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In spite of the presence of much research in the field of foldable structures whose applications have covered most of the requirements of academic and practical aspects of life, there is still a wide domain in which to undertake further studies. One of the required studies is to invest in foldable structures for the process of temporary accommodation. This study endeavours to find solutions for folding pyramidal shapes constructed from stiff panels that can be used as an upper part of temporary accommodation units, e.g., roofs. Several attempts have been made to find a mechanism that realises the folding of a three-dimensional pyramid. These attempts led to suggest a design that represents an initial solution for folding the pyramid. It was taken into consideration in this design that the structure should deploy strain free when the thickness of its panels is not considered. Trigonometry was used to find mathematical equations that can be used to identify the lengths and angles of the proposed design plates. These equations theoretically proved the validity of the proposed mechanism. The proposed design was applied to construct an actual model formed with thick panels. Considering the panel thickness of the model plates led to amendments and improvements to the proposed design. Two actual models were experimentally tested to make sure that they achieve the design concepts in the processes of full folding and deployment. The models were also tested in the laboratory to make sure of the integrity of the panel hinges and resistance of the elements to external loading. The model was constructed in a simulation program in order to verify the foldability of the design, folding efficiency and absence of strain or collisions during the process of folding and deployment at all stages.

<p> A computer program is written to calculate the deflections and stresses in a shell of general nature.</p> <p> An oblique. truncated pyramid, built of aluminium plates is used for illustration and experimental analysis. </p> <p> Theoretical values of deflections and stresses are compared with the experimental results. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

<p> The finite element displacement method with triangular plate elements, is used in the present research program to establish an analytical approach for the analysis of shells and folded plate structures. The Tocher, Rawtani and Cowper displacement functions are used in this analysis and the theoretical displections u, v and w are found to compare satisfactorily with the experimental results. </p> <p> Owing to the limited storage capacity of the computer, the method of tridigonalization is used, rather than the method of direct stiffness assembly. </p> <p> Special considerations for stiffness assembly are necessary; (a) all the elements meeting at a node lie in the same plane and (b) the nodal points lie on the fixed boundary. </p> <p> Experimental values obtained from experiments on an oblique, truncated, pyramid made of aluminum compared well with the theoretical results based on the same structure. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

Der Beitrag gibt einen kompakten Überblick zur Leistungsfähigkeit und Anwendbarkeit der in den Teilprojekten D2-Numerische Simulation, E3-Sicherheitsbeurteilung und E4-Numerische Langzeitprognose des Sonderforschungsbereichs 528 entwickelten Algorithmen und Programmlösungen. Die gezeigten Methoden sind praxistauglich aufbereitet und stehen zur Anwendung für die Analyse des Kurz- und Langzeit-Tragverhaltens von Textilbetonstrukturen zur Verfügung. / The paper provides a compact summary of the ability and applicability of the algorithms and software packages developed in the project parts D2-Numerical Simulation, E3-Reliability Assessment und E4-Numerical Long-term Prognosis of the Collaborative Research Centre 528. The presented methods are prepared for practical use and are available for the analysis of the short- and longterm load-bearing behaviour of textile reinforced concrete structures.

Der Beitrag gibt einen kompakten Überblick zur Leistungsfähigkeit und Anwendbarkeit der in den Teilprojekten D2-Numerische Simulation, E3-Sicherheitsbeurteilung und E4-Numerische Langzeitprognose des Sonderforschungsbereichs 528 entwickelten Algorithmen und Programmlösungen. Die gezeigten Methoden sind praxistauglich aufbereitet und stehen zur Anwendung für die Analyse des Kurz- und Langzeit-Tragverhaltens von Textilbetonstrukturen zur Verfügung. / The paper provides a compact summary of the ability and applicability of the algorithms and software packages developed in the project parts D2-Numerical Simulation, E3-Reliability Assessment und E4-Numerical Long-term Prognosis of the Collaborative Research Centre 528. The presented methods are prepared for practical use and are available for the analysis of the short- and longterm load-bearing behaviour of textile reinforced concrete structures.