Integral analysis of shallow ellipsoidal suspend-dome with elastic restraint

Tianjin Baodi Gym is an engineering example of suspend-dome with shallow ellipsoidal shell with elastic restraints, supported on the lower reinforced concrete structure. The single model of the suspend-dome and the integral model that consists of the lower structure are established, and the static behavior, dynamic behavior and overall stability of both models are studied. Then a parametric analysis considering the effect of the rise to span ratio, the relative stiffness of the upper structure and the support stiffness is conducted, and the key parameter influencing the structural behavior is obtained. Results show that the effect of the lower structure on the static behavior of the suspend-dome is little, however, the support reaction can be significantly reduced. In addition, the integral effect has a great impact on the dynamic behavior and overall stability of the suspend-dome. Thus integral analysis should be carried out to guarantee the safety of the structure.