Analysis of pneumatic envelopes arranged on rectangular plan

Abstract

Rectangular pneumatic envelopes, made of a polymer film, are considered. The envelopes are subjected to non-uniform external loads, which consist of symmetric and inverse-symmetric parts. The functional dependence describing the envelope’s surface is given. The improved technique for obtaining geometrical parameters of envelopes is offered. It uses the differential equation of equilibrium, the method of least squares and the linearization procedure with Taylor series. The results of the work may be used for taking into account physical non-linear properties of polymer membranes, for estimation of changes of air-pressure in pneumatic cushions, for selection the most appropriate embodiment of the cushion from a set of possible variants.