@ARTICLE{Rutkiewicz_Andrzej_Experimental_Early, author={Rutkiewicz, Andrzej and Małyszko, Leszek}, journal={Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences}, pages={e151674}, howpublished={online}, year={Early Access}, abstract={The paper presents chosen results of experimental tests performed on physical mock-ups of tensegrity triplex modules, approximately 1.2 m tall and of 0.5 m diameter, made of steel. A uniform and uniaxial static compressive loading is applied to three upper nodes of the modules at six different self-stress levels. Cable forces are measured using specially crafted force transducers of an electro-resistive strain-gauge type. Two types of struts with different slenderness are incorporated to analyse the influence of buckling on the modules behaviour. A simple three-parameter mathematical model is presented in order to explain the modules’ behaviour and discuss the obtained experimental data. The results show nonlinear behaviour in the equilibrium path, as well as, rapidly decreasing axial stiffness in the post-critical phase. Increasement of prestress has a small influence on the stiffness in the chosen range of compressive loading. The experimental results are valuable for purposes of verification and validation of numerical studies and fill the lack of experimental data in the literature.}, type={Article}, title={Experimental and numerical static tests of tensegrity triplex modules}, URL={http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/132350/PDF/BPASTS-04500-EA.pdf}, doi={10.24425/bpasts.2024.151674}, keywords={experimental test, tensegrity triplex, self-stress level, force transducers, struts buckling}, }