General Approach for Topology-Finding of Tensegrity Structures
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 10
Abstract
This paper proposes a general approach for topology-finding of tensegrity structures. The ground structure method that is widely used in topology optimization of truss structures is employed. An optimization model, using the member connections and the internal forces of members as variables, is developed to find self-stressed tensegrities under given constraints on member distribution, configuration symmetry, and node stability. Mixed integer linear/quadratic programming is used to solve the optimization problem. Numerical examples are carried out to verify the proposed approach. Compared to previous approaches, the proposed approach is able to find a wider scope of tensegrity structures that have a maximum of () struts connecting to a single node and is able to deal with objective functions in quadratic form.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51378458 and 11402229) and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. LY13E080002 and LQ14A020003). The authors also would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions in improving the standard of the manuscript.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 10 • October 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 24, 2015
Accepted: Feb 2, 2016
Published online: Apr 13, 2016
Discussion open until: Sep 13, 2016
Published in print: Oct 1, 2016
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