PNEUMATIC

STRUCTURES

• Pneumatic structure is a membrane
which carries load developed from
the tensile stresses.
• Its stabilization is done by pre-
stressing the membrane either by
a) Applying an external force
which pulls the membrane
taut
b) Internal pressurizing if the
membrane is volume
enclosing.
Such structures are called “pneumatic
structures”.
• These structures can create artificial
environments adaptable to human
use .
• The pneumatic forms are bound to
increase in popularity, owing to the
tremendous freedom they provide
to the architects in designing large
free spaces within them.
INTRODUCTION TO
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES.
• The word pneumatic is derived from the
greek word “pneuma” (meaning breath of
air), thus these are the structure which are
supported by air.
• Although pneumatic structures have been
used by mankind for thousand of years; it
was only introduced in the building
technology about 40 years ago.
PRINC
IPLE
1. Its principle is the use of
relatively thin membrane
supported by a pressure
difference.
2. Through increasing the inside
air pressure not only the dead
weight of the space envelope is
balanced, but the membrane is
stressed to a point where it
cannot be indented by
asymmetrical loading.
 TYPES OF PNEUMATIC
STRUCTURES.
AIR
SUPPORT AIR
ED INFLATE
STRUCTU
It consist of a single membrane (enclosing a functionally useful D
space) which is supported by a small internal pressure difference.
RESvolume of a building air is consequently at a pressure
The internal
STRUCT
higher than atmospheric. URESby pressurized air contained within inflated
It is supported
• They have air higher than the atmospheric pressure supporting building element. The pressurized air in the pillow serves only to
the envelope. stabilizing the load carrying membrane. The covered space is not
• Air locks or revolving doors help to maintain the internal pressurized.
pressure. • Supporting frames consist of air under high pressure.
• Air must be constantly provided. • Internal pressure of building remains at atmospheric pressure.
• Life span of 20 – 25 years. • There is no restrictions in number and size of openings.
• Relatively low cost. • It has the ability to support itself.
• They are either anchored to the ground or to a wall so that • They have potential to support an attached structure.
leakage is prevented.
• They have relative low cost and they can be installed
easily.
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES.
LIGHT-
•WEIGHT
The weight of the structure as
compared to the area it covers is
very less.
• The weight of the membrane roof,
even when it is stiffened by cables,
is very small.
• Low air pressure is sufficient to
balance it.
SPA
•N There is no theoretical maximum
span.
• To span a distance of 36 km for a
normal building is hard while such
spans are quite possible for
pneumatics.
SAF GOOD NATURAL
•ETY
Pneumatic structures are safer than •LIGHTING
If envelope is made up of
any other structure. Otherwise, a transparent material, good natural
proper care should be taken while light enter into the structure.
establishing. • Around 50% – 80% of sunlight can
• They are fire resistance structures. be obtained.
QUICK ERECTION & HUMAN
•DISMANTLING
Suitable for temporary HEALTH
• In most cases, pressure of not more
constructions. than 80-100mm and not less than
• 1 km² area can be brought down in 6 60mm.
hours and can be establish in less • Man can withstand pressures
than 10 hours. between 0.20 atm to 3 atm.
Therefore no health hazard is
ECON presented by continuous stay in a
OMY
• It is not expensive when it is used as pneumatic structure.
temporary structures.
 SYSTEM
ENVELOPE
COMPONENTS.
• They can be made up of different
ENTRANCE •
materials.
• Cannot be used as one continuous •
Doors can be ordinary doors or
material. airlocks.
• Material are seamed together by Airlock minimize the chances of
sealing, heat bonding or mechanical having an unevenly pressurized
jointing. environment.
• The design of the envelope depends on
an evenly pressurized environment.
PUMPING
CABLE
EQUIPMENT
• It is used to supply and maintain
SYSTEM
• They act as the supporting system. internal pressure inside the structure.
• They experience tension force due to • Fans, blowers or compressors are used
the upward force of the air. for constant supply of air.
• Can be placed in one or two directions to • The amount of air required depends on
create a network and for better stability. the weight of the material and the wind
• They do not fail since they are pulled pressure.
tight enough to absorb the external
loads.
 SYSTEM COMPONENTS.

