Folded Plate

Cylindrical Shell
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

Photo: Michael Bodycomb, 1977 Kimbell Art Museum, reproduced with permission

Cylindrical Shell

Folded Plate
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

Folded Plate
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2
3
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Beam compression/tension
Buckling
Ribs resist buckling
Edge buckling
Curbs resist edge buckling

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Linear compositions
1 One-edge fold
2 Two-edge fold
3 Twin fold
4 Folded roof and wall

Prof Schierle

Other compositions
1 Triangular unit / composition
2 Square unit / composition
3 Hexagonal unit / composition

Cylindrical Shell
Structural action
1-3 Bending/shear patterns
4-5 Bending/shear stress
6-7 Buckling
8-9 Buckling resisting walls/ribs

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Skylight integration
1 Slanted skylights
2 Top skylights
3 Vertical skylight

Prof Schierle

Examples
1 Shells with skylight ends
2 Shells cantilever from beam
3 Shells of two-way cantilever

Mining shelter Pomezia Italy

Architect: Renzo Piano
This shelter for sulfur mining was designed to
allow moving it along with mining progress.
A folded plate vault of reinforced polyester
provides light weight to facilitate movement.
Folding thin sheets of polyester provides strength,
stiffness, and stability with minimum weight.
Translucent polyester also provides natural lighting
to save energy.
Triangular windows at the base provide additional
Lighting as and view to the outside.

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

Air force Chapel, Colorado Springs

Architect/Engineer: Skidmore Owings and Merill
The air force chapel features:

A folded plate of tubular steel

A dramatic space of vertical dominance

Two inclined triple tetrahedrons

Concrete buttresses support gravity load and

lateral thrust

The tetrahedrons are glad with aluminum

Stain glass windows close gaps between

tetrahedrons

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

Portable exhibit hall

Architect/ Engineer: Santiago Calatrava
The roof and wall of folded plate plywood was
designed for easy assemblage. The parabolic
form implies constant bending stress.
Assume:
plywood glued to ribs
DL = 10 psf
LL = 20 psf
= 30 psf

C2=16

L=41

C1=8

d=24

b=50

Uniform load
w = 30 psf x (50/12)
w = 125 plf
Bending moment
M = 26,266 #
M = w L2/8 = 125x 412/8
Moment of Inertia
I ~ (BD3-bd3)/36
I ~ 3360 in4
I ~ (50x243-47.2x22.83)/36
Top panel stress
(most relevant effects full top panel)
fb=M c1/I=26266x12x8/3360
fb = 750 psi
Extreme fiber stress @ bottom
fb = 1500 psi
fb=M c2/I=26266x12x16/3360
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

Train station Savona, Italy

Architect: Antonio Nervi
Engineer: Pier Luigi Nervi
The 38x75m folded plate roof provides column-free space
Inclined rebars resist longitudinal shear stress and
plate bending stress.
Folded plates stabilize adjacent plates against buckling.
Tendons at the folded plate base resist bending stress.
Tendons on top resist overhang bending stress.

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

w=0.6 klf

L=90

C=30

X=40

b=7.5

z=4.8
d=6

Section A-A
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Assume:
0.6 tendons, design load
DL = 68 psf (average)
LL = 12 psf
= 80 psf
Uniform load per unit (see A-A)
w = 80 psf x7.5/1000
Reactions
Rl = 0.6x120x30/90
Rr = 0.6x120x60/90
X = Rll / w = 24/0.6
Max. bending moment
Max. M = RaX/2 =24x40/2
Z = 0.8d ~0.8(6)
Tendon tension
T = M/Z = 480/4.8
Number of tendons required
# = T/P= 100/35 =2.86
Use 3 tendons
Note:
a Concrete compression block
d Effective depth (rebar center to top)
Z Lever arm of resisting moment
Prof Schierle

P = 35 k

w = 0.6 klf
Rl = 24 k
Rr = 48 k
X = 40
M = 480 k
z ~ 4.8
T = 100 k
3 0.6

Science & Industry Museum

Los Angeles
Architect: California State Architect Office
Engineer: T Y Lin

Assume:
0.6 tendons, design load
DL = 81 psf (concrete + roofing)
LL = 12 psf
= 93 psf

P = 35 k

Uniform load per shell

w = 93 psf x21.5/1000
Max. bending (at mid support)
M = w L2/12 = 2x712/12
Lever arm
Z ~ 0.85 d ~ 0.85x7
Tendon tension
T = M / Z = 840 / 6
Number of tendons required
# = T / P = 140 / 35 = 4
Use 4 tendons

w = 2 klf
M = 840 k
Z ~ 6
T = 140 k
4 0.6

Tendon tension

d
Concrete compression

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

Architect: Louis Kahn
Engineer: Kommendant
The Kimbell Art Museum features:
Recessed main entrance
Two gallery wings, one on each side of entry
Atriums within gallery wings
16 modules, 30x100 each
Cycloid cross-sections (point on moving wheel)
Post-tensioned cast-in-place concrete
Inverted Us between cycloids for ducts & pipes
Linear skylight with deflectors to project
daylight onto the cycloids

Photos: Michael Bodycomb, 1977 Kimbell Art Museum, reproduced with permission
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Oceanographic Center Valencia

Architect/Engineer: Santiago Calatrava

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Tempodrom Berlin 2001

Architect: GMP
Photo: Tomas Schmidt
Concrete folded plate, designed to
represent a tent, as the original
tent structure of 1980 it replaced

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Yokohama Terminal
Architect: Moussavi & Zaera-Polo

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Yokohama Terminal

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Industrial building in Villanueva, Honduras

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Factory in San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate gymnasium roof

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate gymnasium cafeteria roof, two spans 50 & 60 feet

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate church roof/wall

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate roof

Church building. Designed as a folded plate
concrete shell, structurally this building can
be compared with the A-frame or the
3-hinged arch as the bending stiffness
approaches zero at the apex and at
the supports. (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate vault

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate dome

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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Folded plate dome

Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

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w=0.6 klf

L=90

C=30

X=40

Force scale
Assume: model concrete = original concrete
Geometric scale
Sg= 1:50
Em= 30,000ksi
Em (steel wire)
Eo (strand)
Eo = 22,000 ksi
Force scale
Sf = (1/50)2 (Em/Eo) = (1/50)2 (30/22)
Sf = 1:4167
3 tendons 0.6 70% metallic
3 tendons A = 3(.7)(0.3)2

b=7.5

z=4.8
d=6

Section A-A
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Assume single wire in model

Equiv. original = 2(0.5938/)0.5
Model = 0.87/50 = 0.0174
Use model diameter
Adjust force scale
Sf = (1/50)2 (0.2)/(0.174)
Original load
Po = 0.6 klf (120)
Model load
Pm = Po / Sf = 72,000 / 2175
Use 30 cups, each 33.1 / 30
Prof Schierle

A = 0.5938 in2
= 0.87 in
= 0.02 in
Sf = 1: 2175
Po =72,000 #
Pm = 33.1 #
Pcup = 1.1 #
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Folded Plate
Study the cylindrical shell across the Rose Garden

Cylindrical Shell
Folded plate and cylindrical shell structures

Prof Schierle

Photo: Michael Bodycomb, 1977 Kimbell Art Museum, reproduced with permission
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