Form-finding for Free-form Reticulated Shell Structure Considering Structural Performance and Regularization of Node Connection Patterns

In this study, we propose a form-finding method for the free-formed reticulated shell structure, considering both structural performance and regularization of node connection patterns. The coordinates of the nodes of the reticulated shells are represented on the non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surface. According to the principal curvature, the clustering classifies the node connection patterns into specified groups. Multi-objective optimization is performed to minimize the strain energy and maximum deviation in clusters. A multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem. The mechanical properties of the optimal solution obtained in a numerical example are discussed to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.