MEMBRANE ROOFS SUSPENDED OVER MOMENT FREE ARCHES
FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention relates to clear-span roof structures, supported by arches, which do not have bending moments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is related to an earlier, patented invention by the same inventor, titled "ROOF ARCHES WITHOUT BENDING MOMENTS". The earlier invention suspends a tensioned membrane roof underneath the arches, by means of a continuous suspension mechanism, which converts nature's asymmetrical and random roof loads to symmetrical and identical, concentrated arch loads. The centerline of the polygonal arch is designed to coincide with the constant, polygonal pressure line of these concentrated loads, therefore the arch is free of bending moments.
The present invention utilizes a similar, continuous suspension mechanism concept, to keep the arches moment free. However, the present invention is reversing the relative positions of the roof membrane and its supporting arches, placing the membrane over the arches from which the membrane still remains suspended. The present invention is also adding unique structural members to make the said suspension reversal possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The roof membrane of the earlier invention is hanging below the supporting arches, by means of a special suspension mechanism. This means, that by being on top of the roof membrane, the arches and the entire suspension mechanism are fully exposed to the elements. In order to protect both the suspension mechanism and the arches from corrosion by rain, and to prevent the suspension cables and the pulleys from being clogged by ice, sand or other airborne matter, there is a need for additional, protective fabric covers, to be placed over the arches. However, such covers would create sharp
ridges in the roof, transmitting lateral wind load to the arches, and causing horizontal bending moments in the arches.
To protect the arches and the suspension mechanisms from all adverse external effects, without losing the advantage of having moment free arches, the ideal solution would be to position the membrane on top of the arches, but still keep the membrane suspended from the arches by the multiple pulley suspension mechanism. This seemingly impossible contradiction (that is to suspend A from B while A is above B) requires an inventive solution. The invention, which is disclosed in the present Application, creates that solution.
To reverse the relative positions of membrane and arch, but still keep the suspension mechanism converting the random loads of the membrane into identical arch loads, the invention places additional, upright compression elements between the membrane above and the suspension mechanism below. Since these compression elements are supported only by cables, they are functioning as floating masts. Such a floating mast may be a single post, or two posts forming a V shape, or some other type of construction, that is suitable for transferring the roof load from the cable grid of the membrane above, to a lower pulley of the suspension mechanism below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention builds tensioned membrane structures, supported by arches that have polygonal curvature. Fig. 1 is an isometric view of such a roof structure, in which ten concentric arches are supporting twenty tensioned membrane sections between them. The hyperbolic double curvature of each membrane section is visualized by the lines of its reinforcing cable grid, representing one of the possible cable arrangements. The cable grid of five of the membrane sections is not shown, in order to expose the diagonal cable ties extended between adjacent arches.
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the end of one of the arches shown in Fig. 1. It shows the polygonal trussed arch 1 with a rectangular cross section, the roofs ridge cable 2 above the arch, and the foundation support 3, to which both the arch and the ridge cable are anchored. Near the end of the arch a cable tensioning drum 4 is rotationally secured to the inside of the arch. Attached to the drum is one end of the suspension cable 5, which is extended underneath the top of the box truss of the arch. At each break point of the arch the suspension cable 5 is taken around an upper pulley 6, a lower pulley 7, and another upper pulley 6, thereby forming the block-and-tackle type suspension unit of the structure.
Inserted through the center of the arch ] at each break point, there is a floating mast 8, the bottom of the mast being secured to the lower pulley 7 of the suspension unit, and the top of the mast being secured to the ridge cable 2. These floating masts are the unique means making the suspension reversal possible: they are transferring the structure's loads from the roof above, to the suspension units below. The floating masts and the suspension units together are creating the suspension mechanism, which is unique, in that it is at a lower elevation than the loads which are suspended from it.
