AR- 406

THEORY OF STRUCTURES
REPORT
ON
SHELL STRUCTURE

BY: AYESHA IBTESAM PARVEEN

B.ARCH IV YEAR-DAY
Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 3

2. CLASSIFICATION OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEM ................................................................................. 4

2.1 BULK ACTIVE OR SECTION ACTIVE......................................................................................... 4

2.2 VECTOR ACTIVE ..................................................................................................................... 4

2.4 SURFACE ACTIVE.................................................................................................................... 5

3. SHELL STRUCTURE ....................................................................................................................... 6

3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF SHELL STRUCTURE ................................................................................ 7

3.1.1 FORMS OF CURVATURE ................................................................................................. 7

3.2 TYPE OF LOAD........................................................................................................................ 8

3.3 LOAD DISTRIBUTION ............................................................................................................. 9

3.3.1 EDGE CONDITIONS ...................................................................................................... 10

3.4 FAILURE SCENARIO .............................................................................................................. 11

4. CASE STUDY: Los Manantiales, Felix Candela .......................................................................... 12

4.1 DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................... 12

4.2 FORM ................................................................................................................................... 13

4.3 STRUCTURE.......................................................................................................................... 16
1. INTRODUCTION

Structures can be classified in many ways according to their shape, their function and the
materials from which they are made. A structure or structural element may be a fully three-
dimensional solid object like a ball bearing, or it might have some dimensions notable smaller
than others. If it is largely straight and one dimensional then we might call it a beam, a girder, a
column, or possibly a strut or tie if it is designed to work particularly in compression or tension.
If an element is curved and one-dimensional then it might be an arch or the parabolic cable of a
suspension bridge. Arches and suspension cables rely on curvature for the thrust or tension in
the element to resist lateral loads. Both straight and curved structural elements are much more
efficient at carrying axial forces than shear forces and bending moments. But compressive axial
forces may cause the object to element deflect sideways and buckle. A flat two-dimensional
object might be described as a plate or slab or wall, depending upon the job it is called to do. A
curved two-dimensional structure is a shell. If a beam is defined by a straight line, an arch by a
curved line and a plate by a plane, then a shell is defined by a curved surface.

Trabeated

Suspended
2. CLASSIFICATION OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

All structural systems used in building construction can be theoretically classified according to
their war of transmitting loads applied on them, to the following groups:

2.1 BULK ACTIVE OR SECTION ACTIVE

A system which redirect forces primarily through the bulk &
continuity of its material. They transmit loads to the ground
mainly through bending moments.

2.2 VECTOR ACTIVE

Vector active structure systems are systems of straight linear Figure 1

members, in which the redirection of forces is effected by

multidirectional splitting of forces into vectors along
compressive and tensile elements. Vector active structure
systems are short, solid, straight lineal members(bars),
in which there direction of forces is effected by vector
partition, i.e., by multi-directional splitting of single forces
(compressive or tensile bars)

2.3 FORM ACTIVE

Figure 2
Form active structures are those structures in which load is
taken by the form or the shape of the structure. They are
non-rigid, flexible matter shaped in a certain way and
secured at the ends, can support itself and span space. Only
tensile and compressive stresses persists. e.g. Tents,
Pneumatic, Cable etc

Figure 3
2.4 SURFACE ACTIVE
Redirection of forces takes place through the surface of
the structure to the ground. e.g. folded plate, shells etc

Figure 4
3. SHELL STRUCTURE

A thin shell is defined as a shell with a thickness which is small compared to its other
dimensions and in which deformations are not large compared to thickness. It is a thin, curved
plate structure shaped to transmit applied forces by compressive, tensile, and shear stresses
that act in the plane of surface. A primary difference between a shell structure and a plate
structure is that, in the unstressed state, the shell structure has curvature as opposed to the
plates structure which is flat. Membrane action in a shell is primarily caused by in-plane forces
(plane stress), but there may be secondary forces resulting from flexural deformations. Where a
flat plate acts similar to a beam with bending and shear stresses, shells are analogous to a cable
which resists loads through tensile stresses. The ideal thin shell must be capable of developing
both tension and compression.

