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Abstract

This paper presents nonlinear elastic-plastic analyses of several versions of a lattice dome whose dimensions are chosen to represent the range of dome geometry encountered in design practice. The domes are analyzed as both space trusses and space frames. An attempt is made to compute the decrease in failure load due to the effect of geometric imperfections in the form of the linear buckling modes of the dome. The approach follows the Koiter analysis of spherical shells but, since it employs a full nonlinear analysis rather than a perturbation process, it is not restricted to small imperfections. It is found that while imperfections do affect the failure load, the effect may not be large. In addition, the domes might fail as a collapse mechanism instead.

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Application of a Koiter-Type Theory to Buckling of Lattice Domes

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