Test on axial bearing capacity of the wedge type locking mechanism for clamp

The driver-grip locking mechanism is a critical component of the full-structure clamp, and its axial bearing performance determines the structural reinforcement effect of the clamp. Axial bearing capacity tests are carried out in this paper for four specifications of driver-grip locking mechanisms with 15° wedge-angle through model experiments. A comparative analysis is conducted on the influence of grip tooth pitch and tooth apex angle on the locking bearing performance, and an empirical formula for the axial bearing capacity of a single tooth with 15° wedge-angle driver-grip locking mechanism in relation to bite depth is obtained. The test results show that under the same bite depth, the bearing capacity of a single tooth with 90° apex angle is greater than that of the tooth with 80° apex angle for driver-grip locking mechanisms with different tooth pitches.