Mechanical Property Analysis Of Membrane Structures Under Snow Loads

Membrane structures are widely used in large-scale public buildings such as stadiums and exhibition centers due to its novel architectural form, and are often seen in various in small and medium-sized buildings. As a kind of flexible structures,membrane structures are very sensitive to the effect of snow loads. Engineering cases of structural damage caused by snow accumulation happen sometimes. With the increasing application of membrane structures in engineering practice, it is of great significance to study the mechanical properties of membrane structures under snow loads.In this thesis, finite element equations of membrane elements and cable elements were deduced by nonlinear finite element analysis. The criterion as well as corresponding processing methods of the membrane element folding and the cable element relaxation were given.Considering the characteristics of the uneven distribution of snow loads on the membrane structures, the simplified model of the snow load distribution coefficient of membrane structure roofs was given, combined with the provisions of various countries on the snow load distribution coefficient. The effect of bagging effect on the mechanical property of membrane structures under snow loads was analyzed by numerical simulation.The initial morphology of puenmatic membrane structures was analyzed by using ANSYS software, and the mechanical response of air cushion membrane structures under different snow loads was analyzed to demonstrate the necessity of considering different snow loads.The difference between the cooperative form finding and the non-cooperative form finding of cable dome membrane structures was analyzed and compared by using ANSYS software. Considering the orthotropic properties of the membrane, the influence of the different direction of the warp and weft orientation on the mechanical properties of the structure was analyzed. The necessity of considering orthotropy in load analysis was demonstrate d by comparing the mechanical properties of the structure with isotropy.