Reliability as a Key Driver for a Sustainable Design of Adaptive Load-Bearing Structures

Abstract

The consumption of construction materials and the pollution caused by their production can be reduced by the use of reliable adaptive load-bearing structures. Adaptive load-bearing structures are able to adapt to different load cases by specifically manipulating internal stresses using actuators installed in the structure. One main aspect of quality is reliability. A verification of reliability, and thus the safety of conventional structures, was a design issue. When it comes to adaptive load-bearing structures, the material savings reduce the stiffness of the structure, whereby integrated actuators with sensors and a control take over the stiffening. This article explains why the conventional design process is not sufficient for adaptive load-bearing structures and proposes a method for demonstrating improved reliability and environmental sustainability. For this purpose, an exemplary adaptive load-bearing structure is introduced. A linear elastic model, simulating tension in the elements of the adaptive load-bearing structure, supports the analysis. By means of a representative local load-spectrum, the operating life is estimated based on Woehler curves given by the Eurocode for the critical notches. Environmental sustainability is increased by including reliability and sustainability in design. For an exemplary high-rise adaptive load-bearing structure, this increase is more than 50%.

Multi-Criteria Assessment of Timber-Based Structural Systems for a Grocery Store

“…The total quality of glulam required for load-bearing structures is one of the cost determinants; moreover, it also reflects the need for timber resources. According to ULSs, the maximum utility ratio determines the structural efficiency of the system; it is one of the most important criteria in design [44]. The total quantity of steel details and fittings is related to the complexity of the structure.…”

Adaptive structures in civil engineering – state of the art

“…There are a limited number of publications available on the topics of reliability and balancing adaptive structures. However, notable works on these two topics are the works of Teuffel (2004), who dealt with the fail-safe concept, Ostertag (2021) and Efinger et al (2022), not only dealing with the reliability and failure safety of adaptive structures but also with the question of sustainability in the form of material and energy requirements and the service life of such structures. Adel (2021) deals with the integration of environmental aspects into the planning process of adaptive buildings and thus also takes up the topics of interdisciplinarity and sustainability.…”

Ökobilanzierung adaptiver Hüllen und Strukturen

“…Im Rahmen der Untersuchungen konnte für ein beispielhaftes Szenario eines 36 m hohen adaptiven Hochhauses mit Stahlfachwerk gezeigt werden, dass durch das adaptive Tragwerk eine Lebensdauerverlängerung von 180 % und eine Verringerung des GWP von nahezu 60 % erreichbar sind [36, 37]. In der Bemessung ist dabei für den Grenzzustand der Gebrauchstauglichkeit ein Grenzwert von 40 mm Kopfauslenkung angesetzt, der Grenzzustand der Tragfähigkeit hat keine weitere Einschränkung der Verformung, wird jedoch durch die zu erfüllende Materialfestigkeit begrenzt.…”