Stressed arch modular deployable composite shelters: concept and development

Abstract

Deployable shelters of various forms have been utilised since ancient civilisation. The need for these systems has not diminished over time and development continues for military forces, civilian humanitarian aid, and post-natural disaster scenarios. Recent developments have focussed mainly on tent type structures, air beam technology and steel frames supporting soft fabric, yet none of these systems have fully satisfied the deployability requirements. The Military Modular Shelter System (M2S2) initiative is a research project that aims to develop a fibre composite re-deployable arched shelter system with rigid or fabric cladding. The main frames are formed from modular fibre composite panels that are connected and stressed in position by prestressing cables. Different geometries can be obtained using this system by changing the number of panels per frame and the packer sizes between panels. This paper presents the concept of M2S2 with background about existing systems followed by the development and testing of an innovative, simple to manufacture, truss module that was investigated as part of this project. The test results showed good characteristics. These include having alternate load paths and failure initiated and propagated in the web with no, undesirable, failure observed in the adhesive layers.