Authors
Lefevre B., Douthe C. and Baverel O.
Abstract
Elastic gridshells are doubly curved grids with a shell-like behaviour, obtained by elastic deformation and bracing of a flat grid with no shear rigidity. After a brief review of their design process, the buckling of elastic gridshells is numerically investigated through a geometrically nonlinear analysis; then a formula for predicting the local buckling load is derived from the results of a parametric study. The numerical study required the development of an accurate form-finding method named ” the advanced compass method ” and of a specific algorithm ensuring the quick convergence of the non-linear finite element simulations, both presented in this paper. The influence of the prestress, the eccentricity and the anisotropy of the shell are discussed, giving hence indications for correct modelling and efficient design of elastic gridshells.
