Geometry and mechanical behaviour of radially retractable roof structures during the movement process

In this paper, the kinematic characteristic of the radially retractable roof structure was firstly discussed and the motion boundary of the system was also studied. The results show that the diameter of the outer boundary of the system increases firstly and then decreases when the roof is open. Moreover, the numerical study of the structural behavior of the retractable roof with radial foldable bars and circumferential foldable bars was carried out, respectively. It can be found the latter one has a better structural behavior. Then the mechanical behaivor of the system during the motion was also investigated. Finally, a loop linkage based on a special scissor-like element was proposed to support the retractable roof.