FOUNDATION
• Pneumatic structures are secured to ground using heavy
weights, ground anchors or attached to a foundation.
• Weight of the material and the wind loads are used to
determine the most appropriate anchoring system.
• For bigger structures, reinforcing cables or nets are
used.
• For a dependent pneumatic structure (roof only air
supported structure) the envelope is anchored to the main
structure.
• When anchoring is done to soil, the cable is attached to the
anchor directly inserted and frictional forces of the soil to
hold it down.
• Soil anchoring systems include screw, disk, expanding
duckbill and arrowhead anchors.

AIR SUPPORTED
STRUCTURES
• Wind and Snow loads are the primary loads that are acting
on pneumatic structures.
• They are anchored very tight to the ground, so no horizontal
forces are exerted to the envelope.
• As pneumatic structures are tensile, the envelope has the
ability to gain stiffness in order to withstand the loads acting
on them.
LOADING.
AIR INFLATED
STRUCTURES
• Wind loads produce a lateral force on the structures and
snow load causes downward forces on envelope.
• Pneumatic structures are designed to withstand wind load of
120 mph and a snow load of 40 pounds/yard.
 CLASSIFICATION OF
PNEUMATIC
Pneumatic Structures can be further subdivided as:- STRUCTURES.
A. Type of Differential Pressure C. Type of Surface Curvature
B. Degree of Differential Pressure D. Proportions

TYPE OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE

• Pneumatic Structures use either positive pressure or negative pressure.
• In Positive Pressure System, the membrane is always curved outwards, whereas
in Negative Pressure Systems the membrane is curved inwards.
• Being curved inwards there is a tendency of water logging & snow
accumulation.
• Moreover, negative pressure systems require high supports at the edge or in the
center which makes it more expensive. AIR SUPPORTED
DEGREE OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE STRUCTURES

LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS

These systems are provided with low pressure air; hence have to be provided with
continuous supply of air. Example: Air Supported Structures.
HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS
Used for easy erection & dismantling; the pressure difference is b/w 2000-7000mm of
water pressure (100 to 1000 times) low pressure systems.
These high pressure air inflated systems are either having a single valve system or a
double valve systems which avoids it’s collapse. AIR INFLATED
STRUCTURES
 CLASSIFICATION OF
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES.
TYPE OF SURFACE
CURVATURE
These structures can also be classified according to the
a. Single curved
types of curvature on the outer surface,
b. Doubly curved in the same direction or
synclastics
c. Doubly curved in opposite direction or DOUBLY CURVED IN DOUBLY CURVED IN
anticlastic THE SAME OPPOSITE
DIRECTION DIRECTION
PROPORTIONS
On the basis of different proportions, pneumatic structures
can be:-
a. Two dimension of similar size and one larger
dimension
Example: Tubes, Masts, Columns, Towers
b. Two dimensions of similar size and one smaller
dimension
Example: Cushions , Lenses, Mattresses
c. Three dimensions of similar size
Example: Balloons, Balls, Spheres, Bubbles
 MATERIALS.
ENVELOPE
FIBERG
MATERIALS ETFE
•LASS
They high tensile strength, elastic (ETHYLENE
behavior and durability. TETRAFLUOROETHYLE
• It is very energy efficient because
• Coated with Teflon or silicone to NE)of transparency, insulation and
increase resistance to extreme UV resistance.
temperatures and UV radiation. • It is also light weight has an
lifespan on 20 years and is
recyclable.
POLYE
•STER
Most common envelope material
for smaller structures.
NYL
• PVC-coated polyester is common ON
• Vinyl-coated nylon has more
for flexible, smaller air-supported strength, durability and stretch
structures. than polyester.
• The PVC is applied to the • They have a higher cost.
polyester using a bonding or
adhesive agent.
 MATERIALS.
ANCHOR MATERIALS
The anchor material depends on the application and size of the pneumatic structure.

STEEL CABLES
• Steel wires are twisted into strands which are then twisted
around a core to form the cable.

BALLASTS
• Materials for ballasts of smaller structures include sand bags,
concrete blocks or bricks.
• The ballasts must be placed around the perimeter of the
structure to evenly distribute the load.
 APPLICATIONS.

MILITARY STRUCTURES STRUCTURES FOR

For storage, for emergency medical
operations & To protect radar stations from BOTANICAL GARDENS,
weather conditions ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS,
GREENHOUSE, HOTHOUSE

SPORTS &
RECREATIONAL TRAVERSING BRIDGE
CENTRES EXHIBITION & STRUCTURES
Ability to span great distances without
CONVENTION CENTRES
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF
PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES.

