Study of a Honeycomb-Type Rigidified Inflatable Structure for Housing
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 10
Abstract
This paper presents a parametric study aimed at uncovering general design principles that govern the structural performance of honeycomb-type rigidified inflatable structures (RIS) as load-bearing wall systems for use in residential housing. This study involves the use of finite element modeling and optimization. A series of honeycomb-type RIS wall systems, each comprising different honeycomb cell sizes, are examined. The problem at hand is stated in the form of minimizing material volume subject to: permissible stress, maximum allowable deflection, and membrane thickness. The optimization results help identify optimal design configurations for given sets of loading conditions and material properties. The effects of various design parameters, such as cell size, material properties, and membrane thicknesses, are discussed. The performance of honeycomb-type RIS wall systems is compared with that of rectilinear-type RIS wall systems, which were studied previously. The work presented makes a significant step in establishing the feasibility of RIS for housing applications.
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Acknowledgments
Support from the National Science Foundation Award Nos. NSFCMS-0122022 and NSFCMS-033568, Directorate for Engineering, Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems; and the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development is much appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 10 • October 2006
Pages: 1664 - 1672
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 26, 2004
Accepted: Sep 7, 2004
Published online: Oct 1, 2006
Published in print: Oct 2006
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Christopher N. Foley
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