Theoretical Analysis Of Sliding Cable Elements And Experimental Study On A Tensegrity Tower

Tensegrity system, which is inspired by the natural rule of continuous tension and isolated compression, is an entirely new type of long-span prestressed spatial structure. Nowadays, studies on tensegrity system, one of the most front research topics of spatial structures, have drawn widely concern from researchers around the world.Simulation of sliding cable elements in the finite element analysis,which hasn't been discussed in domestic references, is researched in this thesis. The equilibrium equation of the geometric nonlinear finite element method is deduced based on the Green-Lagrange strain and the PK2 stress, and the Newton-Raphson method as well as the Arc-Length method for solution of nonlinear simutaneous equations are discussed. The general procedure of derivation of slidng cable elements is proposed. Sliding cable elements of three nodes and four nodes are programmed based on the Green-Lagrange strain and the PK2 stress in virtue of the function of user-defined element subroutine UEL in general finite element software package ABAQUS. Some examples are designed to verify functions of sliding cable elements of three nodes and four nodes.Beginning from properties of polyhedron geometry, the classification of tensegrity elements is discussed, and some principles of composition as well as naming of tensegrity elements are proposed. Based on the thought of modular design, a tensegrity tower composed of T-3 truncated triangular pyramid modules is designed in aspects of architecture, structure and components. The procedure of fabrication of tensegrity modules and erection of the tensegrity tower is elaborated. A scale model of the tensegirty tower with 1:5 proportions is designed and analyzed from angles of component selection, boundary conditions, relative values of prestress in cables and the most disadvantageous direction as well as values of horizontal static loads. Stress-load curves and displacement-load curves of the tensegrity scale model under two kinds of presress conditions are obtained through the general finite element...