APPLICATIONS AND

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
OF TENSEGRITY
STRUCTURES

Guided by: Presented by:

Ms.JESSYMOL
MARY ROSHNI ROY
GEORGE
ASST. PROF. ROLL NO:12
S1, SECM
 INTRODUCTION
 Tensegrity structures are 3-D trusses where some
members are always in tension and others are in
compression.

 Discontinuous compression, continuous tension

characteristics.

 Tensegrity structures show features of pin-jointed

bar framework , pure compressive/tensile
members, localisation of compression and pre-
stressed structures.

1.
 BRIEF HISTORY AND
DEFINITION
 Tensegrity- tensional integrity, coined by
Buckminister Fuller.

 Construction of first tensegrity structure by

Kenneth Snelson.

 Compression members as small islands in sea

of tension and they define a stable volume in
space.

2.
 GENERAL DEFINITION

“The geometry of a
material system is in
a stable equilibrium if
all particles in the
material system
return to this
geometry, as time
goes to infinity,
starting from any
initial position
arbitrarily close to THE NEEDLE TOWER
this geometry.” Fig No:1
3.
 In 1951, longest tensegrity structure in London -
THE SKYLON

THE SKYLON
Fig No:2 4.
 FUNDAMENTAL
CONCEPT

•Loading members in pure

compression or pure
tension.

• Pre-load or pre-stress.

• Mechanical stability.

THE NEEDLE TOWER

Fig No:3 5.
 GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS
 System

 Stable Self-Equilibrated State

 Components-compressed or tensioned

 Continuous tension and discontinuous

compression

6.
Contd….

 Boundary Surface of Tensegrity

structures

 They are in a state of self stress.

 Each node receives one and only one

compressed element.

7.
 GEOMETRY AND STABILITY

 According to law of geometric connectivity,

strings can change both their length and
orientation while bars can change only their
orientation to reach equilibrium.
 A tensegrity structure can be stable or in
equilibrium, only when there are odd number
of struts in the system and they should be as
close as possible to each other.
 It follows the self stress design mechanism.
8.
 BENEFITS
 Tension Stabilizes
 Efficient
 Active and
Deployable
 Easily Tunable
 More Reliably
Modeled
 Can perform
multiple functions
 Motivated to Molecular structure of spider silk

Biology Fig No: 4 9.

 TENSEGRITY SIMPLEX
 X-Simplex

 3-Way prism

 Square prism

 Pentagonal prism
Types of tensegrity simplexes
Fig No: 5
10.
Contd…..

 Triangles in a
tensegrity network is
divided into:

 Type I

 Type II

Types of triangles
Fig No: 6 11.
 DESIGN CONCEPTS
 Typical base model
consists of 3
compressed and 9
tensioned members
of equal length.

 Elementary
equilibrium;
ratio, r=S/C
=1.4622

Fig No : 7 12.
 Overall stiffness and stress under load
depends on some parameters:
– Level of self-stress
– Distribution of self-stress
– Rigidity ratio of compression and tension
members.
DESIGN PROCESS
 Service state design to meet deflection
criteria.
 Ultimate design state for overall stability of
structure under extreme loading.

13.
 MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR
 Bending

Gedanken stiffness profile

Fig No: 8

• Compression
• Change of shape with small control
energy 14.
 STRUCTURAL ASPECTS
 To control too many cable elements, several
cables can be connected or continuous cables
can be slid over joints.
 High strength to mass ratio leading to strong
and light-weight structures.
 Strut-based actuation and cable-based
actuation.
 Dynamic relaxation is a suitable static analysis
method for tensegrity structures.

15.
 CLASS OF TENSEGRITY
• 3-Bar SVD Class 1 Tensegrity
• 3-Bar SD Class 1 Tensegrity
• 3-Bar SS Class 2 Tensegrity

Classes of multi-stage 3-bar tensegrities

16.
Fig No: 9
STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS
• Tower
1. Lightening
conductors
2. Communications
3. Wind parks
4. Aesthetic elements

ROSTOCK TOWER
Fig No: 10
17.
Contd….

 Roof Structures

U.S.Pavillion for Expo ’67 by Fuller

Fig No: 11

• Outer Space Structures

18.
Contd……

•Smart structures

•Bridges

KURILPA BRIDGE, AUSTRALIA

19.
Fig No: 12
 CASE STUDY- THE SKYLON

 Designed by Philip
Powell and Hidalgo
Moya.
 Follows typical
tensegrity structure
concept.
 Simple 3-rod
tensegrity structure
built on cables.
 Highly stable THE SKYLON
structure. Fig No: 13
20.
 CONCLUSION
 Effectiveness of light weight structures.

 New type of architecture.

 Advantageous over conventional structures.

 Research on foldable tensegrity structures

under process.

21.
 REFERENCES
• Adam B. and Smith L.F.C(2008), “Active
Tensegrity” Vol. 86
•Buckhardt R.W (2008) “A practical guide to
tensegrity design”
•Rene Motro (2008) “structural systems for the
future”
•Paleti Srinivas, Krishna Chaitanya
Samban(2010)

22.
Thank You
DISCUSSIONS
AND
QUERIES