Experimental study on the mechanical properties of the reinforced transparent building membrane material STFE

• Published in: Construction & building materials Vol. 409; p. 133849
• Main Authors: Yuan, Ye, Zhang, Qilin, Luo, Xiaoqun, Gu, Ruijie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15-12-2023
• Subjects: Constitutive model; Creeping test; Mechanical experiment; Mechanical properties; Picture frame shear test; Uniaxial and biaxial test; Mechanical properties; Picture frame shear test; Creeping test; Constitutive model; Uniaxial and biaxial test; Mechanical experiment
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.133849

•The experimental method of new material is an improved one from coated fabrics.•The new material has enough strength for long-span tensioned membrane structures.•The new material has superior mechanical properties compared with polymers.•Proposed mechanical models can be easily used in numerical simulations.
STFE is a new type of reinforced polymer building membrane material that combines excellent mechanical properties and transparency by using high-strength fibre mesh, which eliminates the limitations of poor transparency in coated fabric membranes and low strength in polymer membranes. In this study, in order to investigate its strength indicators and mechanical properties, material mechanical tests such as uniaxial, biaxial, and picture frame tests were conducted, obtaining the basic mechanical parameters of the material, including warp and weft direction tensile strength, tear strength, welding seam strength, elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio, shear modulus, and creep elongation rate, among others. Additionally, linear and nonlinear stress–strain mechanical models for uniaxial and biaxial loading were proposed for this material, as well as time-dependent creep and stress relaxation models. These mechanical models were validated and found suitable for numerical simulations of the material. The research results lay the preliminary foundation for the application of this material in large-span tensile transparent membrane structures.