Cladding-network interaction in pretensioned cable roofs, studied by dynamic relaxation

Current methods of analysis and design of pretensioned cable roofs disregard the cladding contribution to the overall stiffness of the structure, and therefore full-scale constructions suffer from excessive pretensioning of the cables. This paper investigates cladding stiffening effects in pretensioned cable roof models, using a dynamic relaxation algorithm. A mathematical model of cladding-network interaction in combined response to static external loads is presented, developed on the assumption of a discrete membrane surface of the cladding attached to the cable network. Detailed results are presented for a partially and fully clad hyperbolic paraboloid model. Comparisons are made between the results from the analysis of the composite structure clad with panels of varying stiffness and the corresponding “bare” network analysis. Results show that the cladding makes a substantial contribution to the stiffness of the composite structure, and suggest that future design of foundations for the cable anchorage should take this into account.