ADVANT DISADVAN
•AGES
Light weight •TAGES
Need for continuous maintenance of excess pressure in the
• Covers large spans without internal supports envelope
• Rapid assembly and have low initial and operating cost • Relatively short service life
• Portability • Continuous operation of fans to maintain pressure
• Cannot reach the insulation values of hard-walled
structures

CONCLU a)
b)
Pneumatic structures have found wide range of application.
They are best suited for small and temporary construction.
SION c) They can be quickly erected and dismantled.
d) Provoke fascination among observers and bystanders.
TENSILE
STRUCTU
RES
 INTRODUCTION TO TENSILE
STRUCTTURES
•The term tensile structures describes the category of buildings in which the load bearing capacity is achieved through
tension stress in the majority of the components, such as cables, technical fabrics or foils.
•It can also be defined as a structure where the exterior shell is a fabric material spread over a framework. The fabric is
maintained in tension in all directions to provide stability.
•The only exception is represented by rigid boundaries and structural members which are generally subjected to
compression and bending.
•Tension structures are commonly subdivided in boundary tensioned membranes, pneumatic structures and pre-stressed
cable nets and beams.

Types of Fabric Structures

• Saddle roof

• Mast supported

• Arch supported

•Combinations
Saddle Roof
Four or more point system when the fabric is stretched between a set of alternating high and low points .

Mast Supported
•Tent-like in appearance, mast supported structures
typically have one or sometimes several peaks that are
supported by either interior or perimeter masts.
•The fabric is attached to the interior mast by special connections, usually a bale ring or cable loop.
•Mast-supported structures can also be supported by adjacent buildings. The peaks of a mast
supported structure are determined by the design and how the fabric is attached.
•Openings are typically ovoid or elliptical. The fabric that
extends from the top of the opening is seamed and
can necessitate patterning.
•Mast supported systems are suitable for long span roofs.
Arch Supported Roof
•Curved compression members are used as the main
supporting elements and cross arches are used for lateral
stability.

•In a plane arch, large differences between the thrust lines and the main geometry will produce large bending moments that in turn
produce large changes in shape and high stresses in the arch chord section. One method to significantly reduce these effects is to tie or
restrain points along the arch chord to reduce the initial large deformations of the chord

Typical arch shapes defined by

physical and ergonomic constraints.
Components
•BASE PLATE
Connection to concrete foundation pillar
•MEMBRANES
Forms the enclosure of the structure. Connections can be
glued or heat welded
• PVC coated polyester (polyvinylchloride)

• Silicon coated glass

• Teflon coated glass P.T.F.E (polytetrafluroethylene)

•BALE RING/ MEMBRANE PLATE

Provide a link between the membrane and structural elements..
• Bale rings are used at the top of conical shapes.
• Membrane plates accept centenary cables and pin
connection hardware.

•TYPES OF FABRIC MEMBRANE

PVC : SILICON GLASS: TEFLON GLASS:

Less expensive Higher tensile strength Similar to silicon
15 to 20 year life span Brittle, subject to damage glass, less brittle.
Easy to erect from flexing
30+ year life span
Specialized Hardware

Tripod head with centenary cables

Centenary cables at a side connection

Extruded section with membrane

Tensioner plate and centenary cables
 CABLE CLAMPS

Edge c able with c lamps. Used Bale rings are a go o d way to c o ntro l stresses in
mainly for PTFE- fabric ro o f at high o r lo w po ints. Used at high
coated fiber glass fabric , but also po ints they must be c o v ered to
for PV C- make the struc ture watertight. If used at lo w po
coated poly ester fabric when ints, they c an b e used to gather rainwater and
sno w fo r redistrib utio n o n site .
edge spans
are longer than 20 m.
Channel (with grommets) and lacing. Used
with PV C-
coated polyester fabric where the edge has
grommets spaced at frequent intervals.

Rope is laced thro ugh the grommets and to

a tie rod within the channel.

Water dreainage via

M embrane plates
 Advantages Disadvantages
•Longer life cycles of materials. • Little to no rigidity
•Materials can be re-used in form.
• Loss of tension is dangerous for stability
•Most materials are completely recyclable.
• Thermal values limit use
•Less impact on site.

•Less construction debris after demolition.

