Design of tension structures and shells using the Airy stress function

Discontinuities in the Airy stress function for in-plane stress analysis represent forces and moments in connected one-dimensional elements. We expand this representation to curved membrane-action structures, such as shells and cable nets, and graphically visualise the internal stresses and section forces at the boundary necessary for equilibrium. The approach enhances understanding of the interplay between form and forces and can support design decisions related to form-finding and force efficiency. As illustrative examples, the prestressing needed for three existing cable nets is determined, and its influence on the edge-beam bending moment is explored.

Epihypocurves and epihypocyclic surfaces with arbitrary base curve

If a circle rolls around another motionless circle then a point bind with the rolling circle forms a curve. It is called epicycloid, if a circle is rolling outside the motionless circle; it is called hypocycloid if the circle is rolling inside the motionless circle. The point bind to the rolling circle forms a space curve if the rolling circle has the constant incline to the plane of the motionless circle. The cycloid curve is formed when the circle is rolling along a straight line. The geometry of the curves formed by the point bind to the circle rolling along some base curve is investigated at this study. The geometry of the surfaces formed when the circle there is rolling along some curve and rotates around the tangent to the curve is considered as well. Since when the circle rotates in the normal plane of the base curve, a point rigidly connected to the rotating circle arises the circle, then an epihypocycloidal cyclic surface is formed. The vector equations of the epihypocycloid curve and epihypocycloid cycle surfaces with any base curve are established. The figures of the epihypocycloids with base curves of ellipse and sinus are got on the base of the equations obtained. These figures demonstrate the opportunities of form finding of the surfaces arised by the cycle rolling along different base curves. Unlike epihypocycloidal curves and surfaces with a base circle, the shape of epihypocycloidal curves and surfaces with a base curve other than a circle depends on the initial rolling point of the circle on the base curve.

Friction magazine: The upcycling of manufacture for structural design

The growing need for new buildings and the soaring resources depletion call for a new way of considering the building material. As follows, the principle of recycling and reuse keep gaining in consideration as a pertinent strategy to address those issues, inciting the use of new materials and approaches for structural design. The present paper inscribes in this later framework and proposes a method for structural design and manufacturing out of old magazines using a broadly known physical phenomenon of friction in interleaved assemblies. The proposed method consist of a stock-based form-finding strategy for a net-like structure, based on the mechanical and fabrication-aware considerations with an integration of a geodesic constrain control for the rectilinear paper strips. In closing, a demonstration pavilion is built using the developed method and its further potential applications in construction sector are discussed.