Structural behavior of aluminum reticulated shell structures considering semi-rigid and skin effect

The aluminum dome has been widely used in natatorium, oil storage tank, power plant, coal, as well as other industrial buildings and structures. However, few research has focused on the structural behavior and design method of this dome. At present, most designs of aluminum alloy domes have referred to theories and methods of steel spatial structures. However, aluminum domes and steel domes have many differences, such as elasticity moduli, roof structures, and joint rigidities, which make the design and analysis method of steel spatial structures not fully suitable for aluminum alloy dome structures. In this study, a stability analysis method, which can consider structural imperfection, member initial curvature, semi-rigid joint, and skin effect, was presented and used to study the stability behavior of aluminum dome structures. In addition, some meaningful conclusions were obtained, which could be used in future designs and analyses of aluminum domes.