Influence of random loads on the optimal design of tensegrity footbridges

Although tensegrity forms have inspired artists and architects for many years, there exist very few real construction projects across the world. This is probably due to the complex construction processes, the lack of design guidelines, the complex non-linear calculation and, finally, the need for heavy pre-stress (required for a sufficient stiffness, but consuming however much more material). A previous study from the same authors demonstrated that “morphological indicators” can be used for the optimization of tensegrity structures’ weight and stiffness and can provide a good tool for their design, in particular for tensegrity footbridges. Former studies have however took as assumption that the load was uniformly distributed along the deck, which is questionable. This article shares the last improvements performed in this way by integrating random pedestrians loads, and providing new insights about their impact on the optimal design of tensegrity footbridge