This paper presents the initial activities of an ongoing research on the analysis of orthotropic membranes, considering geometrical nonlinearity.

The subject is relevant for the consistent description of the materials used in the production of the current structural membranes and for the proper consideration of wrinkling in such type of structures. The paper will briefly display some of the theories available to describe the wrinkling phenomenon as well as some of the typical failures related to it. The work also outlines the phases of the production and the associated inspection procedures and emphasizes the importance of experimental studies.

Possible applications of our analytical studies are presented.