Ringseildächer mit CFK-Zugelementen

Spoke-wheel cable roof with CFRP tension members

While the automobile and aircraft industries take advantage of both of the two main characteristics of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), high strength and low weight, usually only one advantage of CFRP, namely high strength, is relevant in the construction industry. When looking for types of structures where the low weight is also of particular use, large-span, highly-tensioned and pre-stressed roof-structures quickly come to mind. In this paper, the potential of CFRP tension members used in a spoke-wheel cable roof is demonstrated by comparing a typical spoke-wheel steel cable roof with a corresponding roof structure with CFRP tension members. The structural influence of carbon fibers with different properties is investigated. Cost estimation shows that the structural properties of CFRP tension members may lead to a cost efficient alternative for spoke-wheel cable roofs despite of their higher material price. As an introduction the advantages and disadvantages of CFRP material are discussed and already existing CFRP cable structures are presented. At the end of the paper, a prototype of a spoke wheel CFRP cable roof, which was designed and built by the civil engineering institute of the Technical University of Berlin, is introduced.