• Unique designs

• Lightweight and flexible

• Environmentally sensitive

• High strength weight ratio

SPACE FRAME OR SPACE STRUCTURE:

•A TRUSS-LIKE, LIGHTWEIGHT RIGID STRUCTURE CONSTRUCTED FROM

INTERLOCKING STRUTS IN A GEOMETRIC PATTERN.
•SPACE FRAMES CAN BE USED TO SPAN LARGE AREAS WITH FEW INTERIOR
SUPPORTS.
•A SPACE FRAME IS STRONG BECAUSE OF

• A SPACE FRAME IS STRONG BECAUSE OF :

• THE INHERENT RIGIDITY OF THE TRIANGLE;
• FLEXING LOADS (BENDING MOMENTS) ARE TRANSMITTED AS TENSION
AND COMPRESSION LOADS ALONG THE LENGTH OF EACH STRUT.

LOAD DISTRIBUTION
•HORIZONTAL SLAB OF INTERLOCKING SQUARE,
PYRAMIDS AND TETRAHEDRA BUILT FROM ALUMINIUM
OR TUBULAR STEEL STRUTS.

•STRONGER FORM IS COMPOSED OF INTERLOCKING TETRAHEDRA IN WHICH ALL THE STRUTS HAVE
UNIT LENGTH.
•MORE TECHNICALLY THIS IS REFERRED TO AS
AN ISOTROPIC VECTOR MATRIX OR IN A SINGLE
UNIT WIDTH AN OCTET TRUSS.
•MORE COMPLEX VARIATIONS CHANGE THE LENGTHS OF THE STRUTS
TO CURVE THE OVER ALL STRUCTURE OR MAY INCORPORATE OTHER
GEOMETRICAL SHAPES.
HISTORY OF EVOLUTION

1900
•SPACE FRAMES WERE INDEPENDENTLY DEVELOPED BY ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL AROUND 1900 .
•BELL'S INTEREST WAS PRIMARILY IN USING THEM TO MAKE RIGID FRAMES FOR NAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING,
WITH THE TETRAHEDRAL TRUSS BEING ONE OF HIS INVENTIONS, HOWEVER FEW OF HIS DESIGNS WERE REALIZED.

1950

•BUCKMINSTERFULLERINTHE1950S DEVELOPED FRAMES INDEPENDENTLY, FULLER'S FOCUS WAS ARCHITECTURALSTRUCTURES

AND HIS WORK HAD GREATER INFLUENCE.

BUCKMINISTERFULLER GEODESIC DOME GRAHAMBELL SPACE FRAME DESIGN

APPLICATIONS
•PLATFORM OR OVERHEAD STRUCTURE THAT SPANS LARGE DISTANCES WITHOUT NEED FOR INTERNAL LOADBEARING SUPPORT.
•IN THE PAST FEW DECADES, THE SPREAD OF SPACE FRAME WAS MAINLY DUE TO ITS GREAT STRUCTURAL POTENTIAL AND VISUAL
BEAUTY . NEW AND IMAGINATIVE APPLICATIONS OF SPACE FRAMES ARE BEING DEMONSTRATED IN THE TOTAL RANGE OF BUILDING
TYPES,LIKE:
•SPORTS ARENAS
•EXHIBITION PAVILIONS
•ASSEMBLY HALLS
•TRANSPORTATION TERMINALS
•AIRPLANE HANGARS
•WORKSHOPS, AND WAREHOUSES ENCLOSURES
 ADVANTAGES

•LIGHTWEIGHT -THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT MATERIAL IS DISTRIBUTED

SPATIALLY IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE LOAD TRANSFER MECHANISM IS PRIMARILY AXIAL;
TENSION OR COMPRESSION. CONSEQUENTLY, ALL MATERIAL IN ANY GIVEN ELEMENT IS
UTILIZED TO ITS FULL EXTENT. FURTHERMORE, MOST SPACE FRAMES ARE NOW CONSTRUCTED
WITH ALUMINUM, WHICH DECREASES CONSIDERABLY THEIR SELF-WEIGHT.

• MASS PRODUCTIVITY- SPACE FRAMES CAN BE BUILT FROM SIMPLE

PREFABRICATED UNITS,WHICH ARE OFTEN OF STANDARD SIZE AND SHAPE. SUCH UNITS CAN
BE EASILY TRANSPORTED AND RAPIDLY ASSEMBLED ON SITE BY SEMI-SKILLED
LABOR.CONSEQUENTLY,SPACE FRAMES CAN BE BUILT AT A LOWER COST.

•STIFFNESS-A SPACE FRAME IS USUALLY SUFFICIENTLY STIFF IN SPITE OF ITS LIGHTNESS.

