Investigation of static and dynamic responses of tensegrity-based footbridge structures with integrated deck plates subjected to time-independent load

Abstract

The tensegrity system’s nonlinear static and dynamic response has been used to describe the structural behavior of the tensegrity-based footbridge. However, the results may lead to inaccurate structural behavior because the structural model in studies of tensegrity bridges does not account for the deck. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to evaluate two models, one consisting of pure tensegrity components currently used as the footbridge model and a proposed model consisting of an integrated tensegrity and deck plate system. For this purpose, the finite element approach, alongside the Reissner–Mindlin theory for nonlinear deformation of discrete deck plate elements, is used to establish the nonlinear static and dynamic equations based on system equilibrium, which are linearized and solved to gain insight into the sensitivity of the structural element to variations in the initial prestress. The results show that including the deck plate significantly enhances predictive accuracy for the nonlinear behavior of the tensegrity-based footbridge. In contrast, the models without the deck plate exhibit substantial structural inaccuracies under varying initial prestress conditions. This research highlights the crucial role of initial prestressing and the deck plate’s integration in optimizing the structural performance of tensegrity-based footbridge systems.