Experimental and numerical analysis of cable-stiffened single-layer spherical latticed shells

Abstract

As a new type of structure, cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell generally has an increased load-carrying capacity. In the past, greater emphasis was placed on analysing their stability behaviours using finite element method or approximate formulae. This work conducted experimental investigation into the stability behaviour of cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shells. Three experimental models, including one ordinary single-layer spherical latticed shell and two different types of cable-stiffened single-layer spherical latticed shells under three different types of load distributions, were investigated in this study. Corresponding numerical analyses were conducted to investigate the stability behaviour of the latticed shells as well. Both the experimental study and the numerical analyses indicate that the load-carrying capacity of single-layer latticed shell has been significantly improved by the introduction of the cable-stiffened system. The numerical results also show that the joint stiffness has remarkable effect on the stability of ordinary single-layer latticed shell, whereas the effect on corresponding cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shells is limited.