SHELL STRUCTURES

Compiled by Ar. Parvathy Kartha P

 CONTENTS
• DEFINITION
• MATERIALS FOR SHELL
FORMATION
• CLASSIFICATION OF SHELLS
• SHELL TERMINOLOGY
• USES, ADVANTAGES, PURPOSES OF
SHELLS
 DEFINITION
• A hollow structure in the form of a thin
slab or a plate whose thickness is small
compared to its other dimensions and its
radii of curvature.
• A curved surface having small thickness
compared to the radius and other
dimensions.

• A structural curved skin covering a

given plan shape & area.
 DEFINITION
• Main points being:
• Primarily a structural element

• Basic strength of any particular shell is

inherent in its shape. Active form

• Quantity of material required to cover a

given plan shape & area is generally less
than other forms of roofing.

• Thickness ranges from 40- 150mm

MATERIALS FOR SHELL
FORMATION- TIMBER
 GLULAM
• Glued laminated
timber

• A type of structural
timber product

• Comprising a
number of layers of
dimensioned timber
bonded together with
durable, moisture-
resistant structural
adhesives.
MATERIALS FOR SHELL
FORMATION- STEEL
MATERIALS FOR SHELL
FORMATION- CONCRETE
DOMES VAULTS

CONOID SHAPES SADDLE SHAPES

SHELL CLASSIFICATION
SHELL TERMINOLOGY
GAUSSIAN CURVATURE

• In differential geometry, the Gaussian

curvature or Gauss curvature of a point on a
surface is the product of the principal
curvatures, κ1 and κ2, of the given point.

• Symbolically, the Gaussian curvature Κ is

defined as
K= κ1 κ2
where κ1 and κ2 are the principal curvatures.
 SHELL TERMINOLOGY

• A surface of -ve
Gaussian curvature
(Anticlastic), a surface of
zero Gaussian curvature Sphere
(Monoclastic), and a
surface of +ve Gaussian Cylinder
curvature (Synclastic).
Hyperboloid
SHELL TERMINOLOGY
 SINGLY CURVED SHELLS DOUBLY CURVED
Developable Non-Developable
Monoclastic

Synclastic Anticlastic Others

Shells of Shells of Ruled
Revolution Translation Surfaces

Shells of Shells of Corrugated

Conical Shells
Revolution Translation
Shells
Cylindrical Funicular
North Light Hemispeherical Shells
Dome
Translational
Butterfly Domes
Shells Parabolic Dome
Conical
&
Cylindrical
Shells
Shells of Shells of Ruled
Revolution Translation Surfaces

Hyperboloid of Hyperbolic Conoids &

revolution of one paraboloid Hyperbolic
sheet paraboloid
 SHELL TERMINOLOGY

• SHELLS OF REVOLUTION- These are

obtained when a plane is rotated
about the axis of symmetry

• SHELLS OF TRANSLATION- These

are formed when one curve moves
parallel to itself along another curve.
The planes of the 2 curves being at
right angles to each other
 SHELL TERMINOLOGY
• SPAN OF SHELL- the distance between the 2
adjacent end frames or traverses is termed as the
span of the shell.

• CHORD WIDTH- Horizontal projection of the arc

of the shell.

• RISE- Vertical distance between the apex of the

curve & the springing.

• END FRAMES/ TRAVERSES- Frames provided at

the ends to support & preserve the geometry of
the shell.

• EDGE BEAM- The horizontal beam supported on

columns & supporting the longitudinal edges of the
shell
SHELL SPECIFICATIONS

• THICKNESS- 40mm- 150mm

• Span & Chord Width not to be
greater than 30m

• Concrete Mix- 1:1.5:3

• Domes which rise in excess of 1/6 of
their diameter will require a ring
beam
 • At the top of a dome, the
curving walls push inward
toward the center. This force
holds the dome in a rigid,
stable shape
MONOLITHIC DOME • When a dome is too heavy,
the sides push outward, and
cracks appear throughout the
bottom portion of the
structure. Engineers often
wrap iron rings, called tension
rings, around domes. Like
RINGED DOME hoops on a barrel, the tension
rings prevent the dome walls
from thrusting outward.
FORCES ON DOMES
FUNICULAR SHELL
Barrel vault details
 ECONOMIC RATIOS

• Width: Span= 1:2 - 1:5

• Rise: Span= 1:10 - 1:15
• Depth of edge beam not less than 0.5
rise
SHELL CONSTRUCTION

• Traditional formwork.
• Barrel vaults- Moveable form
consisting of birdcage scaffold
supporting curved steel ribs to carry
curved plywood or steel forms.

