Abstract
Tensile fabric membranes present opportunities for efficient structures, combining the cladding and support structure. Such structures must be doubly curved to resist external loads, but doubly curved surfaces cannot be formed from flat fabric without distorting. Computational methods of patterning are used to find the optimal composition of planar panels to generate the form, but are sensitive to the models and techniques used. This paper presents a detailed discussion of, and insights into, the computational process of patterning. A new patterning method is proposed, which uses a discrete model, advanced flattening methods, dynamic relaxation, and re-meshing to generate accurate cutting patterns. Comparisons are drawn with published methods of patterning to show the suitability of the method.
Highlights
Tensile fabric structures are lightweight structural forms comprising a fabric membrane tensioned between a boundary of rigid structural elements and/or flexible cables
This paper presents a review of patterning methodologies and highlights challenges in computational modelling of the problem
It is against this background that a new patterning approach, based on a discrete element model is proposed
Summary
Tensile fabric structures are lightweight structural forms comprising a fabric membrane tensioned between a boundary of rigid structural elements and/or flexible cables. Combining a uniform pre-stress and a boundary with an appropriate number of alternately high and low points gives a minimal surface with sufficiently high curvatures to resist external loading. Such a structure can be considered optimal owing to: (i) an absence of stress concentrations under permanent loading, q Research funded by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), United Kingdom. Structural fabrics are manufactured with a typical width of 2–3 m [9], and a maximum width of 5 m [10], requiring multiple panels for larger structures The shape of these panels affects the final form and stress distribution of the membrane. Lewis / Computers and Structures 169 (2016) 112–121 to the physical boundary conditions, and relaxed into its equilibrium shape, giving the final geometry and stresses
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