Technical A

Xanadome structures are not amenable to analysis by the standard techniques used in nearly all commercially available software. Special analysis methods and software are needed.

A characteristic of theoretically efficient structures is their remarkable rigidity. Think of the bicycle wheel with its thin spokes and light rim. It doesn’t deform noticeably when it is bumped up a kerb. Xanadomes are very stiff and rigid. Deflections are a small fraction of movements in similar looking conventional structures.

The arches of a Xanadome are quite different from conventional arches. They are articulated with ball joints or some sort of universal joint at every node where cables are connected. If a conventional arch had just two ball joints it would collapse. Conventional arches work both by carrying axial forces and bending moments. To carry similar loads to a Xanadome they need to be an order of magnitude heavier. In a Xanadome, the cables support the arches and the arches support the cables. Many conventional arches support cables but they are not arranged so that this mutual support is achieved. Only the particular arrangement in which the cables radiate from common nodes creates a restrained arch.

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