Vibrations of Cable Reinforced Inflatable Structures

TLDR: In this paper, the influence of internal pressure and static loads on the dynamic characteristics of cable-reinforced inflatable caps is studied numerically, where the structure is modelled as a three-dimensional cable reinforced network with the action of the membrane neglected except for transmitting pressure load to the cables.

Abstract: The influence of internal pressure and static loads on the dynamic characteristics of cable-reinforced inflatable caps is studied numerically. The structure is modelled as a three-dimensional cable-reinforced network with the action of the membrane neglected except for transmitting pressure load to the cables. For relatively small static loads, including snow and dead weight, the natural frequencies are approximately proportional to the square root of the internal pressure. The dynamic response of the structure under the action of static wind load differs considerably from that without such loading. The static wind-type load causes the natural frequencies to vary, particulary to decrease the fundamental frequency.