Reference Type:  Journal Article
Record Number: 1
Author: Cai, J. C., Liu, Y. Q., Feng, J. and Tu, Y. M.
Year: 2016
Title: Nonlinear stability analysis of a radially retractable suspen-dome
Journal: Advanced Steel Construction
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Pages: 15
Start Page: 117
Short Title: Nonlinear stability analysis of a radially retractable suspen-dome
DOI: 10.18057/IJASC.2017.13.2.2
Keywords: Retractable roof, suspen-dome, stability, elasto-plastic, failure load
Abstract: A radially retractable roof structure based on the concept of the suspen-dome is proposed in this paper. The radially foldable bar structure are strengthened by the lower cable-strut system. Then the buckling capacity of a radially retractable suspen-dome was investigated. The geometrically non-linear elastic buckling and elasto-plastic buckling analyses of the hybrid structure were carried out. Then the effects of different structural parameters, such as the rise-span ratio, beam section, area and pre-stress of lower cable-strut systems, on the failure load were investigated. The influence of imperfections on the elasto-plastic buckling loads was also discussed. The results show that the critical buckling load is reduced by taking account of material non-linearity. Furthermore, increasing the rise-to-span ratio or the cross-section area of steel beams notably improves the stability performance of the structure. However, the area and pre-stress of cable-strut systems pose small effect on the structural stability. It can also be found that the suspen-dome is highly imperfection sensitive and the reduction of the failure load due to imperfections is considerable.
Author Address: Key Laboratory of C & PC Structures of Ministry of Education, National Prestress Engineering Research Center, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China