Optimal Prestress Design and Construction Technique of Cable-Strut Tension Structures with Multi-Overall Selfstress Modes

Abstract

This paper carries out investigations into the optimal prestress design and construction technique analysis of the cable-strut tension structure (CSTS) with multi-overall selfstress modes. First, the overall selfstress modes analysis method taking advantage of the symmetry of CSTS is proposed, which is applicable to CSTS with either single or multiple overall selfstress modes. Based on the selfstress modes analysis, the optimal prestress design of CSTS with multi-overall selfstress modes is then carried out and the minimum initial strain energy is selected as the objective function. After that, the construction technique using dynamic relaxation method is discussed, which is applicable not only to the final prestress stable systems but also to the in-slack cable-strut assemblies with insufficient number of structural members during the construction process. Finally, one laboratory model is designed to illustrate the proposed prestress design method and construction technique. The consistence of the measured values and computed results indicate the validity and accuracy of the proposed methods in this paper.