Deformation mitigation and twisting moment control in space frames

Over the last five decades, space frames have centered on the modernization of touristic zones in view of architectural attractions. Although attempts to control joint movement and minimize axial force and bending moment in such structures were made sufficiently, twisting moments in space frames have been underestimated so far. In space frames, external load or restoring the misshapen shape may cause twisting in members. We herein developed a robust computational algorithm to reduce the induced torsional moment through shape restoration within a desired limit by changing the length of active bars that are placed in space frames. Applying optimization algorithms like interior-point and Sequential quadratic programming (SQP), a direct correlation was pursued between bar length alteration and twisting in structural members. A numerical model of a single-layer space frame resembling an egg captures the twisting moment in all members, achieving a specified limit. The overall length change of the active members using an iterative process based on a heuristic that considers a threshold on the minimum length change of the active members.