2012/06/21 by Alberto Luiz Albertin, Pier Giorgio Malerba, Nicolò Pollini +1 · 1 citation
Engineering · #Structural Analysis and Optimization #Structural Engineering and Vibration Analysis #Topology Optimization in Engineering
paper · doi:10.1201/b12352-256
openalex publication_date 2012/06/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Cable structures differ from the conventional ones for their lightness and for the versatility of their shapes. As they work only by axial tensile forces, the structural geometry and the pretensioning intensity applied to the cables are closely related. In this paper, a matrix theory suitable for the analysis of a spatial pinjointed structure is recalled and the role of the cable prestress and the optimization of the prestress distribution and of the prestress intensity is studied. In a second part of the paper an optimization procedure, based on a genetic algorithm, is presented. Such a procedure allows searching a solution at the same time of minimum weight and respecting given technological constraints, as shown trough a final example.