ETFE is a high-performance plastic material with many favorable properties for membrane structures. The up to 95% translucent foils made of the ETFE material are mainly convincing due to their resistance to weather conditions and aging.
The material is often used for pneumatically supported foil cushions. Due to their low weight and the ability to compensate high loads by plastic deformations, these foil cushions under pressure are used for building roofs and envelopes.
The nonlinear material behavior of ETFE dependent on the temperature and load exposure time can be simulated in RFEM by using the RF‑MAT‑NL add‑on module.
