Study on seismic response and failure mode of CFRP double-layer grids

The self-weight and it-induced internal force of long span space structure are remarkably increased with increasing of its span, thus its spanning ability is limited. This problem can be solved by using carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) instead of conventional steel in construction of long span space structures. Thus in this paper, space structure is proposed to be constructed fully by CFRP. The seismic response of CFRP double-layer grids is investigated and compared with steel grids. First, the dynamic property of CFRP grids (with various spans) subjected to low-level earthquake is investigated. After that, the dynamic property of CFRP grids (100 m span) subjected to high-level earthquake is also investigated. Finally, the seismic capacity, failure mode under earthquake and its control method of CFRP grid are investigated base on the static elastoplastic analysis. The analysis results indicate that the mechanical property and earthquake resistance ability of CFRP grids are much better than that of the steel grids. The key criteria controlling the failure mode of CFRP grid under earthquake is that keeping the horizontal displacement of the grid smaller than the horizontal displacement limitation of the bearing.