Structural Form and Mechanical Properties of the Suspended Cylindrical Lattice Shells

Abstract

Suspended-dome is a typical space structure composed of cables, struts and beam elements. By introducing pre-stressing technology, the stiffness and load carrying capacity of the single-layer shell is significantly improved. However, the structural planes of suspended-dome are mostly circular, which affects the promotion application of the suspended-dome. This paper presents a new form of suspended cylindrical lattice shell, which is a combination of an upper single-layer cylindrical shell and a lower suspended system. According to the grid type of single-layer cylindrical shell and the form of the suspended system, four types of suspended cylindrical lattice shells are defined including n-loop suspended orthogonal grid with one bracing type, n-loop suspended two way orthogonal grid type, n-loop suspended lamella grid type, and n-loop suspended three-way grid type. The mechanical properties of n-loop suspended orthogonal grid with one brace type of suspended cylindrical shell are investigated. The eigenvalue buckling and non-linear instability are also analyzed. A model experiment based on a practical engineering application is finally introduced. The comparison between the theoretic values and the experimental values shows the present analysis method is correct and reliable.