Structural Design and Simulation of Octogenal Greenhouse against Different Loads

Greenhouse structure is one of the most important factors in the greenhouse industry; enhancing its strength and decreasing the cost of its manufacturing have always been among manufacturers consideration. The aims of this study were to design an octagonal greenhouse with square cross-sectional components with enough resistance to standard loads applied by structure stress analysis methods. Design and optimization of this greenhouse involved selecting the minimum thickness of the profiles and columns. In addition, the layout of the trusses is led to minimum weight of structures per square meter. This greenhouse was designed to have nessecary structure standards and could be used in different climate conditions of Iran. In design process, initially the effects of wind load with 120 km/h were determined by using fluid dynamics calculations. Afterward, the main frame of the structure including columns, horizontal beams and trusses, were designed according to wind, snow and pendant loads. The results showed that the wieght of metal to be  used to build the structure of greenhouse was less than 8.5 Kg/m2 ,  very lower than that in similar stuctures (20 kg/m2).