Instability research of single layer reticulated shells at Tongji University

Publisher Summary The chapter describes the research on the stability of single-layer reticulated shells (SLRSs), emphasizing theoretical research work on nonlinear numerical techniques for stability analysis, numerical and experimental investigations of static and dynamic instability characteristics of SLRSs, and application of the achievements in practical engineering projects. These studies have helped to establish numerical stability analysis techniques, develop professional computer programs for stability analysis and CAD design of SLRSs, increase the understanding of the static and dynamic stability behavior of SLRSs, and offer professional technical support for many important projects related to reticulated shells. However, further efforts are necessary for the practical structural design of SLRSs, including the development of more reliable and widely suitable techniques for tracing complete equilibrium paths of structures, computer-added analysis and design for SLRSs, and suitable criteria to instruct structural designers on the stability design of SLRSs.