Comparative study and optimal selection for different cable-stiffened latticed shells

Abstract

The cable-stiffened latticed shell can be constructed in varied structural forms by diverse types of single-layer latticed shells and cable-strut systems. So, to provide references for model selection, this paper studied the efficient combination of latticed shells and cable-strut systems in different boundary conditions and proposed a performance evaluation method. The general modeling process was illustrated firstly, and several new structural forms with folded curved surfaces were proposed. Then, based on the improved equilibrium matrix theory, the force-finding analysis was carried out for the initial state, which can guarantee actual mechanical properties in the numerical model. Thus, the overall stiffness, the bearing capacity, and the cable reinforcement effect were obtained through the nonlinear stability analysis. And for the optimal selection from multiple structural forms, AHP-TOPSIS was used to judge the latticed shell system for the first time. The comprehensive structural performances were evaluated and ranked by this multi-attribute decision-making method. Finally, the results showed that the complicated cable-strut system could not necessarily lead to higher structural efficiency. Regardless of the cable-strut layouts, the spherical cable-stiffened latticed shell had a high bearing capacity when the ribbed grid was adopted. For the cylindrical structure, the folded latticed shell divided by orthogonal grids maximized the role of in-plane cables and was considered the best choice.