A parametrized design space for pneumatic flood barriers

Alexander Niewiarowski, Sigrid Adriaenssens, Ruy Marcelo Pauletti

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Inflatable flood and storm-surge barriers based on existing pneumatic dam technology promise several economic and environmental advantages over traditional structures such as sea walls. The numerical modeling of such structures must consider the complex hydrodynamic loads, the flexibility of the structure, and the ensuing fluid-structure interaction. With regards to form, to date, studies in the literature have only considered simple semi-cylindrical geometries. This work is motivated by the hypothesis that the barrier's resistance to fluid loads can be optimized by improving upon this typical design, for example, by introducing double curvature (corrugations). To this end, this paper reviews a suitable finite element model and then presents a parametrization of the design space for this type of pneumatic structure, based on the analytical solution of the volume maximization problem for cylindrical pneumatic membranes. The qualitative behavior of some of these geometries under a hydrostatic load is assessed numerically.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE
EditorsCarlos Lazaro, Kai-Uwe Bletzinger, Eugenio Onate
PublisherInternational Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering
Pages882-889
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9788412110104
StatePublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes
EventIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: Oct 7 2019Oct 10 2019

Publication series

NameIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE

Conference

ConferenceIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period10/7/1910/10/19

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Building and Construction

Keywords

  • Finite element modeling
  • Hydrostatic loading
  • Inflatable dam
  • Membranes
  • Pneumatics
  • Shape parametrization

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