FORM-FINDING OF SINGLE-LAYER CYLINDRICAL LATTICED SHELLS

By introducing the concept of form-finding widely used in flexible structures into rigid structures, this paper presents a form-finding method for single-layer cylindrical latticed shells based on the force density method,aimed at investigating the rational form-finding problem of latticed gird shell structures. The form-finding of a single-layer cylindrical latticed shell with zero Gaussian curvature is realized by accounting for the self-weight of the structure during the form-finding process, and the bending moments and shear forces caused by the self-weight may be minimized through the process. The geometrical shape of a form-finding latticed shell is similar to that of a traditional cylindrical shell, but leads to a significant enhancement in the stability bearing capacity of the structure. The proposed form-finding method is of high efficiency and good convergence, providing a new approach for the design of single-layer cylindrical latticed shells.