High-performance engineered structural systems are crucial for sustainable development in the field of construction. In our previous research, a novel steel–concrete composite beam with transverse and longitudinal hidden girders exhibited good flexural behavior and desirable ductility. However, there is a dearth of studies on the flexural response of a steel–concrete composite slab voided with thin-walled core boxes. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the overarching flexural mechanism of the proposed structure when subjected to uniform vertical loads. The experimental detection results illustrated that the deflection value of the composite beam was 95.75% less than the GB/T 50152-2012 recommendation. Numerical results further validated this observation. The recorded data from the strain profile at the mid-span of the frame girder indicated that there was a considerable membrane effect, which delayed the strain growth of rebars, yielding appreciable bearing capacity. Thus, two original approaches to predicting the ultimate load of this novel structure are proposed, considering limit analysis using the upper-bound method and the membrane effect, with the latter closely linked to the experimental results. The findings can promote the extensive application of similar sustainable systems and inspire further advancements in advanced engineering structures.

Scaffolding is an integral temporary structural system in the field of construction engineering. However, the current scaffolding commonly has the shortcomings of low construction efficiency and high risk. This paper proposes a novel socket-type keyway steel pipe scaffolding, which can well solve the shortcomings of the existing scaffolding. Due to less research related to scaffolding in the past decades, it has resulted in a high number of scaffolding accidents. In order to avoid the occurrence of scaffolding accidents, it is necessary to systematize the study of this novel type of scaffolding. This study is an extremely important reference for the use and design of this novel type of scaffolding. To explore the ultimate load capacity and destabilization mode of the novel socket-type keyway steel pipe scaffolding, full-scale tests were conducted on the socket-type keyway steel pipe scaffolding with cantilever heights of 1.2 m and 0.5 m. The test results indicate that the ultimate load capacity of the scaffolding with a cantilever height of 1.2 m is 196 kN, and the destabilization mode is local instability. The ultimate load capacity with a cantilever height of 0.6 m is 276 kN, and the destabilization mode is half-wave buckling. This phenomenon shows that the different cantilever heights of the scaffolding have a significant effect on the load capacity and destabilization mode. Moreover, the load capacity decreases significantly with increasing cantilever length. The finite element model was established using SAP2000 v21 and compared with the test results. The error between the ultimate load capacity in the finite element linear elastic buckling analysis and the test results is 25%. The error between the calculated ultimate load capacity in the nonlinear buckling analysis considering the initial geometrical defects and the test results is 4%. Therefore, the nonlinear buckling analysis considering the initial geometrical defects is more in line with the force situation of the structure in the real situation.

The all-steel attached lifting protection platform widely employed in recent years has always suffered from self-weight issues and corrosion. Aluminum alloy is the ideal option for steel owing to its low bulk density and resistance to corrosion and rust. However, its elastic modulus is insufficient, causing the deformation of the structure to easily exceed the limitation of the Code for Design of Aluminum Alloy Structures. Therefore, this study recommended using sorbite stainless steel with high strength and a reasonable price as the guide rail of a protection platform having a significant force in conjunction with aluminum alloy to maximize their advantages. Regarding the overall structure, Midas GEN was used to verify whether their deformation adheres to the specifications. For exploring the stiffness of exact nodes, the wall-attached support was modeled by Abaqus, discovering that its maximum composite deformation is 0.725 mm, and its highest stress (490.2 MPa) appears at the intersection of the bottom and the side plate. Additionally, the influence of three key factors (the cantilever height of the protection platform, the horizontal spacing between two wall-attached supports, and the sectional size of the main frame fittings) on the structural deformation was investigated. Finally, the cost per extension meter was compared between the all-steel and the novel sorbite stainless steel-aluminum alloy attached lifting protection platform. The findings of the aforementioned works can effectively guide the design and construction of this novel structure and play a crucial role in its popularization and application.

This study presents experimental investigations of the flexural bearing capacity of the lower load-bearing structures of pull-up cantilever scaffolds with adjustable steel tie rods. First, load-bearing structures with three different specifications are tested to analyze their primary failure modes and failure mechanisms. The experimental results are then simulated and validated using a finite element analysis (FEA) method. Subsequently, an extended parametric analysis is performed numerically, and a simplified calculation formula is derived through nonlinear curve fitting to evaluate the load-bearing capacity. Finally, the effects of the transverse spacing of the vertical rods, the length of the cantilever beams, and the spacing of the hanging ears on the flexural bearing capacity of the structures are analyzed.