The theme of this doctoral thesis is the design of concrete shell structures with the focus on finding their optimal shape. The optimal shape of a concrete shell is the shape in which for a given load (usually the dead weight of the structure) no significant bending moments are generated in the shell and the structure is in the so-called membrane state.
The inspiration for this thesis is the work of Swiss engineer Heinz Isler, who developed the shapes of shell structures using model tests of appropriately loaded flexible membranes. He developed the shell structure for large spans by inverting the resultant shape, which carried its weight almost entirely via membrane forces. The numerical solution of the above experiments using Midas Civil is presented herein.
The basic principles of the method are demonstrated on the example of sagged cable. The numerically found shapes are compared with the analytical solution. A shell is designed based on the numerically found shapes and its stress response to dead load is described, particularly in relation to the membrane action.
In the next part, the acquired knowledge and methods were used to design three relatively complicated shell structures. Each structure was statically analysed and its static behaviour was described. Structures with perfectly rigid or flexible supports, which simulate real behaviour of the supports, were studied.
In the final phase, the results of static analysis of the selected shell were experimentally verified on a physical model in a scale of 1: 55.56. The model has been built using 3D printing. The thesis describes the use of a modelling similarity, the model design, the production process, and the experiment. The load test confirmed the optimal design of the shell structure and the validity of the numerical method for finding their shapes.