The design and analysis of tension fabric structures

Although tensioned fabric structures are increasingly in demand, since they are comparatively new to the engineering world, there are relatively limited resources available about such structures. This report reviews the topics that encompass the design and analysis of tensioned fabric structures. First, an overview of the conceptual basis of tensioned membranes is discussed, as well as the different shapes that are formed using manipulations of the basic concept. Since the material properties play a key role in the durability of tension fabric structures, the ideal material characteristics, as well as the current available fabrics are described. Both the strength of the employed materials and the load considerations for design are outlined. The report follows by explaining the process of roughly assessing the scope of a project, as well as the variety of non-linear analysis that must be performed and the methods used to perform them. This report concludes with key connection details that must be considered for a successful tension fabric structure.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Son, Miriam Euni

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jerome J. Connor.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39275

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39275