TARLAC STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

SAN ISIDRO CAMPUS

SHELL STRUCTURE
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 5
(ALTERNATIVE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM)

CANLAS, VINCE ART C.

(STUDENT)
Shell
Shell structures are also called plate structures. They are lightweight
constructions using shell elements. These elements, typically curved, are
assembled to make large structures. Typical applications include aircraft
fuselages, boat hulls, and the roofs of large buildings. 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. 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.
NATURAL SHELLS
THE TERM “SHELL” IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE STRUCTURES
WHICH POSSESS STRENGHT AND RIGIDITY DUE TO ITS THIN,
NATURAL AND CURVED FORM SUCH AS SHELL OF EGG, A NUT,
HUMAN SKULL, AND SHELL OF TORTISE.
Shell
The most popular types of thin-shell structures are:
 Concrete shell structures, often cast as a monolithic dome or stressed ribbon
bridge or saddle roof.
The thin concrete shell structures are a lightweight construction composed of a
relatively thin shell made of reinforced concrete, usually without the use of
internal supports giving an open unobstructed interior. The shells are most
commonly domes and flat plates, but may also take the form of ellipsoids or
cylindrical sections, or some combination thereof. Most concrete shell
structures are commercial and sports buildings or storage facilities. 
 There are two important factors in the development of the thin concrete shell
structures: The first factor is the shape which was was developed along the history of
these constructions. Some shapes were resistant and can be erected easily. However, the
designer’s incessant desire for more ambitious structures did not stop and new shapes
were designed.

The second factor to be considered in the thin concrete shell structures is the
thickness, which is usually less than 10 centimeters. For example, the thickness
of the Hayden planetarium was 7.6 centimeters.
Shell
Advantages of Concrete Shells:
 The curved shapes often used for concrete shells are naturally strong
structures.
 Shell allowing wide areas to be spanned without the use of internal
supports, giving an open, unobstructed interior.
 The use of concrete as a building material reduces both materials cost and
the construction cost.
 As concrete is relatively inexpensive and easily cast into compound
curves. 

Disadvantages of Concrete Shells

 Since concrete is porous material, concrete domes often have issues with
sealing. If not treated, rainwater can seep through the roof and leak into the
interior of the building. On the other hand, the seamless construction of
concrete domes prevents air from escaping, and can lead to buildup of
condensation on the inside of the shell. Shingling or sealants are common
solutions to the problem of exterior moisture, and ventilation can address
condensation.
 Lattice shell structures, also called grid shell structures, often in the form
of a geodesic dome or a hyperboloid structures.

 Membrane structures, which include fabric structures and other tensile

structures, cable domes, and pneumatic structures.

NATURAL SHELLS

INTERSECTING SHELLS

CHAPEL LOMAS DE CUERNAVACA

PIER LUIGI NERVI PALAZZETTO DELLO SPORT

BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON BY NORMAN FOSTER

LOTUS TEMPLE, INDIA

 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

AND MANY…
SINGLE OR DOUBLE CURVATURE SHELLS

• SINGLE CURVATURE SHELL: ARE CURVED ON ONE LINEAR

AXIS AND ARE A PART OF A CYLINDER OR CONE IN THE FORM
OF BARREL VAULTS AND CONOID SHELLS.

• DOUBLE CURVATURE SHELL: ARE EITHER PART OF A SPHERE,

OR A HYPERBOLOID OF REVOLUTION.

• THE TERMS SINGLE CURVATURE AND DOUBLE CURVATURE

DO NOT PROVIDE A PRECISE GEMOETRIC DISTINCTION
BETWEEN THE FORM OF SHELL BECAUSE A BARREL VAULT IS
SINGLE CURVATURE BUT SO IS A DOME.
• THE TERMS SINGLE AND DOULBE CURVATURE ARE USED TO
DISTINGUISH THE COMPARITIVE RIGIDITY OF THE TWO FORMS AND
COMPLEXITY OF CENTRING NECESSARY TO CONSTRUCT THE SHELL
FORM. BARREL VAULT CONOID DOME HYPERBOLOID PARABOLOID
FORMS OF CURVATURE: SURFACES OF
REVOLUTION:
SURFACES OF REVOLUTION ARE GENERATED BY THE REVOLUTION OF A
PLANE CURVE, CALLED THE MERIDIONAL CURVE, ABOUT AN AXIS,
CALLED THE AXIS OF REVOLUTION. IN THE SPECIAL CASE OF
CYLINDRICAL AND CONICAL SURFACES, THE MERIDIONAL CURVE
CONSISTS OF A LINE SEGMENT. E.G. : CYLINDERS, CONES, SPHERICAL OR
ELLIPTICAL DOMES, HYPERBOLOIDS OF REVOLUTION, TOROIDS.
THANK YOU!