection weld did not undergo buckling failure during the load-bearing process, which was basically meeting the serviceability state. The failure of a single-layer vertical pole was typical with lateral displacement buckling, while the double-layer vertical pole did not undergo buckling with lateral displacement.