A study of simple Tensile Membrane Structure using dynamic relaxation method
Abstract
This paper deals with the method of analysis of Tensile Membrane Structures (TMS). The use of such structures has increased in the recent past due to their ability for use in large distances along with elegance as well as structural efficiency. Dynamic Relaxation Method (DRM) is used to analyze the static equilibrium of a system. DRM is not used for dynamic analysis of structures, but instead it uses a concept of fictitious parameters like mass and damping in order to achieve a static solution for a dynamic process. The stability of the method is dependent of these fictitious variables. In this paper a 6-node simple TMS is analyzed using DRM. Load considerations taken into account are dead load, wind load and their combinations. Kinetic damping is applied to the structure for finding maximum allowable deflection for center nodes. A detailed study of the interaction between form and the applied forces of TMS is also studied. Owing to maximum deflection the initial pre-stress within the membrane will be optimized in future using an advanced optimization technique called Spherical Search Method (SSM).This work is in the direction of the Doctoral thesis of the 1st author of this paper. In future the extension of the present work will include the incorporation of a method for Reliability, such as, FOSM (First Order Second Moment), for the TMS structure. The results of the study will contribute to the engineers in the field and encourage researchers in the domain of TMS.
