Wind tunnel test study on aero-elastic model of spherical inflatable membrane structures

To study the wind-induced response and wind vibration coefficient of spherical inflatable membrane structures, aero-elastic model wind tunnel tests of three typical rise-span ratio spherical inflatable membrane structures were carried out in a type B geomorphic wind field. The effects of internal pressure, wind speed and cables on the displacement and strain of the structure were investigated. The wind-induced vibration law of the spherical inflatable membrane was discussed. The equivalent static analysis method of the spherical inflatable membrane was proposed, and the response wind vibration coefficients that consider the fluid-structure interaction effect were given. The results show that the extreme value of the total displacements appears at the top of the structure and the position of the center line on the windward side which is about 1 / 3 height of the structure, and the maximum principal strain occurs at the center line of the side of the structure. The top, windward and side parts of the structure deform upward, downward and outward. The internal pressure decreases significantly under the action of the wind load. The standard deviation of across-wind displacement, vertical displacement and along-wind displacement at the top of the structure decrease in turn. The wind vibration coefficients of the total displacement and maximum principal stress for the cable-less structure are between 1. 1 and 1. 4. After the application of cables, the vertical displacement of the structure is almost zero, and the maximum displacements of along-wind and across-wind are reduced to 50% and 30% respectively. The wind vibration of the total displacement is 1. 6, while the coefficient of maximum principal stress is still between 1. 1 and 1. 4. The wind vibration coefficient of stress for the cable is about 1. 6. © 2023 Science Press. All rights reserved.