The application and development of pretensioned long-span steel space structures in China

Pretensioned long-span steel space structures are a new type of hybrid structures resulting from combining modem prestressing technology with long-span structures such as space grid structures (including space trusses and lattice shells), cable-bar tensioned structures and spatial truss structures. These structures have been developed rapidly and have found many applications in China in the recent decade. This paper provides a review of applications and developments of pretensioned long-span steel structures in China. The following topics on new technologies and new structures are given emphasis: prestressed grid structures, cable-stayed grid structures, beam string structures and prestressed segmental steel trusses. Prospects for pretensioned steel space structures in the 21st century are presented at the end of the paper.