Types of Tensile Membrane Structures

The term tensile membrane structures describes the category of buildings in which the load bearing capacity is achieved through tension stress in majority of the components, such as cables, technical fabrics or foils. A membrane structure is most often used as a roof, as they can attractively and efficiently span large distances.

Flexible Design Aesthetics, Outstanding Translucency, Excellent Durability, Lightweight Nature and Low maintenance are some of the great advantages and functional benefits of tensile membrane structures.

Types of Tensile Membrane structures - 

1) Saddle Roof

The saddle is a hyperbolic paraboloid, which means that the membrane structure is characterized by two high peaks and to low points; in other words, the saddle can be conceptualized as a warped rectangular grid.

2) 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. These 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. These structures are primarily suitable for long span roofs.

3) Arch Supported Roofs

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 stress 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.

About Hindustan Alcox Limited  

As a leading Membrane structure manufacturer, Hindustan Alcox Limited specializes in creating complex structural systems with sophisticated design practices. Our fabric structure which include tensile membrane structure, requires a prior understanding of shape and form, the behaviour of the materials used and the forces acting on it. All these parameters are studied by our designers to conceptualise and engineer the final product.      

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Advantages of Tensile Membrane Structures

These are thin shell structures and attractively cover large distances carrying only tension, but no compression. The material used for roofing membrane structures are generally (single-layered or double layered) PTFE coated fibre glass, PVC coated Polyester and ETFE Foil. Supportive structural cables used in tensile membrane structure are a series of strands twisted or bound together, leading to a larger cable. Tensile structures are commonly sub-divided in boundary tensioned membranes, pneumatic structures and pre-stressed cable nets and beams.

Advantages of Tensile Membrane Structures –

• Flexible Design Aesthetics – Tensile Membrane structures provide virtually designs of distinctive elegant forms that can be realized because of the unique flexible characteristics.
• Excellent Durability – The durability and longevity of these structures have been proven and built in climates ranging from the frigid arctic to the scorching desert heat.
• Lightweight Nature – The lightweight nature of membrane structures is an efficient solution that requires minimal structural steel to support the roof compared to conventional building materials, enabling long spans of column-free space.
• Low Maintenance – Tensile Membrane structure can be can be coated which makes their maintenance easier as compared to an equivalent-sized conventional building.
• Energy Efficient – Most tensile structures have high sun reflectivity and low absorption of sunlight, thus resulting in less energy used within a building and ultimately reducing energy costs.
• Outstanding Translucency – In daylight, fabric membrane translucency offers diffused, naturally lit spaces reducing the interior lightning costs while at night, artificial lightning creates an ambient exterior luminescence.
• Recyclable material – The tensile membrane structures are made with fabrics which are recyclable. Hence these tensile structures feature minimal carbon footprint.

About Hindustan Alcox

Tensile Membrane structures, which require a prior understanding of shape and form, the behaviour of the materials used and the forces acting on it. As a leading Tensile Membrane Structure producer, Hindustan Alcox Limited specializes in creating customized membrane structures with sophisticated designed practices.

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