Deformation of Regular Prismatic Tensegrity Structures under Pressure by The Analytical Method

The tensegrity structure is a stable self-equilibrium system composed of continuous tension members and discrete compression members. Because of its light and simple characteristics, tensegrity structure has attracted wide attention. In this paper, an analytical method to study the deformation of regular prismatic tensegrity structures under pressure is proposed. The geometry length of all elements in the self-equilibrium state can be obtained by structural parameters. Assigning the bar's force density, the force density of all components can be obtained according to the force density relationship, and the prestress and natural length of members can also be calculated. The internal forces of the members are redistributed after applying an axial external load, and the shape -changed structural parameters can be obtained by solving the nonlinear force density equation. The proposed method only needs to solve the three variables of height, radius and torsion angle of the prismatic unit, which greatly reduces the calculation amount. This method can quickly calculate the accurate solution of the shape-changed structural parameters and is effective for analyzing regular prismatic tensegrity under an axial loading.