Preliminary Design and Experimental Study of a Steel-Batten Ribbed Cable Dome

A steel-batten ribbed cable dome structural system is proposed. By replacing the upper flexible cables with semi-rigid steel battens, rigid roofing materials were conveniently installed overhead via non-bracket or less-bracket technology. Additionally, an 8 m diameter test model was designed, and a ‘ω’ shaped less-bracket consequent hoist-dragging system was adopted. Finally, the test model was tested under symmetric and asymmetric uniform loading arrangements, while a finite element model was established to verify the test values. The results indicate that the measured values are basically consistent with the finite element values. In the early steps of hoisting and dragging, the structure establishes a prestress, accumulates stiffness, and found its internal force balance, while the entire structure keeps a “ω” shape to guarantee stability. As the internal forces of the components increase, the structure turns from “ω” to “m” and finally reached its designed shape. With increasing symmetric uniform load, the internal forces of the cables decrease, the bending stresses of the steel battens increase, and the steel battens remain in the elastic stage. Under an asymmetric uniform load, the high loaded area is displaced downward, and the low loaded area behaves upward, twisting the overall structure.