INTRODUCTION TO

SHELL STRUCTURES AND
CABLE STRUCTURES
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 SHELL STRUCTURES
INTRODUCTION

Lattice and portal frame of buildings consist of

a structural frame which supports slab, roof and wall
coverings. This frame serves purely as the structural
support and provides protection against weather. The
roof and the wall add nothing to the strength
and rigidity of the structural frame.
A shell structure is a thin curved membrane or slab
usually of reinforced concrete that functions both as
structure and covering.
The term "shell" is used to describe the structures
which possess strength and rigidity due to its thin,
natural and curved form such as shell of an egg, a nut,
human skull, and shell of tortoise. 
 SHELL
STRUCTURES
FACTORS
The entire roof is primarily a structural element
Basic strength of any particular shell is inherent in its
geometrical shape and form.
Comparatively less material is required for shell roofs
than for other forms of roof construction.
The forces in the shell are comprehensive and the
restraining edges are tensile.
BEAMS – Tensile Design / Roof – Compression
Design
Concrete shell roofs are constructed over a formwork
which in itself is very often a shell roof making this
format expensive, as the formwork once used cannot
be reused.
 SHELL STRUCTURES
CLASSIFICATION

SINGLE CURVATURE SHELL: They are curved on one

linear axis and are a part of a cylinder or cone in the
form of barrel vaults and conoid shells.
DOUBLE CURVATURE SHELLS: They are either part of
a sphere, or a hyperboloid of revolution.

The terms single and double curvature are used to

distinguish the comparative rigidity of the two forms
and complexity of the centering necessary to
construct the shell form.
 SHELL STRUCTURES
FORMS OF CURVATURE
SURFACES OF REVOLUTION SURFACES OF TRANSLATION RULED SURFACES
 Surfaces of revolution are generated by the  Surfaces of translation are generated by  Ruled surfaces are generated by sliding each
revolution of a plane curve, called the sliding a plane curve along another plane end of the straight line on their own
'meridional curve', about an axis, called the curve, while keeping the orientation of the generating curve.
axis of revolution. sliding curve constant.
 These lines are not necessarily at right angle
 In the case of cylindrical and conical surfaces,  The latter curve, on which the original curve to the plane containing the end curves.
the meridional curve consists of a line slides, is called the generator of the surface.
segment  Cooling tower generated by straight lines.
 In the case in which the generator is a
 E.g.. : cylinders, cones, spherical or elliptical straight line, the resulting surface is called a
domes, hyperboloids of revolution, toroid. cylindrical surface.
 Surfaces of translation with rectangular plan:
Elliptical Paraboloid; Cylindrical Paraboloid;
Hyperbolic Paraboloid

 Conoid, generated by straight line travelling

along another straight line at one end and
curved line at other end.

FORMS OF CURVATURE
DEVELOPABLE SURFACE-Singly curved
It is a surface that can be unrolled onto
a flat plane w/o tearing or stretching it.
It is formed by bending a flat plane 
The most typical shape of a
developable shell is 'barrel' and it is
curved in only one direction; they are
typically supported at corners and
behave structurally as beams.
SHELL STRUCTURES
NON-DEVELOPABLE-Doubly curved
Surfaces with double curvature cannot be developed, I.e., surfaces with positive and negative
Gaussian surface cannot be developed
SYNCLASTIC SHELLS ANTICLASTIC SHELLS
These shells are doubly curved and These shells are doubly curved but
have a similar curvature in each each of the two curves have the
direction opposite direction to the other.
Dome is the best example and can be Conoids, hyperboloids, hyperbolic
formed by rotating a curved line paraboloid are all anticlastic because
around an axis they are saddle shaped with different
curvature in each direction and straight
The dome is under compression line can be drawn on the surface
everywhere, and the stresses act along
the arch and hoop lines.

TYPES OF SHELLS
FOLDED PLATE SHELLS
Distinguishing feature: ease in forming
plane surfaces.
Is formed for about the same cost as a
slab and has much less steel and
concrete for the same spans.
Principal components: inclined plates,
edge plates, stiffeners and columns.
SHELL STRUCTURES
CYLINDRICAL BARREL VAULT
Barrel vaults are the most useful of
the shell structures.
They can span up to 150feet with
minimum material.
They are efficient because they use
the arch form to reduce stresses and
thickness in the transverse direction.
DOMES OF REVOLUTION
They are one of the earliest form of
the shell structures.
They are formed by a surface
generated by a curve of any form
revolving about a vertical line.
The resulting surface has a double
curvature and the resulting structure is
much stiffer and stronger than a single
curved surface.
 SHELL STRUCTURES
MATERIALS
The material most suited for the construction of shell
structures is concrete.
Concrete is used because it is a highly plastic material ,
when first mixed with water, it can take up any shape on
centering or inside formwork.
Small sections of reinforcement easily bend to follow the
curvature of shells.
Once the cement sets and the concrete hardens, the R.C.
C membrane acts as a strong, rigid shell which serves as
both the structure and the cover of the building
.
 SHELL STRUCTURES
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Very light form of construction; to span 30.0m , shell
thickness requires is 60mm
Dead load can be reduced, economizing foundation and
support system.
They are costlier than part frames structures
The problem of shuttering occurs.
The formation of centering of shell is very high