THIS IS DUE TO ITS THREE- DIMENSIONAL CHARACTER AND TO THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF ITS
CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS.

•VERSATILITY -SPACE FRAMES POSSESS A VERSATILITY OF SHAPE AND FORM AND CAN
UTILIZE A STANDARD MODULE TO GENERATE VARIOUS FLAT SPACE GRIDS,LATTICED
SHELL, OR EVEN FREE-FORM SHAPES. ARCHITECTS APPRECIATE THE VISUAL BEAUTY AND
THE IMPRESSIVE SIMPLICITY OF LINES IN SPACE FRAMES
 STRUCTURAL BACKGROUND

•A SPACE FRAMES ALONG-SPANNING THREE-DIMENSIONAL PLATE STRUCTURE BASED ON THE RIGIDITY OF THE TRIANGLE AND
COMPOSED OF LINEAR ELEMENTS SUBJECT ONLY TO AXIAL TENSION OR COMPRESSION, EVEN IN THE CASE OF CONNECTION BY
COMPARATIVELY RIGID JOINTS, THE INFLUENCE OF BENDING OR TORSIONAL MOMENT IS INSIGNIFICANT.
DIFFERENCE B/W PLAIN FRAMES AND SPACE FRAME
PLAIN FRAMES SPACE FRAMES

THE FORCES ARE ACT ONLY ALONG THE AXIS OF THE MEMBERS  THE FORCES ARE ACTING ALONG THE AXIS OF THE MEMBER. IN
ARE HAVING TENSION OF COMPRESSION. ADDITION TO TRANSVERSE FORCES.

 EACH MEMBER IS ACTED UPON BY TWO EQUAL AND OPPOSITE  ONE OR MORE THEN ONE MEMBER OF FRAME IS SUBJECTED TO
FORCES HAVING LINE OF ACTION ALONG THE CENTRE OF MORE THEN TWO FORCES.(MULTIPLE FORCE MEMBERS)
MEMBERS I.E. EVERY MEMBER OF IT IS TWO FORCE MEMBER.

 MEMBERS ARE SUBJECTED TO TENSION/COMPRESSION ONLY.  AT LEAST ONE MEMBER IS SUBJECTED TO BENDING, SHEAR OR
TORSION.

 FORCES ARE APPLIED ON JOINTS ONLY.  FORCES MAY ACT ANYWHERE ON THE MEMBERS.

 USUALLY, MORE SIMPLE TO CALCULATE, MORE WEIGHT  USUALLY MORE SIMPLE TO MANUFACTURE AND TO PLACE IN
EFFECTIVE. TIGHT LAYOUT.
PLAIN FRAMES

In plain frame truss m=2n-3, where m is total number of members

and n is total
number of joints.

SPACE FRAMES
In plain frame truss m=3n-6,
where m is total number of
members and n is total
number of joints.
 CLASSIFICATION

ACCORDING TO CURVATURE ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF GRID LAYERS

FLATCOVERS SINGLE-LAYER

BARRELVAULTS DOUBLE-LAYER

SPHERICALDOMES TRIPLE-LAYER
 ACCORDING TO CURVATURE
THIS TYPE OF VAULT HAS A CROSS SECTIONOF A SIMPLE ARCH. USUALLY
•FLATCOVERS
THIS TYPE OF SPACE FRAME DOES NOT NEED TO USE TETRAHEDRAL
•THESE STRUCTURES ARE COMPOSED OF PLANAR
MODULE SO RPYRAMIDS AS A PART OF ITS BACKING.
SUBSTRUCTURES. THE PLANE ARE CHANNELED THROUGH LOAD DISTRIBUTION
THE HORIZONTAL BARS AND THE SHEAR FORCES ARE
SUPPORTED BY THE DIAGONALS.

HEYDER ALIYEV CENTRE BY ZAHA HADID

•SPHERICAL DOMES THESE DOMES USUALLY REQUIRE THE USE OF TETRAHEDRAL MODULES OR PYRAMIDS AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
FROM A SKIN.
CONSTRUCTION LAYERS OF DOUBLE BRACCED DOME

