Innovative numerical form-finding of tensegrity structures

[摘要] An innovative numerical platform for the form-finding of tensegrity structures is proposed. A particular objective function is introduced based on LU-decomposition of the force density matrix. The required rank deficiency of the force density matrix, which is a crucial quantity in the form-finding process, is then pursued by minimisation of the mentioned objective function. The gradient and hessian of the objective function are also derived explicitly. This critical feature enables us to efficiently employ powerful nonlinear programming approaches in the form-finding problems. Four numerical examples are provided to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method proposed. The results compared and contrasted from different aspects with existing analytical and some well-known numerical solutions. The comparisons verify that the method proposed is highly accurate and fast; therefore, it can be used as a compelling alternative to the available numerical form-finding methods. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[发布日期] 2020-12-01

[关键词] Tensegrity;Form-finding;Force density method;LU-decomposition