Advanced form finding of cable roof structures integral with supporting frames: Numerical methods and case studies

Abstract

Traditional form-finding methods usually assume that the boundary conditions of cable roofs are fixed constraints without considering the influence of the supporting frame. However, the cable roof interacts with the supporting frame and they work together as a whole. Pre-tensioning for cables will cause the deformation of the supporting frame toward the center, which will lead to the deviation between the actual initial equilibrium state and the target design result, especially the interconnection between the cable roof and the flexible supporting frame. To solve this problem, the interaction mechanism between the cable roof and supporting frame was first analyzed theoretically in this study. A novel form finding method of cable roof structures integral with supporting frames was proposed. The parameters that affect the form-finding result were analyzed, including the prestress, the stiffness of the supporting frame, and the stiffness of the cable. For the convenience of engineering applications, this method was developed using the ABAQUS software and was compiled in the Python language. According to different types of cable roofs, two form-finding schemes and two algorithmic procedures were proposed. The form-finding results of six typical cases were presented. The novel method was confirmed to be feasible and may be valuable for engineering applications.