Steel Construction Issue 04/15

Cover Story: The servohydraulic biaxial testing machines of the Essen Laboratory for Lightweight Structures (ELLF), Institute for Metal and Lightweight Structures of University of Duisburg-Essen, have maximum loading capacities of 20 kN and 50 kN. Cruciform test specimens are used to investigate the stress-strain-behaviour of woven textile fabrics and foils in order to determine the material stiffness properties or compensation values. The cruciform test specimens are biaxially loaded in the plane of the fabric. Hereby, the warp and weft directions are loaded cyclically by stresses or strains simultaneously (see pp. 222−229). (© ELLF, Institute for Metal and Lightweight Structures, University of Duisburg-Essen)

Table of Contents:

• Comparison of stiffness properties of common coated fabrics
• The Nuvola for the Nuovo Centro Congressi in Rome
• Structural membranes used in the building envelope
• Getting a membrane structure off the drawing board
• Tensile surface structures – old/new design approaches
• Temporary pavilions with Tensairity girders