The most time-consuming part in geometrical non-linear analysis of large space structures is associated with the construction and the solution of systems of non-linear equations. For structures possessing symmetry, computation efficiency can be increased by using the symmetry property. This paper describes how group representation theory and substructuring technique leads to a dramatic reduction in analysis of large displacement and large rotation of spatial structures with symmetry. The present group-theoretic method decomposes the solution space into its symmetry subspaces. These subspaces provide a clear picture of the problem, especially for bifurcation problems with complex symmetry. The reduction efficiency depends on the symmetry of the structures. In general the higher the degree of symmetry the structure possesses, the greater the reduction will be. The present approach is applied to a hexagonal space dome to demonstrate its usefulness.

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