 A shell is the most efficient way of using the material, and can be very useful in case o
storage of fluids and solids.
 The curved form may lead to different failure modes and often unexpected behavior
occurs.
 Shell structures are very attractive light weight structures which are especially suited to
building as well as industrial applications.
 The shell structure is typically found in nature as well as in classical architecture.
 It is a large span structure with spans ranging from 10m to 30m and in case of pure
shells ,and goes up to 100m in case of hybrid shell structures (used in stadiums).
 It can be used in combination with metal or wooden membranes and ribs with footings
to increase its strength.

Figure 5
 3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF SHELL STRUCTURE
Classification of shell structures can be done on the basis of

a. Forms of curvature

b. Material

c. Space Structure (Hybrid)

3.1.1 FORMS OF CURVATURE

 Single curvature shells are curved on one linear axis and are a part of a cylinder or cone
in the form of barrel vault and conoid shell.
 These are also known as developable forms which can be translated into a single plane
 Double curvature shell are either a part of a sphere or a hyperboloid of revolution.
 It has curvature along two axis.
 It is non developable i.e cannot be translated into a single plane.

Circular
cylinder Circular
Surface of (Barrel) domes
revolution
Singly Cones Surface of
Ellipsoid
curved revolution
(developabl Non circular
e) cylinder Paraboloid
Surface of
translation
Cones
Elliptic
Surface of paraboloid
Synclastic translation
Paraboloid
Doubly
curved
Shells (non-
developabl Surface of
Hyperboloid
e) revolution

Anticlastic Conoids

Surface of Hyperbolic
translation paraboloids

Hyperboloid
3.2 TYPE OF LOAD
 Shell structures are often used for providing shelter or canopy for a defined space.
 It is not used as a floor slab and carrying live load. Types of load exerted on shells are
load of weight exerted by the virtue of its mass, dead loads, load from snow, rain or hail,
and wind load.
 Forces exerted by these load are either vertically downwards in direction, in case of self
weight and dead loads and horizontal in case of wind load, on the surface of the shell.
 This results in development of stresses in shell surface, compressive on the upper
portion and tensile stresses near the region where shell meets the ground.

Figure 6
3.3 LOAD DISTRIBUTION
 The structure is divided into two zones,
compressive zone lies above the neutral
axis and tensile zone lies below the
neutral axis, in the region where the
structure meets the ground.
 Load distribution in shell takes place
through series of imaginary arcs running
in both directions along the central axis.
 Vertical loops are called meridians and
horizontal loops are called hoops.
 Meridians carry compressive forces
downwards to the ground along the
Figure 7
surface.
 Internal comressive and tensile forces are
born in hoops along the surface of the shell.
 Resultant is vertically upward at the point of contact.

Figure 8
3.3.1 EDGE CONDITIONS
1. RESTRAINED EDGES:
 In this case, the edges are constrained and they are directly transferring the load
into the ground.
 The position of neutral axis varies with height.
 Increase in height increases the tension zone
 When shell is supported on its edge, tension tie is required around the perimeter
at the intersection of the dome and the wall or ground.

Figure 9: H<R, Source: Figure 10, H>/=R, Source:

www.researchgate.com www.researchgate.com

2. UN-RESTRAINED EDGES:
 In this case, the edge along the perimeter is free and only touching the ground in
specified location for load transfer.
 Tension is developed near the constrained edge.
 Additional bracing is done at the point of contact with the ground to prevent buckling.

