Structures containing tension-only members, i.e., cables, are widely used in engineered structures (e.g., suspension and cable-stayed bridges, tents, and bicycle wheels) and are also found in nature (e.g., spider webs). We seek to use the ground structure method to obtain optimal cable network configurations. The structures are modeled using principles of nonlinear elasticity that allow for large displacements, i.e., global configuration changes, and large deformations. The material is characterized by a hyperelastic constitutive relation in which the strain energy is nonzero only when the axial stretch of a member is greater than or equal to one (i.e., tension-only behavior). We maximize the stationary potential energy of the equilibrated system, which avoids the need for an additional adjoint equation in computing the derivatives needed for the solution of the optimization problem. Several examples demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed formulation for topology optimization of cable networks. Motivated by nature, a spider web–inspired cable net is designed.

包含仅受拉构件的结构，即电缆，广泛用于工程结构（例如，悬索桥和斜拉桥，帐篷和自行车车轮），并且在自然界中也发现（例如，蜘蛛网）。我们寻求使用接地结构方法来获得最佳的电缆网络配置。使用非线性弹性原理对结构进行建模，该原理允许较大的位移，即，整体构型变化和较大的变形。该材料的特征在于超弹性本构关系，其中仅当构件的轴向拉伸大于或等于一个时（即仅拉伸行为），应变能才为非零。我们最大化平衡系统的静态势能，这避免了在计算求解优化问题所需的导数时需要附加的伴随方程。几个例子证明了所提出的公式对于电缆网络拓扑优化的能力。受大自然的激励，设计了一种以蜘蛛网为灵感的电缆网。