A set of procedures was presented for characterizing static and dynamic response of tensegrity modules. The procedures were applied to two tensegrity modules: a six-bar spherical module and a two-stage cylindrical module with three bars at each stage. The singular value decomposition of the initial equilibrium matrix revealed pre-stress and infinitesimal mechanism modes. The pre-stress stiffening effect of mechanism modes was found to be isotropic at each node. In the initial quasi-static loading, infinitesimal mechanisms exhibited soft response. As the deformation advanced, the stiffness of tensegirty modules increased almost quadrationally with infinitesimal mechanism-mode amplitudes. Modal analyses revealed that the lowest modes were those of mechanism modes and their natural frequencies were an order of magnitude smaller than those of higher deformation modes.
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