Figure 11: Stresses developed in

shell with free edges, Source:
www.researchgate.com
3.4 FAILURE SCENARIO
Shell buckling is particularly nasty because shell structures are so efficient, almost no deflection
occurs and then suddenly there is total collapse. Paradoxically, the less efficient the shell, in
terms of shape, triangulation of the surface and boundary support, the better it behaves in
buckling. This is because bending action of shells requires much more deflection than
membrane action and therefore small irregularities in shell geometry and other initial
imperfections have little effect. For a properly supported shell working primarily by membrane
action, experiments show that the theoretical ‘eigenvalue’ buckling load can never be reached,
even when the utmost care is taken to eliminate initial imperfections. The analysis of shell
buckling by hand calculations is effectively impossible – even eignvalue analysis of a spherical
shell is very difficult, and gives wildly optimistic answers. This means that there is no option but
to use computer analysis, but this is quite an esoteric area, and even though many programs
offer shell buckling, the results should be treated with a great deal of circumspection. There is
still a place for physical model tests for shell buckling.

Figure 12: Buckling under vertical load, Source: www.researchgate.com

Figure 13: Buckling under vertical and horizontal load, Source: www.researchgate.com
4. CASE STUDY: Los Manantiales, Felix Candela

4.1 DESCRIPTION
In 1958, Felix Candela completed his
most significant work, the Los
Manantiales Restaurant shell, in
Xochimilco, Mexico City. It sat at the
edge of a wide waterway, surrounded by
floating gardens, and could be reached
directly by embarcaderos, long, colorful
gondolas that still ferry passengers along
the canals of Xochimilco. Los
Manantiales is an eight-sided groined

vault composed of four intersecting Figure 13: Los Manantiales restaurant, Source:www.archdaily.com

hyperbolic paraboloid saddles. An

elevation reveals canted parabolic edges, which display its striking thinness of 1-5/8” (40mm).
Prior to Candela’s free edge shells, most shells used edge ribs. Hypar shells generate large
forces normal to their edges, but their uniquely thin cross sections, allowed by double
curvature, have little stiffness in the normal direction. Some striking features include:

 Symmetry for stability (mathematically proven)

 Groined Vaults (v-beam) increased the stiffness of the

structure (decreases bending and deflection)

 Umbrella footings which decreased the amount of

material used, and resisted the weight of the curvature

 Compression based building

 Hyperbolic parabola

 Made of reinforced concrete

Figure 15 Hyperbolic
paraboloid
  Avoided using edge ribs by using back to back hypars

4.2 FORM
 The form of the shell was a play of the hypar with free curved edges.
 The edges of the shell are parabolic and free of any edge stiffeners that would conceal the
thinness of the shell.
 The groined vault consists of four intersecting hypars.
 The restaurant belongs to a type of shell structure called groined vaults. The groins are the
valleys in the shell formed at the convergence of the intersecting hypars.

Figure 15

Figure 14
 Figure 16

Figure 17
Figure 18: Plan showing V-beam for groin stiffening and umbrella footing, Source: www.greatbuildings.com

Figure 20: Footing Figure 19

4.3 STRUCTURE
 Candela used V-beams for groin stiffening, which was not visible, either from the inside
or the outside, thus adding a bit of mystery to the educated observer of shell behavior.
 The V-beams are reinforced with steel, while the rest of the shell has only nominal
reinforcing, not for added strength, but to address temperature effects and other
properties of the concrete material that can cause cracking.
 Candela anchored the V-beams into inverted umbrella footings, which cup the earth to
prevent the shell from sinking into the soft Mexican soil.
 To resist lateral thrusts, he linked adjacent footings with steel tie-bars, thus allowing the
umbrella footings to carry only vertical loads.
 Candela inverted his umbrella form for the footings, a material saving strategy to
distribute the weight of the structure onto the poor quality soil of Mexico City.
 Total span of the structure is 42.425m.

Figure 21
 Internal height is 5.9m.
 Vault opening height 9.8m.
 Span of vault opening is 12.25m.
 Footing of size 4x4m.
 Angle bracing at footing of height 1.5m.

Figure 22