Model Based

Thin-Shell Structures
What Happened to Them?
 STRUCTURAL ART

Turning Torso - Santiago Calatrava

Model Based
Eiffel Tower - Paris, France
Analysis Based
Analysis Based Structural Art
 Analysis Based Structural Art

The Market Hall in Leipzig, Germany (1929) by Franz Dischinger

Analysis Based Structural Art
Petroleum Coke Bulk Storage - Pittsburg, California
OPAC Consulting Engineers
 Model Based Structures

Sea-Rose Sheets of the Giant Sea-Rose Victoria in the Amazon

 Model Based Structures

Ribbed Support in Roofs and Plants

Was Nervi inspired by Nature?
Eduardo Torroja

Born August 27, 1899

Spanish engineer who was considered
a pioneer in concrete-shell structures
Believed identity of form and structure
could be realized with thin vaults of
concrete
Graduated in 1923
Died June 15, 1961
 Pierre Lardy

Born in 1903
Attended Federal Institute of Technology in 1923
Hired Heinz Isler in 1951
Proponent for model based designs
Emphasized the importance of aesthetics for
full-scale structures
Died in 1958
 Heinz Isler

Born July 26, 1926 in Zollikon, Switzerland

Attended Federal Technical Institute
Graduated in 1950 with a degree in Civil
Engineering
Only student out of 100+ to choose thin-shells
for senior design
Worked as an assistant to Pierre Lardy
Based most of his structures on smaller models
Stated there were 3 ways to arrive at shell
shapes, (Freely shaped hills, Rubber Balloon
Membranes, and Reversed Hanging Cloths
Hanging membranes by Heinz Isler
Thin-Shell Roof over gas station in Bern-Zurich Highway
Wyss Garden Center
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland

Ever wonder what the inside looks like?

Now you know

The barrel shell to be described is that in the set of programs SHELLS.zip, which may be downloaded from this web site. It is a single barrel with an
edge beam on the left and the valley it is a section of symmetry. so the analysis is for two barrels.
Layout of joints and members is shown in the sketch. The shell is divided into 12 equal angle members plus the edge beam.

The dimensions that must be used are feet for distances, and pounds for weights. The resulting deflections and stresses are as noted in the output.
The coordinates and dimensions were created by the program, CIRCLES.BAS which is also included. These same values are given for the built-in
example. Dimensions and loads are as follows:
Span = 60 ft., Width=30 ft., Rise=6.5 ft
The radius is 20.55 ft., and the end slopeis 46.86 degrees.
This is about the maximum suitable slope of a shell.
Shell thickness=0.29 ft (3.5 in.), Edge beam 1ft.x 3 ft.
Length of shell segment=2.802 ft.
Weight of concrete=150 pcf, Weight of one segment=122.9
Snow load, (per length of segment)=25 psf. One segment=71.4 p
Extra load has been placed at the valleys to compensate for the in-fill.

Input for the program is listed at location 5,000 as follows:

5000 DATA SINGLE BARREL WITH EDGE BEAM
5010 ' Span, E, No. of members, No. of joints
5020 DATA 60,432E+6,13,14
5030 ' Generate member/joint relations (Y?N) ?
5040 DATA "Y"
5050 ' Member/joint relations: Member, X joint, Y joint.
5060 ' Special supports: Joint, X, Y, Z, Phi, (0 to exit)
5070 DATA 14,0,1,1,0, 0
5080 ' Member, thickness, Special I value, (0 for no special value)
5090 DATA 1,1.00,0, 2,.290,0, 4,.290,0, 4,.290,0, 5,.290,0, 6,.290,0
5100 DATA 7,.290,0, 8,.290,0, 9,.29,0, 10,.29,0, 11,.29,0, 12,.29,0
5110 DATA 13,.29,0
5120 ' Do some members have no longitudinal stiffness, (List number)
5130 DATA 0
5140 ' Coordinates: Joint. X, Y
5150 DATA 1,0,0, 2,0,3, 3,2.047,4.908, 4,4.339,6.520, 5,6.826,7.805
5160 DATA 6,9.465,8.741, 7,12.207,9.309, 8,15.000,9.500
5170 DATA 9,17.79,9.31, 10,20.53,8.74, 11,23.174,7.805, 12,25.66,6.52
5180 DATA 13,27.951,4.908, 14,30,3
5190 ' Loads: Joint, X, Y, (0 to Exit)
5200 DATA 1,0,225, 2,0,322, 3,0,194, 4,0,194, 5,0,194, 6,0,194
5210 DATA 7,0,194, 8,0,194, 9,0,194, 10,0,194, 11,0,194, 12,0,184, 0
Petroleum Coke Bulk Storage - Pittsburg, California
OPAC Consulting Engineers
Twisting Torso
 Turning Torso by Santiago Calatrava

Twisting Torso Turning Torso

Ice Shell Creation at Cornell University (1999) by Dr. Mark Valenzuela and
Professor Arwade himself
Ice Shells by students at The Johns Hopkins University (Inspired by Heinz Isler)
Watch a Clip!
 If a picture is worth a 1000
words, then a simple model
is worth a 1000 calculations