René Crettol

Experimental and Numerical Study of Spindle Shaped Tensairity Girders

The new structural concept Tensairity® is a synergetic combination of cables, struts, membranes and low pressure compressed air. The role of the air and membrane is to pretension the cables and to stabilize the compression element against buckling. The new light weight structure has a variety of applications ranging from wide span roof structures to temporary bridges. Recent realizations of Tensairity as the roof of the parking garage in Montreux Switzerland rely on the spindle shape of the girders. First experimental investigations of a spindle shaped Tensairity girder under bending load are presented and compared to numerical results and some analytical results. Geometrical properties and simple approximation formulas for the surface area, the volume and the stresses in an inflated spindle are given.