MODERN CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS FOR PRESTRESSED CABLE DOMES AND WAYS TO IMPROVE THEM

To create fundamentally new innovative large-span structures of buildings and structures coverings, modern design solutions of prestressed cable domes of the Tensegrity type are considered. The service life of the first built Tensigrity domes is only 35 years. These are fairly new, effective structures that require careful study and use of modern scientific approaches for their design using software systems, since their work under load and the construction process are quite complex. The design analysis and erection of self-stressed structures is based on the invention of an equilibrium structure, the so-called tensegrity form. The search for the shape is multidimensional and consists of the stage of computational analysis of a self-stressed dome for the equilibrium position of elements and their nodes, selection of the most stable and rigid structure, as well as taking into account possible unfavorable loads during operation and the initial load in the elements from the application of prestressing. To determine the shape of cable domes, a nonlinear programming problem with given axial forces is formulated, which can be considered as the problem of minimizing the difference in the total strain energy between the elements of the cables and struts under constraints on the compatibility conditions. The first step in calculating the prestressing of a cable dome is to assess the feasibility of its geometry. The possibility of forming a cable dome of negative Gaussian curvature is considered and a method for calculating the prestressing for this new shape is investigated. The proposed method is effective and accurate in determining the allowable prestressing for a cable dome with negative Gaussian curvature and can be used for other types of prestressed structures. The new directions for the development of effective constructive solutions for large-span coatings are presented, including a suspended-dome structure, which combines the advantages of a mesh shell and a cable dome. Special attention should be paid to experimental studies on models of tensegrity domes, the results of which demonstrate the positive and negative aspects of the behavior of structures under load, the process of their erection, as well as the possibility of control and restoration during operation.

Numerical Model for High Relative Capacity of Tensegrity Cable Domes

The tensegrity cable domes are a type of structures composed of compressed bars and tensioned cables. They are characterized by an exceptional innovation in terms of lightness. Research in this area is booming towards multiple applications. In the absence of an approach linking design by dimensioning, this article aims to propose a procedure for verifying the design while seeking a better lightness of the structure. The article uses the novelty of the methods applied for this kind of structure, using the hypothesis of geometric nonlinearity, to find the best solution, verifying all the sizing criteria. Through an example of a simple cables dome, we have shown the feasibility of this approach. The shape of the triangles forming the basis of design, have a direct relationship on the relative capacity, this last has been significantly improved, This method can easily be applied to other examples of more complex cables domes.