Analysis of the load bearing capacity of scaffoldings used in Poland

Abstract

The paper presents static-strength analyses of 120 scaffoldings used on construction sites in Poland in the period 2016-2018. The geometry of each analysed scaffolding was taken from measurements made on the construction sites, and the scaffolding loads were determined on the basis of the standards requirements. The results of scaffolding inventory, surveying measurements, measurements of axial forces in standards, and measurements of scaffolding accelerations during vibrations were used to create numerical scaffolding models. For each scaffolding, buckling load analysis and linear static analysis were performed for four load cases which took into account self-weight, parallel and perpendicular wind actions and service load. On the basis of numerical analyses, it was found that 14 scaffoldings could fail due to loss of stability. For 56 scaffoldings, the ultimate limit state condition was not met in at least one group of components, therefore 47% of tested scaffoldings should not be approved.

Influence of anchoring and bracing system on dynamic characteristics of façade scaffolding

“…It is neither directly affecting the human comfort since during strong winds works at scaffolding are usually suspended. Nevertheless wind action should be carefully taken into account during the design of scaffolding structure [4][5][6][7][8][9][10], especially keeping in mind that these forces are highly increased in case of scaffolding structures with cladding or protective nets [11]. Seismic action is of great importance in design of scaffolding in regions with high seismic activity, while paraseismic action produced by nearby traffic [2,3] is usually of less importance.…”