Theoretical analysis of inflatable beams made from orthotropic fabric

A theoretical analysis of inflatable beam was performed. These circular cross-section beams are made from fabric of polyester fibers coated with PVC. Such fabric may be tailored to form an arch when inflated. In many analyses, the Saint Venant Kirchhoff hypothesis was used and the authors assumed that the beams are made from an isotropic fabric. In this paper, a 3D Timoshenko's beam with a homogeneous orthotropic fabric was proposed. The model took into account the geometric nonlinearities and the inflation pressure follower force effect. The analytical equilibrium equations were performed using the total Lagrangian form of the virtual work principle. As these equations were nonlinear, a linearization was performed at the prestressed reference configuration to obtain the equations devoted to linearized problems. As an example, the bending problem was investigated. Four cases of boundary conditions were treated and the deflection and rotation's results improved the existing models in the case of an isotropic fabric. The wrinkling load in every case was also presented

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Source ISSN: 0263-8231
Author Ronel, -, Jacquelin, -
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 5, 2026, 11:11 (UTC)
Created May 5, 2026, 11:11 (UTC)
Identifier hal-00991393
Language en
contributor Laboratoire de Biomécanique et Mécanique des Chocs (LBMC UMR T9406) ; Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL) ; Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux (IFSTTAR)
creator Ronel, -
date 2009-01-01T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 8d2647b3-3f91-4b36-b4e1-335c08be492c
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2023-08-07T00:00:00
relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.tws.2009.06.003
set_spec type:ART