Simulation of construction shape-forming process of cable domes

A cable dome has no stiffness or load carrying capacity unless it has been prestressed. Analyses of cable domes are based on successful prestressing designs, making force finding analysis very important. A new force finding method named the imbalance force iterative method is proposed, which can overcome some limitations of the integrity feasible prestressing method. For instance, even if groups are assigned by mistake, the pretension distribution that satisfies the known geometry form can also be found. This method possess good stability and calculation efficiency, and a case study indicates that it is applicable to the force finding of large and complicated cable domes. On the other hand, form finding analysis of cable domes is also a key engineering problem. However, rigid displacement occurs in this process, which makes the analysis more complex. In this paper, the dynamic relaxation method was selected, and the problem of rigid displacement was therefore effectively solved. The method includes two steps: first, the stretching cables are released, and secondly, an axial force is imposed on the two ends of each released cable. This method is convenient in its calculation and clear in its conception. A case study indicates that the method is suitable for the simulation of the construction process of various cable domes and cable-strut tension structures. Moreover, a form finding experiment was conducted on a model of a cable dome with a diameter of 4.8 m by tensing diagonal cables. The behavior of the model in the form finding process was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the initial lengths of members and prestress loss are key issues in cable domes design. The results also prove that the methods of form finding and force finding proposed in this paper are reliable and effective.