A novel six-bar tetrahedral tensioned stringed cylindrical lattice shell was proposed based on the structural configuration of the six-bar tetrahedral cylindrical lattice shell which can be assembled by rhombic projection plane six-bar tetrahedral units. A self-balancing structural system is formed with the counterbalance between the horizontal thrust at the support and the tension from the added tensioned stringed part. The internal force distribution of the overall structure is more reasonable. Meanwhile, the advantages of standardized design, industrial production and prefabricated construction are inherited. The configuration of six-bar tetrahedral tensioned stringed cylindrical lattice shell was analyzed. A parameterized modeling program with visualization was developed. Completeness and effectiveness of the parameters were verified. The construction path of the structure was discussed. Based on the test model of six-bar tetrahedral cylindrical lattice shell, a tensioned stringed test model was built by the addition of struts and steel tie rods and the change of bearing properties along span direction from fixed bearing to sliding bearing. Static tests of the model were conducted. Reliability of the structure was verified by the experimental research.

This paper establishes a connection between reciprocal form and force diagrams and edge cable-supported membrane structures under isotropic stress. While various form-finding techniques exist for tensile membrane structures, reciprocal diagrams provide an intuitive graphical approach that is particularly effective during early design stages. The study introduces the foundational concepts of reciprocal diagrams, outlines their construction for membrane and cable elements, and explores their application to isotropically stressed membranes. The relationship between form and force diagrams is analyzed, highlighting the similarities between different graphical conventions. A method for three-dimensional form-finding is presented, starting with planar equilibrium informed by force densities and iteratively updating these densities to achieve isotropic stress. Several case studies are discussed, demonstrating the method’s capability to accurately calculate geometry and stress distributions compared to reference solutions. This work contributes to the field by offering a clear, visual approach to form-finding in membrane structures, combining graphical methods with computational techniques to simplify design and analysis processes.

Bending active structures involve the deformation of originally flat structures during the erection process. These structures offer a promising approach to enhance design sustainability. However, despite advancements in structural computational methods, their implementation is still limited. This paper examines the constraints associated with this design approach from a designer’s perspective and proposes potential solutions. From this analysis, a design method is developed that utilizes additive manufacturing to explore different solutions during the concept stage. Prior to the form-finding process, a flat, variable-density pattern is created within a parametric environment. This pattern, referred to as the “Soft Pattern based on Control Points” (SPSCP), incorporates multiple design variables to accommodate diverse design requirements. In this preliminary study, we compare the impact of varying the design parameters on a small-scale model, as observed by the naked eye, and through finite element analysis.

The historical analysis of the structural features of Carlo Mollino’s Teatro Regio, built in Turin in the early 70s, gives evidence of peculiar technical and expressive solutions worth being studied. In addition to the well-known “special structures,” conceived by Sergio Musmeci, Teatro Regio includes a magnificent example of reinforced concrete doubly curved shell used for the lyric hall’s large-span roof. The roof was designed and built by Felice Bertone, an Italian engineer who devoted his activity to daring reinforced concrete design. In this study, the original theatre configuration is redrawn, modeled, and discussed based on archival documentation. This unique hypar thin shell concrete roof is thoroughly described focusing on its intertwined geometric and static features. Bertone’s roofing parametric modeling is eventually presented including a critical interpretation of its structural behavior carried out through qualitative and quantitative analysis. The Teatro Regio architecture with its innovative forms and structural solutions represents an outstanding example of Modern Heritage Architecture.

This study investigates the wind effect on hexa-sectored scallop domes using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel tests. Similar to the shape of a seashell, the scallop dome is one of the most common domes used to cover large spans. The scallop dome has an additional curvature equal to its sectors compared to a base dome (spherical). Hence, it has better structural efficiency compared to a spherical dome under the same condition. The curvatures on the scallop dome create alternate “ridges” and “grooves” on it. According to the computations of the article, the grooves created on this dome in the sector, as well as their position angle to the wind direction significantly affect pressure coefficient value. Due to these differences, wind pressure on scallop domes significantly differs from wind pressure on spherical domes. The results indicate that the ridges cause negative wind pressure coefficients whose magnitude reaches a maximum of −2.0 for an angle of alignment of 30°. The analyses have been conducted through Ansys-Fluent. This study presents the equation of wind pressure coefficient in the most critical of dome groove positions. The arch created between the grooves of a scallop dome is another effective parameter on maximum negative pressure. In the case study scallop dome, if the wind effect angle is considered α = 15, the maximum deformation in the structure will be created, which is 20% higher than that of α = 0.

Curved gridshells are excited not only in the horizontal direction but also experience large anti-symmetric vertical accelerations when subjected to horizontal earthquake ground motions. In addition to the coupled response, gridshells exhibit closely spaced modes and substructure-roof interaction. Nevertheless, previous studies have proposed elastic horizontal and vertical equivalent static seismic forces considering these complex dynamic response characteristics. These are determined from the input horizontal acceleration at the substructure’s roof level, an assumed acceleration distribution, nodal roof masses and amplification factors derived from the dynamic characteristics of the dome and substructure. To extend this methodology to nonlinear substructures with displacement-dependent damping devices, this paper investigates the applicability of ductility reduction factors (or Rμ factors) to estimate the inelastic response spectra and an alternative equivalent linearisation approach to compute the peak horizontal acceleration of multistorey substructures with buckling-restrained braces. This is achieved by modelling the curved roof as a rigid mass for the substructure model, and using its idealised base shear-roof displacement relationship obtained from modal pushover analyses. The peak horizontal acceleration of the substructure is then used to obtain the equivalent static loads of the curved roof using amplification factors, and the accuracies are verified against the results from nonlinear response history analyses. It was confirmed that the Rμ [Formula: see text]factors combined with the roof amplification factors provide a simple way to estimate the peak roof response with sufficient accuracy for preliminary design of domes with multistorey substructures having low post-yield stiffness.

The present paper investigated the characteristic of the vibration of a membrane structure under impact load based on a series of experiments. Eight cases with different pretension forces by varying the pretension load in the lateral direction were carried out. The impact loads were applied on the center position of the membrane. The results of frequency, vibration amplitude, and damping ratio were discussed. It is shown that there is a main vibration mode with different main frequencies in the vibrations and the duration is the same under the different impact loads. The frequency is linear to the pretension force, and the amplitude of the vibration decreases by an exponential function determined by the parameter of the damping ratio. When the pretension force exceeded a threshold (6.2% of strength), the maximum amplitude and vibration duration tend to be a fixed value.

The growing need for new buildings and the soaring resources depletion call for a new way of considering the building material. As follows, the principle of recycling and reuse keep gaining in consideration as a pertinent strategy to address those issues, inciting the use of new materials and approaches for structural design. The present paper inscribes in this later framework and proposes a method for structural design and manufacturing out of old magazines using a broadly known physical phenomenon of friction in interleaved assemblies. The proposed method consist of a stock-based form-finding strategy for a net-like structure, based on the mechanical and fabrication-aware considerations with an integration of a geodesic constrain control for the rectilinear paper strips. In closing, a demonstration pavilion is built using the developed method and its further potential applications in construction sector are discussed.