SHELLS AND DOMES

APPLICATIONS

SHELL STRUCTURES • The shell structure is

reinforced concrete. A shell commonly used in
structure is used as both a
seismic zones where
structural and covering
structures undergo
element on a building.
seismic loads. The reason

The term shell is generally for using the shell

used to describe structures structures in earthquake-

that possess high strength prone areas is that it has
Shell is a type of building and rigidity due to their thin high strength with
enclosure that belongs to form. The best feature of respect to their self-
the family of arches. It can the shell structures is their weight.
be defined as curved or continuity and curvature.
•Shell Structures are
angled structure that is
generally used to cover
capable of transmitting load Due to its structural
the larger area of the
in more than two directions continuity, the shells can
to support. transmit the loads in a building where the

number of different interior of the building

Shell Structures are directions. A shell is a has no columns and
capable of maintaining their building that is empty from walls to support the flat
shape and the support inside, these shell elements slabs.
loads without any help of are typically curved and • Fuselages of aero
the frame or the solid mass assembled into a large
planes.
materials. The shell structure structure, they are
• Boat halls.
is a curved membrane that lightweight constructions
• Roof structures in some
is usually made up of using shell elements.
buildings.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Shell structures have higher strength • In the case of shell structures, it is not
with respect to their self-weight. possible to construct a floor above
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• Shell structures are used to cover a them.
large area. • The labor cost required for the
• It is very simple in design and has construction of Shell structures is more.
more strength as compared to other • For the construction of the shell
types of Structures. structures, there should be greater
• Steel structures are structurally accuracy in the formwork required.
continuous and it can transfer loads in • The construction of the shell
a number of directions. structures required skilled labor and
• Shell structures are attractive in good supervision.
appearance and mostly used for
decorative purposes.
• The notes which are applied to the
shell structures are carried to the
ground by tensile, shear, and Prominent Exemplary
Structures:
compressive forces.
- Sydney Opera
• The dead load in the Shell structure house, Australia
can be reduced by economizing the - Lotus temple, India
- Bosjes Chapel,
foundation and the overall support England
system.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

Introduction
In building construction, a shell structure is a thin, curved plate structure shaped to
transmit applied forces by compressive, tensile, and shear stresses that act in the plane
of the surface. They are usually constructed of concrete reinforced with steel mesh.
Shell construction began in the 1920s; the shell emerged as a major longspan
concrete structure after World War II. Thin parabolic shell vaults stiffened with ribs have
been built with spans up to about 300 ft (90 m). More complex forms of concrete shells
have been made, including hyperbolic paraboloids, or saddle shapes, and
intersecting parabolic vaults less than 0.5 in. (1.25 cm) thick. Dome is thin wall
reinforced concrete shell structure. The structure provides safe shelter for the people in
the area with hurricanes and earthquakes. This technique is an effective alternative to
conventional methods. A curve rotated about a central axis to form a surface, creates
a Dome.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

Types of Shell structure

Classification of shell structure there are many ways to classify shell structures, but
the most common ones are:
1) Based on the material which the shell is made of: like reinforced concrete,
plywood or steel, because each material has different property that can determine
the shape of the building.
2) Based on shell thickness: can be thick or thin shell.
3) Based on the structural integrity of the shell.

BARREL SHELLS
This barrel shells is symmetrical about the crown. it is a cylindrical thin shell which
is hugely similar in shape with barrel vaults. It transmits load longitudinally as a
beam and transversely as an arch. The material used should resist both
compression and tension. This influences the placement of bars in RC as they are
needed where there is tension. Their shape also has few requirements than vaults
so new curve like ellipse and parabola are possible.

TRANSLATION ARCHES
A translation shell is a dome set on four arches. The shape is different from a
spherical dome and is generated by a vertical circle moving on another circle.
The stresses in a translation shell are much like a dome at the top, but at the level
of the arches, tension forces are offset by compression in the arch. It is easier to
form than a spherical dome.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

FOLDED PLATES SHELLS

The folded plate is a type of shell structure that is made from a thin flat slab.
These types of structures are generally joined along their edges to construct the
three dimensional structure. Folded plates are one of the best attractive structure
which required very less material and construction cost.
They have advantage in using movable and simple formwork and there design
requires simple calculation. Folded plate consumes more material than shell and
their form work may be removed after 7 days.

FACE FOLDED PLATES SHELLS

Folded plate structures are assemblies of flat plates, or slabs, inclined in different
directions and joined along their longitudinal edges. Modern folded plate
structures are typically made of cast in situ or precast reinforced concrete, or steel
plate. It consists of triangular or polygonal planar thin slabs joining along their
edge to form a thin plate.