• No top formwork if pitch < 45*

• Reinforcements in layer of 3.
FOLDED PLATES
 FOLDED PLATES
• Actually just a special form of the single
curvature shell.

• Are assemblies of flat plates rigidly

connected together along their edges in such a
way so as to make the structural system
capable of carrying loads without the need for
additional supporting beams along mutual
edges.

• It requires more reinforcement than a barrel

shell of equal span and chord width.

• But the formwork is easier to fabricate.

 BASCI CONCEPT

• To fold a flat slab so that the roof

behaves as a beam spanning in the
direction of the fold with a depth equal
to the rise of the folded slab.
TYPES-FOLDED PLATES
• Prismatic : Consisting of rectangular plates.

• Pyramidal : Non-rectangular plates are used.

• Prismoidal, triangular or trapezoidal.

• On the other hand, they can be classified as:

Single. With
Multiple. simple joints.
Symmetrical. multiple joints.
Unsymmetrical. opened cross section
Simple. closed cross section
Continuous.
 th e begin nin g of the In d u s t rial Age, it becam e eviden t
that a m ere em p irical kn owledge gain ed by successful
e xp e rim ent was n ot sufficien t with which to build eco-
nom ically an d that trial and error would have to give way
to the scientific approach. Sin ce at this tim e scien ce was
ill-equ ipped to provide a litera t u re for con struction in
the field of shells there was little m ore than a first faint
s t ir rin g of in terest on the part of geom eters an d optical
p ra c t it io n e r s. The telescopes of Galileo an d Co p e rn ic u s
h ad tau gh t th is n ew breed of scien tist th e virtues of
ge o m e t ry in solving optical pro b le m s. Som e of these sci-
entists began to re c o gn ize the relationship between opti-
cal geom etry and stru c t u ral shells.
On e of the first scientifically designed stru c t u ral shells
was built in the early part of the Twentieth Ce n t u ry by the
Swiss optician Zeiss to roof his factory in Ge rm a n y. This
was the beginn ing of m odern shell technology. Pe rh a p s
four conditions had to be present to in sure a fulfillm ent
of the developm en t of the n ew techn ology. First, there
had to be a dem and for the en closure of large spaces and
this was provided by the gre ga riousn ess of m odern m an .
Second, there had to be at least the rudim ents of a scien -
tific litera t u re d ealin g with the prin ciples of design .
Th ird, suitable m aterials had to be available an d th ese
m a t e rials we re at h an d in the form of re in fo rced con -
cre t e. Fo u rth, a vital personality with a dedicated intere s t
was needed as the catalyst to refine the elem ents into the
end pro d u c t .
It seem s that the d evelopm en t of any segm ent of sci- FOLDED PLATES
ence depends for its pro gress upon on e dynamic person-
he In d u s t rial Age, it becam e eviden t ality who, for reasons of his own, will brin g the solution of
ical kn owledge gain ed by successful the problem necessary in gredients of deep thought and
ot sufficien t with which to build eco- s u re action. Alm ost in va riably this person ality will ignite
trial and error would have to give way th e sp ark of popu lar in terest an d d ra m a t ize the tech-
proach. Sin ce at this tim e scien ce was nique to a point of popular acceptance. Such a person al-
ovide a litera t u re for con struction in ity entered the field of shell technology in about 1940. Fe-
here was little m ore than a first faint lix Can dela had been educated as an architect in Ma d rid ,
on the part of geom eters an d optical Spain, an d em igrated as a political refugee to Mexico in
telescopes of Galileo an d Co p e rn ic u s 1939. Du ring the course of h is studies in Spain , he was
ew breed of scien tist th e virtues of m uch in trigued with both Ge rm an and French ve r s io n s
g optical pro b le m s. Som e of these sci- of the litera t u re of shells. As he n ow re m e m b e r s, the Ge r-
c o gn ize the relationship between opti- m an approach was heavily scien tific but cum b ersom e
tru c t u ral shells. and exhaustively in tric a t e. The Fren ch litera t u re in the
cientifically designed stru c t u ral shells field was m ore con cern ed with results and less stre n u-
ly part of the Twentieth Ce n t u ry by the ously scien tific. This study aroused his interest and kin -
s to roof his factory in Ge rm a n y. This dled his d esire to delve m ore deeply in to shell technolo-
of m odern shell technology. Pe rh a p s gy.
d to be present to in sure a fulfillm ent Ca n d e la’s first shell stru c t u re was born of n ecessity. His
n t of the n ew techn ology. First, there p roblem was to design for the Un iversity of Mexico a cos-
d for the en closure of large spaces and m ic ray labora t o ry, the concrete roof of which could be
by the gre ga riousn ess of m odern m an .
to be at least the rudim ents of a scien -
alin g with the prin ciples of design . The folded plate roof is actually just a special form of
terials had to be available an d th ese the single curvature shell. It requires more
h an d in the form of re in fo rced con - reinforcement than a barrel shell of equal span and TAPERED FOLDED PLATES
l personality with a dedicated intere s t chord width, but this disadvantage is offset by the fact
that the formwork is easier to fabricate. A few of the TAPERED FOLDED
FOLDED PLATES
catalyst to refine the elem ents into the
more popular types of folded plates are shown here.
e d evelopm en t of any segm ent of sci-
s pro gress upon on e dynamic person-
ns of his own, will brin g the solution of
FOLDED PLATES
PLATES
sary in gredients of deep thought and
t in va riably this person ality will ignite
lar in terest an d d ra m a t ize the tech-
popular acceptance. Such a person al-
 ECONOMIC RATIOS

