Static Performance Analysis of an Open Cable Dome Structure with Partial Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer （CFRP） Cables

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） has the advantages of low weight， high tensile strength， corrosion resistance， and fatigue resistance， which makes it suitable for cable domes. To study the feasibility of applying CFRP cables in cable dome structures， some steel cables and single-type cables in an open cable dome structure with a span of 120 meters were replaced with CFRP cables using different methods. The static performance finite element analysis of the cable dome structure after the replacement of CFRP cables was carried out. The simulation results showed that， compared with the cable dome using steel cables， when some steel cables were replaced with CFRP cables by the equal area method， the stress of the cables in the replaced cable dome structure was reduced， and the stress of each group of cables was reduced by less than 8%. The maximum vertical displacement of the joints varied within 10%. When all single-type cables were replaced with CFRP cables by the equal strength method， the stress of the cables and the maximum vertical displacement of the joints changed significantly. Replacing all single-type cables with CFRP cables by the equal stiffness method had a relatively small impact on the stress of the cables and the maximum vertical displacement of the joints. For this open cable dome structure， all steel ridge cables can be replaced with CFRP cables. This research demonstrates that through reasonable design， it is feasible to use CFRP cables to replace steel cables in such structures.