Free form finding of grid shell structures

Jiang, Yang

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89080 Copy

Description

Title

Free form finding of grid shell structures

Author(s)

Jiang, Yang

Issue Date

2015-12-11

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Paulino, Glaucio H

Department of Study

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Discipline

Civil Engineering

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Form Finding
• Grid Shell

Abstract

The general shape of a shell structure can have a great impact on its structural performance. This thesis presents a numerical implementation that finds the funicular form of grid shell structures. Two methods are implemented for the form finding: the potential energy method (PEM) and the force density method (FDM). The PEM, inspired by the 3D hanging chain model, find the funicular form by minimization of the total potential energy. On the other hand, the FDM find the funicular form by solving a linear system, in which a geometric stiffness matrix is constructed with the force density and nodal connectivity information. The form finding process is nonlinear, because the nodal loads are calculated with the rationale of tributary area and evolve with the structural form. Apart from the form finding, a member sizing procedure is implemented for a preliminary estimation of the member cross sectional area. In the member sizing, the stress-ratio method is used to achieve a fully-stressed design. Finally, three numerical examples are examined to demonstrate the effectiveness of the current implementation.

Graduation Semester

2015-12

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89080

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2015 Yang Jiang

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