A study on equilibrium shape of tensegrity structures with virtual stiffness through some numerical experiments

Abstract

Tensegrity structures give us so much motivation to find a rational form by shape analyses. A tensegrity structure with virtual stiffness has so many equilibrium shapes and it may be hard to obtain a target solution by designation of a set of primary conditions. This study shows the results of some numerical experiments whose aim is to find rational forms of tensegrity structures. Form finding analyses for tensegrity towers in a gravitational field often bring unexpected equilibrium shapes, in such a case; the incremental analysis by compulsory displacement is effective. Moreover, when we consider that a tensegrity structures constructed by virtual elements behaves in an equilibrium system, some solutions are connected each other on equilibrium path. In this paper, load-displacement curves include bifurcation path are also shown and the properties of the equilibrium system are discussed.