Membrane structure is a spatial structure system, which is different from general steel, wood, brick and reinforced concrete structures. In the past three decades, the role and advantages of prestressed cables in structural systems have been fully recognized by engineers, and various new cable and membrane structural systems have been studied and applied. According to the structure and stress characteristics of membrane structures, membrane structures can be divided into tensile membrane structures, inflatable membrane structures and frame membrane structures.

(1) Tensile membrane structure

The tensioned membrane structure applies a certain pretension stress to the membrane material through the boundary conditions. The membrane is both the maintenance body of the building and the structure to resist external loads. Therefore, under a certain initial condition, a series of complex problems such as the determination of its shape, the distribution and deformation of stress in the membrane under external loads, and how to use two-dimensional membrane materials to simulate three-dimensional spatial surfaces, etc, The development of tensioned membrane structures can not be separated from the progress of computer technology and the proposal of new algorithms.

(2) Inflatable membrane structure

The air supported membrane structure relies on the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the surface to maintain the shape of the membrane surface. The air supported membrane structure is a structural form in which air is filled into the room composed of membrane structure to keep the indoor air pressure always greater than the outdoor air pressure, so that the membrane material is in a tension state to resist the load and external force. The inflatable membrane structure is divided into single-layer structure and double-layer structure. The single-layer structure is like a soap bubble, and the internal pressure of the single-layer membrane is greater than the external pressure. This structure has the characteristics of large space, light weight and simple construction. However, it is necessary to continuously input overpressure gas and daily maintenance management. The double-layer structure is filled with gas between the double-layer membranes. Compared with the single-layer structure, the double-layer structure can be filled with high-pressure air to form a rigid structure, and the inlet and outlet can be open.

(3) Frame membrane structure

The membrane surface in the frame membrane structure only plays a role in maintaining the frame structure. The frame structure can be either a traditional rigid structure or a variety of cable structures.