General contractors, architects, and designers have finally realized the perks of using tensile fabric structures instead of conventional building products. This can give you umpteenth reasons for choosing them including the advantages to the general public.
Tensile fabric structure has gained popularity because of the flexibility and convenience it offers. It is used to give protection to transportation depots, shopping centers, stadiums, concert venues, parks, etc. You will get to see multiple tensile fabric structure pattern in several places. However, in this article, we will be sharing their types, materials, and classification to give you a clear idea.
Classifications of the Membranes of the Tensile Fabric Structure
Generally, there are a total of three kinds of main classifications of the tensile construction system. Those are pneumatic structures, mesh tensioned, and membrane tensioned structures.
Among three of them, the first one is associated with the structure where the membrane is held by wires, letting the distribution of the tensile stress via its form. The second one is related to the structure where multiple wires carry internal energy, sending them to individual elements like wooden sheets or glass. Lastly, the third one is mainly the protective membrane which is supported by the pressure of the air.
Materials of the Membrane of Tensile Structure
Tensile membrane generally contains coated fabrics. Nowadays, you will find multiple varieties of synthetic and natural fibers which are generally used during the production of the tensile membrane. Below, we will be discussing the most popular kinds of tensile fibers that are mainly used in tensile structures.
- PVC Coated Polyester
PVC-coated polyester is considered to be an excellent material choice for both temporary and permanent stretch fabric structures. PVC-coated polyester has garnered immense popularity due to its flexibility, affordability, transparency, and strength. It is a better option as compared to the ETFE and PTFE coated glass cloth. PVC coating mainly contains flame-retardant additives, UV stabilizers, and anti-fungicides. If you maintained this properly, then it will last up to 20 years and above.
- ETFE
ETFE is more than a film rather than a kind of fabric though. But it is worth looking at it since it is widely used as a great alternative to structural glasses and also its applications are growing exponentially.
- PTFE Coated Glass Cloth
DuPont introduced the PTFE coated glass cloth first in the 1960s. It was designed for using it in the production of the tensile fabric structure to develop several tensile fabric structure patterns. Generally, this particular material lasts for almost 25 years but if taken care of properly the lifespan will increase to 30 to even 50 years.
Different Types of the Tensile Structure
Overall, three kinds of tensile structures are there which we will now discuss below.
- Linear Tensile Structure
Linear tensile structure refers to a structure where all members are subjected to linear tensile forces. The compression members provide support to these linear members, but linear tensile structures generally carry the main load.
Cable-suspended bridges are one of the most common examples of this type of tensile structure where the compression members are the main columns of the bridge and the wires that are in tension carry the entire load.
- Surface-stressed Tensile Structure
Surface-stressed tensile structure is not that much different from the other two types of tensile structure. The main difference is that the surface-stressed tensile structure is tension-carrying members.
One of the primary instances of surface-stressed tensile structure is fabric tensile structure where the vertical columns of the structure grab the specially designed fabric that is in the tension.
- Three-dimensional Tensile Structure
The three-dimensional tensile structure is mainly a collection of elements initially in tension. The three-dimensional tensile structure can be seen mostly in the sports field which is generally used as a roof structure.
Conclusion
The tensile fabric structure is visually very appealing and has unique qualities. So, if it is properly designed and installed, then it will host a lot of benefits. Hence, now architects and designers have started to experiment with it. They try to convert 3D to 2D pattern to produce some out-of-the-box designs.
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