Analysis and design of the general and outmost-ring stiffened suspen-dome structures

This paper addresses the analysis and design issues of the suspen-dome structural system. A simple design method for calculating prestress forces in the cables of suspen-dome structures is presented. Emphasis is made in a particular case of the suspen-dome system—the outmost-ring stiffened suspen-dome structure. Nonlinear static, dynamic, and buckling analyses are carried out on the three different types of dome structures. The results show that the tensegric system (cable-strut system) significantly improves the structural properties of the single-layer dome system. The outmost-ring stiffened suspen-dome structure, which has a relatively low construction cost, is as efficient as the general suspen-dome structure under both static and dynamic conditions. The outmost-ring stiffened suspen-dome structure is recommended for cases in which the buckling capacity is not a primary consideration in design.