Topology Optimization, Metal Additive Manufacturing, and a Model Test of Connections in a Cable Dome Structure

The combination of topology optimization and metal additive manufacturing technology is a new and effective approach to realize the integration of design and manufacturing of connections in spatial structures. The variable density method was employed to optimize the topology of two typical connections in a cable dome: the inner-ring cable-strut connection and the outer-ring upper chord connection. The structural behavior of the optimized and the conventional connections was compared using ABAQUS. Stainless steel additive manufacturing of the two optimized connections was completed by selective laser melting (SLM) technology. To understand the behavior of metal additive manufacturing connections under actual loading conditions, two structural models using conventional connections and metal additive manufactured connections were experimentally studied for a sunflower-type triple-strut cable dome model with a diameter of 10 m. Construction forming and static loading tests under full-span and half-span actions were carried out on the cable dome model, respectively, and the corresponding finite element analysis results included ANSYS results (internal forces of members, node elevations, and so on) of the whole cable dome model and ABAQUS results (stresses at different measurement points of connections) of the connections. The results demonstrated that the topologically optimized connections manufactured by SLM technology instead of conventional connections have little influence on the overall behavior of the cable dome, which verified the effectiveness and feasibility of adopting metal additive manufacturing connections in practical engineering.