• Depth: Span= 1:10 - 1:15

• Depth: Width= 1:10 which ever is
greater
PARTS
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL
Glulam
 SAVILL BUILDING

• The building is
located on the space of
a mature beech tree
plantation which was
severely damaged in
the hurricane of 1986.
All remaining mature
trees were retained in
the scheme.
• The building has a 'three-domed'
sinusoidal-shaped gridshell roof of two
layers of interlocking larch laths[3] (50 × 80
mm) on a one-metre square grid, supported
on steel quadropods and a steel tubular ring-
beam. The exact form of the roof was
designed by Buro Happold to be the most
structurally efficient possible using
specialist in-house software (Tensyl). The
roof is clad in plywood panels, with
aluminium weather proofing and a top
cladding of oak. All timber was harvested
from the nearby Crown Estate. The roof is
over 90 m in length and up to 25 m wide, and
because of its own separate structural
system appears to hover over the brick and
glass facade of the building. The carpentry,
which used over 400 larch trees and 20
skilled carpenters, was done by the Green
Oak Carpentry Company
MONOLITHIC DOMES
• A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, et al. Start with the following
chapters: (219) Floor Ceiling Vaults, (220) Roof Vaults, (206) Efficient
Structure.

• http://www.ketchum.org/shells.html. - start here, you will eventually want to

read a lot of this site. types and forms of shells

• http://www.ketchum.org/ShellTandF/index.html

• Auroville-this site deals with earthen vaults but has a lot of good practical
information. You will want to review the entire site.

• Start at http://www.earth-auroville.com/index.php?nav=menu&pg=vault&i

• http://harmoniouspalette.com/SqDonutVaults.html. - Look here for Square

Donut Construction Ideas On Bo Atkinson's site.
• http://www.flyingconcrete.com/vaults.htm

• http://www.ketchum.org/shells.html

• http://www.ketchum.org/ShellTandF/index.html

•
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/sky.

• http://www.monolithic.org/topics/domes