Each suspension unit, as seen in Fig. 2., consists of three identical, co-planar blocks or pulleys. The two upper pulleys 6 are rotationally secured to a pair of coupling plates 9, which are suspended from the top of the arch by hinges, said coupling plates maintaining the positions of the pulleys relative to each other, and allowing the pulleys to tilt out of their initial, vertical plane. The space between the upper pulleys 6 is slightly larger than their diameter, allowing the identical third, lower pulley 7 to rise up between them to its highest position. The two coupling plates 9 are so constructed, that at their ends they are supporting the two upper pulleys, and in the middle of the plates sufficient space is provided between the coupling plates and the two upper pulleys, to accommodate the insertion of the floating mast 8, and its tilting within the design limits.
Fig. 3 shows an enlarged cross section of the arch, taken at one of the break points of the polygonal arch. It shows, that the centerline of the arch, the floating masts, the ridge cable and the suspension cable are designed to be in the same vertical arch plane, when the roof membrane has no live loads. The ridge cable connects the two adjoining sections of the
roof membrane 10, which may be reinforced by cable grids, and which are post-tensioned to the shape of doubly curved, hyperbolic surfaces, as seen in Fig. 1. Post-tensioning the membrane is done by tensioning the suspension cable with its two end drums, which raises the floating masts, and thereby also tensions the ridge cable on top of the masts.
Fig. 4 shows another, alternate embodiment of the invention. Here the arch truss 11 has a triangular cross section, and the floating mast is comprised of two inclined posts 12, forming a V shape, and of a horizontal tie cable 13, tying the two post tops to each other. For this triangular floating mast assembly there are two, parallel ridge cables 14, secured to the two top corners of the floating mast. The upper pulleys of the suspension unit are connected by their coupling plates directly to the top chord of the truss 11. The lower pulley is secured to the inside of the bottom corner of the triangular floating mast assembly. In all other respects the two embodiments of the invention work the same way.
In addition to truss arches with rectangular and triangular cross sections, there are other arch constructions possible, which are not shown. For instance, the triangular floating mast may also be used with an arch made of a single tube, positioned in place of the upper chord of the triangular arch cross section, shown in Fig 3. Such single tube can have relatively small cross section to carry the axial compression force of the arch.
Lateral buckling of such slender arches is prevented by tying each arch laterally to its neighbor arches and to their foundations, by diagonal tie cables 15, as shown in Fig. 1.
The diagonal tie cables 15, being underneath the structural roof membrane, may also support a second layer of light membrane, to be used for thermal insulation, air circulation, snow melting, and also as a permanent safety net, which is needed especially during installation or replacement of the roof panels attached to the cable grid. Fig. 1 shows a possible arrangement of the cable grids of the three sided roof sections, which are supported along their two long sides by the ridge cables 2, and on the third side by the base catenary cable 16, which is anchored to the arch supports.
To complete the installation of a typical structure of the invention, all of its cable grid sections are pre-stressed, by simultaneously tensioning all of the suspension cables with their two cable drums, secured to the arch ends. Tensioning the suspension cables
compresses and pushes the floating masts upward, thereby tensioning the ridge cables attached to the top ends of the masts, and pre-stressing both curvatures of the cable grids.
By eliminating all bending and buckling, and by subjecting all structural components to pure compression or tension, very light and very stable dome structures of unprecedented dimensions are created.
As already stated, one of the major advantages of positioning the membrane on top of the arches, while still suspending it from the arches, is that by having the arches and the suspension mechanism inside the membrane, they are protected from the elements.
Another significant advantage is, that by using floating masts of varying lengths, the contour of the ridge cable can be different from the contour of the arch. For instance, while the curvature of the arch is horizontal at the center, by increasing the length of the floating masts closer to the center, a peak can be created in the membrane, which facilitates snow sliding and melting.
A further advantage of positioning the membrane over the arches is, that it helps maintaining clean air inside the dome, when its surrounding environment is heavily polluted. In this case gravitational air intake and exhaust must both take place at high elevations, but at different levels. One solution may be to use a double chimney at the center of the dome. Such chimney would be difficult to extend through the arches, but it will be relatively simple to start it above the arches, supported by floating masts and guyed to the ridge cables.
A further advantage of the present invention is, that wile the clear span of a membrane roof, which is suspended below its supporting arches, is shorter than the clear span of the arches, by placing the membrane above the arches, the clear span of the membrane can be extended beyond the span of its arches.