Lightweight designs of simply supported tensegrity structures and their applications to bridges

Guangtao Zhang; Muhao Chen; Daihai Chen; Yuling Shen

doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118923

Lightweight designs of simply supported tensegrity structures and their applications to bridges

Guangtao Zhang, Muhao Chen, Daihai Chen, Yuling Shen

Producción científica: Article › revisión exhaustiva

5 Citas (Scopus)

Resumen

This study presents lightweight designs using the tensegrity paradigm for the simply supported problem. Three tensegrity solutions are explored: super-structures, sub-structures, and cable-structures. The basic units of the three kinds are first studied, where we analytically calculate the minimal mass required, along with the optimal inclinations angles, to sustain a simply supported load. By applying self-similar rules and varying the structure subdivisions and complexities, the structure mass is further minimized under bar-yielding and buckling constraints. This study finds the optimal complexities and subdivisions of the three solutions. Numerical results validate and compare the minimal mass designs. These proposed lightweight designs are applicable to bridge designs and other scenarios that undergo simply supported loads.

Idioma original	English
Número de artículo	118923
Publicación	Composite Structures
Volumen	357
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118923
Estado	Published - mar 2025

Nota bibliográfica

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Financiación

Y.S. thanks the support from the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province under grant No. SBK2024045511. M.C. and Y.S. appreciate the many helpful discussions with Dr. Robert E. Skelton. G.Z. appreciates Mr. Guangkuo Zhang for his insightful discussions.

Financiadores	Número del financiador
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province	SBK2024045511
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Ceramics and Composites
Civil and Structural Engineering

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title = "Lightweight designs of simply supported tensegrity structures and their applications to bridges",

abstract = "This study presents lightweight designs using the tensegrity paradigm for the simply supported problem. Three tensegrity solutions are explored: super-structures, sub-structures, and cable-structures. The basic units of the three kinds are first studied, where we analytically calculate the minimal mass required, along with the optimal inclinations angles, to sustain a simply supported load. By applying self-similar rules and varying the structure subdivisions and complexities, the structure mass is further minimized under bar-yielding and buckling constraints. This study finds the optimal complexities and subdivisions of the three solutions. Numerical results validate and compare the minimal mass designs. These proposed lightweight designs are applicable to bridge designs and other scenarios that undergo simply supported loads.",

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author = "Guangtao Zhang and Muhao Chen and Daihai Chen and Yuling Shen",

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AU - Zhang, Guangtao

AU - Chen, Muhao

AU - Chen, Daihai

AU - Shen, Yuling

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Y1 - 2025/3

N2 - This study presents lightweight designs using the tensegrity paradigm for the simply supported problem. Three tensegrity solutions are explored: super-structures, sub-structures, and cable-structures. The basic units of the three kinds are first studied, where we analytically calculate the minimal mass required, along with the optimal inclinations angles, to sustain a simply supported load. By applying self-similar rules and varying the structure subdivisions and complexities, the structure mass is further minimized under bar-yielding and buckling constraints. This study finds the optimal complexities and subdivisions of the three solutions. Numerical results validate and compare the minimal mass designs. These proposed lightweight designs are applicable to bridge designs and other scenarios that undergo simply supported loads.

AB - This study presents lightweight designs using the tensegrity paradigm for the simply supported problem. Three tensegrity solutions are explored: super-structures, sub-structures, and cable-structures. The basic units of the three kinds are first studied, where we analytically calculate the minimal mass required, along with the optimal inclinations angles, to sustain a simply supported load. By applying self-similar rules and varying the structure subdivisions and complexities, the structure mass is further minimized under bar-yielding and buckling constraints. This study finds the optimal complexities and subdivisions of the three solutions. Numerical results validate and compare the minimal mass designs. These proposed lightweight designs are applicable to bridge designs and other scenarios that undergo simply supported loads.

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KW - Minimal mass

KW - Simply supported structure

KW - Tensegrity

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Lightweight designs of simply supported tensegrity structures and their applications to bridges

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Financiación

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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