Wind-induced response and an equivalent static wind-resistant design for anticlastic conical tensile membranes

The aerodynamic responses of anticlastic conical TMS under random wind loading are presented, along with an equivalent static wind-resistant design approach through numerical simulation. The stochastic wind loading on the TMS is obtained via a large-eddy simulation (LES). Nonlinear dynamic analyses of open (without a facade) and closed (with a facade) TMS supported by peripheral/radial cables are conducted. The relative influence of the key parameters (aerodynamic roughness, rise-to-span ratio, and prestress in TMS) is demonstrated, with prestress shown to dominate. Increasing roughness height enhances the peak loading/responses due to higher turbulence. The equivalent static wind-resistant design presents gust response factors (GRFs) and nonlinear adjustment factors (NAFs) for alternative scenarios. Multilinear regression models are developed for predictive modeling of these factors, along with a probabilistic analysis of their values for adoption in design. The proposed methodology should be validated through wind tunnel experiments in future studies.