A Numerical Analysis Model of Composite Pneumatic Formwork Considering the Stiffness Contribution of Polyurethane Layer

Abstract

Pneumatic formwork is a kind of inflated fabric-polyurethane composite formwork formed by spraying polyurethane on the interior surface of the membrane. A numerical analysis model of composite pneumatic formwork considering the stiffness contribution of polyurethane is proposed to predict the structural response. The analysis model simulates the component of fabric and polyurethane with membrane elements and shell elements respectively, and Tie constraint of surface to surface is defined at the interface. A nonlinear material model for fabric is adopted considering the influence of stress ratio and loading history, and the constitutive relation of polyurethane is described in the foaming plane with different properties for tension and compression. Newton-Raphson incremental iterative method is used to solve the involved nonlinear problems. The simulation accuracy of the proposed analysis model is verified by comparing its predictions with test results about the loaddeformation response of an inflated membrane structure and the corresponding composite pneumatic formwork under horizontal loading. The numerical model is further used to investigate the influence of the thickness of polyurethane layer on the improvement of overall structural stiffness of a larger pneumatic formwork under horizontal fresh gale, and the polyurethane is proved to be beneficial for the shape-control of pneumatic formwork.