They possess more strength compared to other structures. Rise of roof may become a disadvantage

Can be shaped in various form increasing its aesthetic Greater accuracy of framework is required
appeal.
The cost of labor is high

EXAMPLES
The finest example of a shell structure is
the Sydney Opera House, Australia by
 Jorn Utzon.
SHELL STRUCTURES
Another example is the Lotus
Temple by Fariborz Sahba in
New Delhi
Eero Saarinen's Kresge
Auditorium of Massachusetts
is also well known for its shell
roof.

.
 CABLE STRUCTURES
INTRODUCTION

A cable is a flexible structural component that offers

no resistance when compressed or bent in a curved
shape. Technically we can say cable has zero bending
rigidity.
It can only support tensile loading
Cables are often used in engineering structures for
support and to transmit load from one point to another
when used to support suspension roofs, bridges and
trolley wheels, cables form the main load
carrying element in the structure.
 CABLE STRUCTURES
FACTORS

 Being inextensible the cable has constant length

before and after the load is applied. As a result once
the load is applied the geometry of cable remains
fixed
The easiest structure type to think is a tension
structure to resist only tensile force and of these , the
simplest are those which sustain only unidirectional
tension as represented by a cable or thin rod
 CABLE STRUCTURES
TYPES OF CABLE STRUCTURES –Suspension type cable
SUSPENSION TYPE CABLE STRUCTURES

 A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck

(the load-bearing portion) is hung below suspension
cables on vertical suspenders.
This type of bridge has cables suspended between towers,
plus vertical suspender cables that carry the weight of the
deck below, upon which traffic crosses.
This arrangement allows the deck to be level or to arc Akashi Kaikyo Suspension bridge
upward for additional clearance.
 The main type of force in a suspension bridge are tension
in cables and compression in the pillars.
The suspension cables must be anchored at each end
of the bridge, since any load applied to the bridge is
transformed into a tension in these main cables.

Load bearing mechanism of suspension bridges

 CABLE STRUCTURES
SUSPENSION TYPE CABLE STRUCTURE
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Suspension bridges have a high strength to weight ratio. Suspension bridges are flexible, which is an advantage
until conditions become severe. Instability in extremely
They are flexible (can also be disadvantage) and can span turbulent conditions or during strong earthquakes may
long distances with no piers therefore good on very high require temporary closure
places, across water etc. and they require little access
from below aiding construction. When built in soft ground, suspension bridges require
extensive and expensive foundation work to combat the
They can be very thin and therefore less visible.  effects of the heavy load on foundation towers.
They have an elegant look.  Flexibility also becomes a disadvantage when heavy,
concentrated loads are involved. 
The area spanned by a suspension bridge is very long in
proportion to the amount of materials required to construct Suspension bridges are not generally used for regional rail
bridges. crossings that carry maximum weight loads, which adds
dangerous stress to the structure.
 CABLE STRUCTURES
TYPES OF CABLE STRUCTURES- Stayed type cable structure
STAYED TYPE CABLE STRUCTURE
  A cable-stayed bridge has one or more towers (or pylons), from
which cables support the bridge deck.
 There are two major classes of cable-stayed bridges: harp and fan.
  In the harp or parallel design, the cables are nearly parallel so that
the height of their attachment to the tower is proportional to the
distance from the tower to their mounting on the deck. 
  In the fan design, the cables all connect to or pass over the top of Rion-Antirion Bridge
the towers. 
 A cantilever approach is often used to support the bridge deck near
the towers, but lengths further from them are supported by cables
running directly to the towers. 

Load bearing mechanism of stayed-type

bridges
 CABLE STRUCTURES
CABLE-STAYED STRUCTURES
ADVANTAGES

The cable-stayed deck is in compression, pulled towards the towers,

and has to be stiff at all stages of construction and use.
A great advantage of the cable-stayed bridge is that it is essentially
made of cantilevers, and can be constructed by building out from
the towers.
cable-stayed bridges possess higher stiffness and display smaller
deflections when compared with suspension bridges 
Construction time is less for cable stayed bridges. Cable Stayed
Bridges require less cables
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