Form-finding of cable-strut structures with given cable forces and strut lengths

摘要

This paper presents a form-finding method for cable-strut structures with given cable forces and strut lengths. The topology of the structure, the internal force distribution of cables and the rest length of struts are given in advance. A total potential energy function in terms of nodal coordinates is derived according to the initial conditions. The equilibrium configuration satisfying the given initial conditions is essentially a stationary point of the energy function. An intermediate function is proposed and used to solve the stationary point problem. A configuration expected by the designer can be obtained when proper initial nodal coordinates are used. The effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method are verified by two typical examples. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.