Tragverhalten von plattenartigen Tragelementen mit ein- und mehrlagigen Faltungen aus Feinblech

Load-bearing characteristics of plate-like elements with single and multi-layered folded structures of steel sheets.

The application of steel sheet for load-bearing constructions is currently rather uncommon. Nowadays, steel sheet for load-bearing constructions is only used for corrugated sheeting or for special constructions such as geodesic domes; hemispherical, folded envelopes made out of thin steel sheet that have been invented by the architect R. Buckminster Fuller. Beside these spatially-curved folding constructions, whose load is mainly transferred by axial force, bearing structures composed out of thin, folded sheets with one or more layers as a light-weight structure are also possible. Crucial for their load bearing behavior and their efficiency is on the one hand the choice of the folding typology regarding folding height and frequency and on the other hand the sheet thickness, which depends on the local load factor. The present article shows the potential of bending-loaded bearing structures by presenting the results of parametric studies. In the context of these parametric studies, single- and multi-layered longitudinal foldings and point foldings made of steel sheet have been examined towards their bearing capacity. Construction principles as well as potential uses have also been perused.