Predicting Collapse of a Lattice Dome Due to Foundation Settlement

Abstract

The base of the lattice dome sheltering the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is distorting due to movement in the compacted snow foundation. The base ring differential settlement is calculated by a least squares analysis of measured foundation displacement data. The topology and geometry of the dome have been reconstructed, and a one-to-one correspondence exists between the modeled and actual latticed framework. A structural model based on bending elements is employed and its development is discussed relative to an alternative, non-bending model.

Practical structural analysis issues for predicting collapse of a lattice dome due to settlement using modern computer methods are discussed. Attempts to calculate post-buckled configurations and the collapse load of the structure were only partially successful. However, application of these methods to the South Pole Dome show that it is in satisfactory condition at its present level of differential settlement.

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