engineering

Membrane structure

Membrane structure is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Membrane structure rather than just read about it. In short: Membrane structures are spatial structures made out of tensioned membranes. The structural use of membranes can be divided into pneumatic structures, tensile membrane structures, and cable domes.

Key takeaways

Membrane structure belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Membrane structure to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Membrane structure from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Membrane structures are spatial structures made out of tensioned membranes. The structural use of membranes can be divided into pneumatic structures, tensile membrane structures, and cable domes. In these three kinds of structure, membranes work together with cables, columns and other construction members to find a form. Membranes are also used as non-structural cladding, as at the Beijing National Stadium where the spaces between the massive steel structural members are infilled with PTFE coated glass fiber fabric and ETFE foil. The other major building on the site, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is the Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube. It is entirely clad in 100,000 square metres of inflated ETFE foil cushions arranged as an apparently random cellular structure.

Materials The common membranes used in membrane structures include:

PVC coated polyester fabric Translucent Polyethylene fabric PVC coated glass fiber fabric PTFE coated glass fiber fabric; foils like ETFE foil PVC foil.

Gallery

Conference The International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) in Barcelona biennially holds the international conference Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures (Structural Membranes). The conference has been taking place in Barcelona, Stuttgart and Munich. The tenth edition of the conference will be organized in 2021 in Munich.

Literature ETFE, Technology and Design, Annette LeCuyer, Verlag Birkhäuser, ISBN 978-3-7643-8563-7 Membrane Structures, Hrsg. Klaus-Michael Koch, Verlag Prestel, ISBN 978-3-7913-3049-5

See also Tensile structure Tension fabric building Fabric structure Air-supported structure

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Membrane structure

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Membrane structure claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Membrane structure before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Membrane structure ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Membrane structure

In research: Membrane structure appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Membrane structure in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Membrane structure is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Architecture, Architecture stubs, Roofs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Membrane structure outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Membrane structure in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Membrane structure means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Membrane structure out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Membrane structure in simple terms?

Membrane structures are spatial structures made out of tensioned membranes. The structural use of membranes can be divided into pneumatic structures, tensile membrane structures, and cable domes.

Why does Membrane structure matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Membrane structure?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Membrane structure.