TENSEGRIC SHELLS.

The technical advantage of tensegric shells to overcome problems associated with large span structures is discussed. Possible patterns of bar arrangements and the design of tensegric shells are presented. Their stability conditions are formulated and the implications for indeterminate and determinate shells are discussed. It is shown that, in some cases, statically unstable tensegric shells can be made stable. The effect of external loads applied to tensegric shells is studied and it is shown that in indeterminate shells and in some loading cases the nodal displacements of determinate and statically unstable shells are because of the elasticity of the members only as in the case of ordinary reticulated shells. In most cases, however, applied loads cause large distortions in the configuration of determinate and statically unstable shells because of rigid body movements of their members.