Kinetic umbrellas for coastal defense applications

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

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Inspired by architect-engineer Félix Candela, we present an innovative structural system consisting of four-sided hyperbolic paraboloid (hypar) umbrellas as hard countermeasures against nearshore hazards. The umbrellas line the coast and remain upright during normal operation, providing shade and shelter along the waterfront while not limiting visibility and access to the shore. A hinge at the hypar-column interface enables tilting such that the panels can transition into a physical barrier against surge induced coastal inundation during imminent hazard scenarios. A decoupled numerical scheme constituting smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and the finite element method (FEM) was implemented to simulate hydrostatic inundation on the frontal surface of a tilted umbrella as a proof-of-concept. In assuming concrete construction, the study successfully illustrated the applicability of deployable hypar shells as coastal armor from a structural engineering perspective. This work ultimately demonstrates the feasibility of decoupled SPH-FEM methods in modeling fluid-structure interaction involving hypar forms, while establishing a foundation for their analysis and design for coastal hazard adaptation.

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
Pages1836-1842
Number of pages7
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

  • Coastal hazard adaptation
  • Finite element method
  • Hypar shell
  • Smoothed particle hydrodynamics

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