SHELL ARCHES
Shell Arches are the type of Shell structures that are small shells. Shell Arches are
not an efficient structure for the higher value of the bending moment. It has a
longitudinal cross section as barrel shell but is a circular arch or other shape. It has
less concrete and reinforcement.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

TRANSLATION ARCHES
Warped surfaces have a great advantage for shell structures because they
may be formed from straight-form boards even though they are surfaces of
double curvature. There are two types that are most useful namely conoid and
hyperbolic Paraboloid shell.
#Hyperbolic Paraboloid (Hypar): is a surface curved in two directions that can
be designed as a shell or warped lattice. A hypar is triangular, rectangular or
rhomboidal in plan, with corners raised to the elevation desired for use and/or
appearance. The edges of Hypars are typically restrained by stiff hollow beams
that collect & transfer roof loads to the foundations.
#Conoid shell: is formed by drawing straight lines between a curve such as a
circle and a straight line. It is a ruled surface because it can be formed by
straight lines. A cylinder and a cone also are ruled surfaces but a sphere is not in
this category.

Generally, Shell structure are one of the best and light weight structures which are used to
cover a large area of span without any supports of breams, columns, and walls. The
material most suited for the construction of shell structure is concrete because it is a highly
plastic material when first mixed with water that can take up any shape on centering or
inside formwork. Small sections of reinforcing bars can readily be bent to follow the
curvature of shells. Once the cement has set and the concrete has hardened the r.c.c
membrane or slab acts as a strong, rigid shell that serves as both structure and covering to
the building.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

DOME STRUCTURES
elliptical in plan and usually
hemispherical in form,
APPLICATIONS
placed over a circular,
square, oblong, or • The dome structure allows
polygonal space. Domes for a wide variety of floor
have been built with a wide
plan designs because it
variety of outlines and of
needs no interior support.
various materials.
This allows you to take

Advancements in advantage of the wide

A dome (from Latin domus) open space of your
mathematics, materials,
is an architectural element
and production techniques building. Because of the
similar to the hollow upper
resulted in new dome structure's tightness, they
half of a sphere. There is
types. Domes have been conserve vast amounts of
significant overlap with the
constructed over the energy, making them more
term cupola, which may
centuries from mud, snow,
also refer to a dome or a cost effective to run and
stone, wood, brick,
structure on top of a dome. heat.
concrete, metal, glass, and
The precise definition of a
plastic.
dome has been a matter of •A dome encloses the

controversy and there are largest volume of interior

many forms and specialized space with the least
terms to describe. amount of surface area,
thus saving on materials
The best to describe it would
and cost. Additionally, a
be to describe a dome as a
dome's structure is one of
roof circular or (rarely)
the most energy-efficient
interior spaces because air
and energy circulate
without obstruction.
 SHELLS AND DOMES

Components

The word "cupola" is another word for "dome",

and is usually used for a small dome upon a roof
or turret. "Cupola" has also been used to
describe the inner side of a dome. The top of a
dome is the "crown". The inner side of a dome is
called the "intrados" and the outer side is called
the "extrados". As with arches, the "springing" of
a dome is the base level from which the dome
rises and the "haunch" is the part that lies roughly
halfway between the base and the top. Domes
can be supported by an elliptical or circular wall
called a "drum". If this structure extends to ground level, the round building may be
called a "rotunda". Drums are also called "tholobates" and may or may not contain
windows. A "tambour" or "lantern" is the equivalent structure over a dome's oculus,
supporting a cupola.

Types of Domes

ONION DOME UMBRELLA DOME

 SHELLS AND DOMES

CORBEL DOME CLOISTER DOME

CROSSED ARCH DOME MONOLITHIC DOME

OVAL DOME ROTATIONAL DOME

SAUCER DOME CABEL NET DOME


ADVANTAGES
Economy in construction
✓ Cost of a dome is less.
✓ Streamlined construction process
and use of only four
contribute to the domes economy.
✓ Require less maintenance.
Security
✓ Ability to survive
hurricanes and earthquakes.
✓ Provides fire protection.
Aesthetics and comfort
✓ Any structure appears bare and
unattractive when it’s first built.
✓ But just as enhancement can soften
and beautify straight lines and corners.
Prominent Exemplary
Structures:
- Biosphere of Montreal,
Quebec
- Total Antwerp, France
SHELLS AND DOMES
DISADVANTAGES
✓ Only specially trained construction
crews.
✓ Using the modern techniques.
ingredients ✓ Wasted space in narrow corners.
✓ Lack of seams.
✓ Different appearance of the domes
decreases the appeal for their use as
private residences and the strange
tornadoes, appearance and design may run afoul
of neighborhood building covenants.
✓ Depending on the situation a large
variety of variations available from the
standard circular shape can avoid
some of these problems.
✓ Building permits may be difficult to
obtain if local officials are not familiar
with the monolithic dome.
✓ Resale of a monolithic dome home
may be difficult because of its
unconventional appearance