Node detail design is the most important technical link of membrane structural engineering design. It not only affects the overall architectural and local architectural artistic properties of membrane structures, but also influences the fabrication, installation, structural safety, and cost of membrane structures. The structural design of the connection node fully embodies the aesthetics, professionalism, comprehensiveness and precision of the membrane structure design, and is the soul of the membrane structure design. The specific form of the membrane structure node is complicated and very rich. According to the role of membrane and connection, it can be divided into membrane node, membrane and rigid boundary, membrane and flexible boundary cable; according to node position and configuration, it can be divided into vertex (high or low point), ridge line, valley line, and angle. Nodes, etc. The common principles of node design mainly include: structural design, architectural design, geometric design, materials and manufacturing processes, installation and maintenance, pre-tension introduction mechanism, and cost control.

(1) Structural design Any connecting node shall transmit the force path directly and concisely, effectively transfer the internal force, and have a constraint mechanism coordinated with the movement. At the same time, it has enough structural strength to meet the “strong node” idea, and the node generally does not precede structural component destruction. And the necessary redundancy. The high and low points and corner junctions have large stress concentration effects on the film, and the node details must be reliably diffused and stress transmitted. Gas-tight, airbag-type membrane special nodes must meet hermeticity.

(2) The design of the architectural design node is coordinated with the overall design of the membrane construction, and the appropriate materials and processes are selected to meet the anti-corrosion and waterproof requirements of different construction environments. As for the beauty of the node, no matter how important it is, it cannot be overemphasized. Any node design should be placed in a specific local and overall environment, and aesthetics should be used to examine and consider, such as the smooth and delicate shape of the connector, continuous smoothness, symmetry and balance of the force flow, and lightness. Spirit simplicity and so on.

(3) Geometric design Fine geometric design is particularly important for the connection of membrane structures to nodes. First, carefully analyze the geometrical relationships of the connected nodes, such as spatial geometry, connections and constraints, and positioning; then consider the smooth coordinated connection of the membrane surface, the necessary dimensions and space, and the volume and overall ratio of the nodes.

(4) Materials and production processes Materials and production processes are mainly based on the overall positioning of membrane construction, which has a direct impact on the cost.

(5) The installation and maintenance of the connection node should facilitate the installation of the membrane and cable, the installation of the pressure plate and the secondary membrane, the effective introduction of the membrane tension, and the necessary adjustment mechanisms for easy maintenance or replacement. In addition, necessary maintenance and cleaning facilities are designed for important public membrane buildings.

(6) The cost and budget node design must be based on the cost budget, using economic and rational design techniques. Different film structure systems, node systems, materials, and manufacturing processes have large differences in cost. Personalized membrane architecture and node details are always complementary and indispensable.