Experimental study on the cutting compensation of PTFE-coated fabric membrane structures

Abstract

As a flexible structure, the membrane structure is tensioned to generate prestress and produce corresponding stiffness. The prestress level is controlled by scaling the cutting pattern according to the cutting compensation. In this paper, the cutting compensation of the PTFE-coated fabric membrane is taken as the research object, and different test schemes are carried out to simulate the actual stress of the membrane structure. The test scheme is divided into four stages according to the construction process and external loads condition of membrane structures: initial tension, load-bearing, creep, and elastic recovery. Then the combination schemes of different loading modes are conducted to explore the influence of loading factors on the cutting compensation. Through the simulation analysis of the construction process and stress relaxation of an HP-type example, the feasibility study of the cutting compensation under different test schemes is performed. Finally, a proper test scheme of cutting compensation is put forward, which provides the theoretical basis and scientific demonstration for guiding engineering practice.

Keywords:

• coated fabrics
• cutting compensation
• loading mode
• creep
• stress relaxation

Additional information

Funding

This work is sponsored by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No.51508260 and No.11602102).