Elasto-plastic stability of single-layer reticulated domes with initial curvature of members

Initial curvature of members is an inevitable geometrical imperfection for reticulated domes. To investigate the stability of single-layer domes with initial curvature of members, the multi-beam method was presented to simulate the initial curvature of members, and two modeling methods were adopted to introduce the initial curvature of members for reticulated domes by means of ANSYS. First, the random imperfection mode method was introduced according to the randomness of initial curvature of members. The example of a Kiewitt-8 dome was used to explain the method and investigate the influence of angle and amplitude random variables on the stability of reticulated domes. Second, the modified consistent imperfection mode method was obtained, which was an efficient method to evaluate the lowest buckling load of the structure with initial curvature of members. Based on this method, the Kiewitt-6 and Kiewitt-8 single-layer reticulated domes were taken as examples to analyze the stability of structures with initial curvature of members, and the influences of initial curvature of members on the ideal structure and the structure with nodes deviation were obtained quantitatively. The results show that, for the ideal structure and the structure with nodes deviation, initial curvature of members can decrease the buckling load of the structure obviously. Initial curvature of members can change the buckling mode and plasticity development of the structure. The influence of initial curvature of members on the elasto-plastic stability of single-layer reticulated domes cannot be neglected. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.