Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
presented in several specialised conferences such as the IASS and TensiNet Inter-
national Symposia, the International Conference on Textile Composites and In
at-
able Structures, the Latin American Symposium Tensile Structures, the Textile Roofs
and several other national and international conferences and events. The original lack
of postgraduate master programs about membrane structures has been progressively
introduced by several research and teaching institutions such as the Anhalt University
of Applied Sciences (MEng inMembrane Structures) and the Technical University of
Wien (MEng in Membrane Lightweight Structures).
fl
1.3 Mechanical Tests for Coated Fabrics and Foils
The membrane structures
field is regarded a continuous and rapid evolution due to
the constant interest of the producers in new materials characterised by higher levels
of resistance, durability, weld ability, handiness and translucently at a feasible price
(Bridgens
2005
; Campioli and Zanelli
2009
). The development of new products is
not facilitated by the scant number of international standards for technical textiles.
For this reason, producers and fabricators rely on the support provided by private
and university research centres which validate new products and technical solutions
according to the few biaxial standards available (Membrane Structures Association
of Japan MSAJ/M-02:
1995
; American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE/SEI 55-
10:
2010
) or according to non-uniform procedures arranged from time to time with
the research centres.
In the
cations represent
fundamental information in the phases of design, manufacturing and erection of a
structure. The testing methodologies are prescribed by international bodies and
required by the design codes (Gulvanessian
2009
; EU Regulation 305/
2011
). The
national and international standards on the mechanical properties of technical
textiles at present are fragmented and limited to uniaxial tests (EN ISO 13934-
1:
1999
; EN ISO 13934-2:
2000
; EN ISO 1421:
2000
; EN ISO 1798:
2008
, EN ISO
4674-1:
2003
, EN ISO 4674-2:
1998
;EN
1875
:
1997
), which allow a preliminary
investigation of the fabric properties but are inadequate for an exhaustive analysis
of the mechanical behaviour (Bridgens et al.
2004a
; Reichardt et al.
1953
). Of the
three typologies of biaxial test currently in use, the bursting test, the cylinder tests
and the plane biaxial test (Reinhardt
1976
; Bassett
1999
), only the latter allows the
reproduction, through the independent stress in warp and
field of construction, the materials mechanical speci
fill direction, of the biaxial
stress state assumed during the design phase or measurable in situ (Bridgens et al.
2004b
). The considerable price and complexity of the testing apparatus and the
dif
culties in developing a testing standard reduce the spread of this type of test,
despite the demand of producers, designers and fabricators (Foster and Mollaert
2004
; Blum and B
รถ
gner-Balz
2001
).
The main research groups active on the theme of the biaxial tests for structural
applications have been developed by Gosling and Bridgens (School of Civil
Engineering and Geoscience, University of Newcastle,UK), Luchsinger and Galliot
