Structural Behavior of an Air-Inflated Fabric Arch Frame

Abstract

This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on the structural behavior of an air-inflated frame consisting of arches and coupling beams. In the experimental study, a full-scale specimen, which was 25.0 m long, 20.0 m wide, and 10.5 m tall, was tested under vertical and horizontal loading. The structural behavior of the inflated arch frame is evaluated by analyzing the load-displacement response and failure mode. Two vertical loading cases, in which vertical loads were respectively applied to the middle arch and to all the arches, are considered. A comparison of their load-displacement curves is made to evaluate the spatial action of the structure under vertical loading. For the horizontal loading, concentrated forces at one end of the structure can be fairly uniformly transferred to the entire structure by the coupling beams. However, the arch frame exhibited slightly different lateral stiffness in the two horizontal loading cases, in which the coupling beams were in tension and in compression, respectively. A finite element model has been developed to predict the stresses, deformation, and wrinkling modes of the arch frame. The fidelity of the model is verified by comparing the prediction with the experimental data. The air-inflated arch frame demonstrated excellent structural integrity, and the coupling beams played an essential role in creating the spatial action.