FREE FORM SPACE FRAME

 ACCORDING TO GRID LAYERS

SINGLE-LAYER -ALL ELEMENTS ARE LOCATED ON THE DOUBLE-LAYER

SURFACETOBEAPPROXIMATED. •THE ELEMENTS ARE ORGANIZED IN TWO PARALLEL
LAYERS WITH EACH OTHER AT A CERTAIN DISTANCE
APART. THE DIAGONAL BARS CONNECTING THE
NODES OF BOTH LAYERS IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
IN SPACE.
•DURING DESIGN STAGES TO UTILIZE TWO WAY
1.5 layer
SPANNING CAPACITY OD DLG ASPECT RATION
SHOULD NOT EXCEED 1.5:1.
 SPACE FRAME COMPONENTS

MEMBER JOINTS
• MEMBERS ARE AXIAL ELEMENTS • IN A SPACE FRAME, CONNECTING
WITH CIRCULAR OR RECTANGULAR JOINTS PLAY AN IMPORTANTROLE, BOTH
SECTIONS, ALL MEMBERS CAN ONLY FUNCTIONAL AND ESTHETIC, WHICH
RESIST TENSION OR COMPRESSION. DERIVES FROM THEIR RATIONALITY
•THE SPACE GRID IS BUILT OF DURING CONSTRUCTION AND AFTER
RELATIVELY LONG TENSION COMPLETION.
MEMBERS AND SHORT COMPRESSION •SINCE JOINTS HAVE A DECISIVE EFFECT
MEMBERS. A TREND IS VERY ON THESTRENGTH AND STIFFNESS OF
NOTICEABLE IN WHICH THE THE STRUCTURE AND COMPOSE
STRUCTURAL MEMBERS ARE LEFT AROUND 20 TO 30 PERCENT OF THE
EXPOSED AS A PART OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT, JOINT DESIGN IS
ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION CRITICAL TO SPACE FRAME ECONOMY
AND SAFETY .
 SCAFFOLD METHOD
•INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS ARE ASSEMBLED IN PLACE AT
ACTUAL ELEVATIONS, MEMBERS AND JOINTS OR
PREFABRICATED SUBASSEMBLY ELEMENTS ARE ASSEMBLED
DIRECTLY ON THEIR FINAL POSITION.
•FULL SCAFFOLDINGS ARE USUALLY REQUIRED FOR THIS
TYPEOF ERECTION. SOMETIMES ONLY PARTIAL SCAFFOLDINGS
ARE USED IF CANTILEVER ERECTION OF SPACE FRAME
CANBEEXECUTED. THE ELEMENTS ARE FABRICATED AT THE
SHOP AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE,AND
NO HEAVY LIFTING EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED.
BLOCK ASSEMBLY METHOD
•THE SPACE FRAME IS DIVIDED ON ITS PLAN INTO INDIVIDUAL STRIPS
OR BLOCKS. THESE UNITS ARE FABRICATED ON THE GROUND LEVEL,
THEN HOISTED UP INTO ITS FINAL POSITION AND ASSEMBLED ON THE
TEMPORARY SUPPORTS.
•WITH MORE WORK BEING DONE ON THE GROUND, THE AMOUNT OF
ASSEMBLING WORK AT HIGH ELEVATION IS REDUCED. THIS METHOD IS
SUITABLE FOR THOSE DOUBLE LAYER GRIDS WHERE THE STIFFNESS
AND LOAD-RESISTING BEHAVIOR WILL NOT CHANGE CONSIDERABLY
AFTER DIVIDING INTO STRIPS ORBLOCKS,SUCHAS TWO-WAY
ORTHOGONAL LATTICED GRIDS,ORTHOGONAL SQUARE PYRAMID SPACE
GRIDS, AND THE THOSE WITH OPENINGS. THE SIZE OF EACH UNIT WILL
DEPEND ON THE HOISTING CAPACITY AVAILABLE.
LIFT UP METHOD

•THE WHOLE SPACE FRAME IS ASSEMBLED AT GROUND LEVEL SO THAT MOST OF THE WORK CAN BE DONE BEFORE HOISTING. THIS
WILL RESULT IN INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND BETTER QUALITY. FOR SHORT AND MEDIUM SPANS, THE SPACE FRAME CAN BE HOISTED
UP BY SEVERAL CRANES.
• FOR LONG-SPAN SPACE FRAME,TEMPORARY POSTS ARE USED AS THE SUPPORT AND ELECTRIC WINCHES AS THE LIFTING POWER.THE
WHOLE SPACE FRAME CAN BE TRANSLATED OR ROTATED IN THE AIR AND THEN SEATED ON ITS FINAL POSITION. THIS METHOD CAN
BE EMPLOYED TO ALL TYPES OF DOUBLE-LAYER GRIDS.