Nonlinear response spectra of cable net facades

Abstract Cable net facades are widely used as a new kind of glazing system and have many advantages, such as pleasing esthetics and easy constructability. With the characteristics of low stiffness, light weight, and small damping, cable net facades are obviously geometrically nonlinear, and the response spectrum method may have some limitations in the seismic design of cable net facades. Therefore, the nonlinear vibration differential equation and natural frequency of the cable net subject to earthquakes was deduced, and then the geometrically nonlinear single-degree of freedom model was founded. Second, with the geometrically nonlinear single-degree of freedom model, the nonlinear seismic response of the cable net was calculated with the time history method subject to four groups of site conditions, and the nonlinear response spectra were founded. Third, the linear and nonlinear acceleration and displacement spectra were compared thoroughly. Lastly, shaking table tests were conducted to verify the accuracy of the nonlinear response spectra.