Design of a Typhoon-Resistant Multi-Span Greenhouse with an Elevatable Roof for Tropical Regions

Agricultural facilities in tropical regions such as Hainan China face dual challenges from summer typhoons and occasional winter cold waves. Traditional greenhouses are generally constructed at a low height to resist typhoons, which hinders mechanized operations, while the use of insect-proof screens compromises thermal insulation. To resolve these contradictions, this study designs a typhoon-resistant multi-span greenhouse with an elevatable roof. Its core innovation lies in adopting a mechatronic steel cable system to achieve synchronized elevation of single-span roof surfaces. During daily operations, the roof is elevated to facilitate mechanized field operations; during typhoons or cold waves, the roof is lowered to the ground, reducing wind load impact and improving thermal insulation performance. The greenhouse’s elevating system incorporates multiple safety functions, including bidirectional self-locking and overload protection. Structural calculations using PKPM 2010 software show that under two working conditions—roof elevated (basic wind pressure of 0.45 kN/m2) and roof lowered (basic wind pressure of 1.30 kN/m2)—all indicators meet the requirements of relevant codes. Compared with an ordinary circular-arch greenhouse of the same size and under the same loads, the steel consumption of the standard single-span frame (6 m span, 4 m bay width) of the Elevating Greenhouse is only 67.38 kg, a 35% reduction compared with 103.58 kg for the ordinary greenhouse, significantly reducing construction costs. This study provides an innovative, safe, and economical technical solution for protected agriculture in tropical regions.