Recent development of deployable tension-strut structures

Abstract

This paper presents the latest development of Deployable Tension-Strut Structures (DTTSs), which can be assembled quickly to save construction time while the structural efficiency is maintained to be as good as that of conventional double-layer space frames. Pre-tensioning techniques are used to enhance the structural stiffness and stability of the structure after it is "locked" to its final configuration. The design concept is explained in details with four illustrative examples and the structural efficiency of the proposed systems is investigated by using advanced non-linear analysis and free-vibration analysis. Novel moveable pin-jointed system has been developed to allow deployment of the tension-strut structures. Full scale prototype is built to demonstrate the buildability and deployability of the proposed systems. The results conclude that the proposed structures are structural effective, lightweight and can be easily deployable for spatial enclosure.