A Data‐Based Adaptive Elastic Framework for High‐Accuracy Simulation of Textile Membrane Structures

Abstract

In the structural analysis of tensile membrane structures, the linear elastic material model is a widely used tool in engineering practice, owing to its simplicity and low computational cost. However, its inability to accurately represent the strongly nonlinear and anisotropic response of technical fabrics often results in insufficient structural predictions under realistic loading conditions. This study presents an adaptive, data‐based linear elastic modelling approach that improves the predictive capability of the classical formulation while maintaining its computational efficiency. Instead of directly interpolating experimental data to obtain the required material response in terms of a data‐driven approach, the method updates stiffness‐related material parameters of the linear elastic, orthotropic model at the integration points during finite element analysis based on the locally evolving stress‐ratio and stress‐intensity, using discrete stress‐strain data obtained from biaxial testing. Thereby, a physically meaningful, three‐dimensional response can be ensured at each integration point. The proposed framework is evaluated through the numerical analysis and benchmarked against a previously developed nonlinear hyperelastic orthotropic membrane model. The results demonstrate that the adaptive linear elastic approach accurately reproduces the structural response of the nonlinear reference model and provides a practical and efficient alternative for the analysis and design of tensile membrane structures.