On the minimal mass design of composite membranes

The minimal mass design of those structures, for different load combinations (pressure loads and centrifugal loads), produces a composite structure composed of membranes and cable network. Two different composite systems are analyzed and compared with simple uniform membranes: the first system is composed of a cylindrical membrane supported by circular ring cables, the second system is composed by a membrane surrounded by ring cables and longitudinal cables. The comparison of the minimal mass designs with the single continuous membrane clearly highlights the advantage of the composite systems made of high-performance materials. When the material of the membrane and cables are the same, there is no advantage to the composite system, but various requirements usually demand different properties of the membrane and cable material.