Author(s)

J. Lienhard, R. La Magna & J. Knippers

Abstract

Bending-active structures as basis of a structural form defined by elastic deformation, pose both numeric as well as strategic problems to a computational form-finding process. As the geometry of a bending-active structure becomes more complex in a coupled system, so do the equilibrium paths in the deformation process. Here, it is no longer possible to simply deform a structure into its elastically deformed shape by a number of linear support displacements. As a new approach for form-finding coupled bending-active systems in FEM, the authors developed a strategy using contracting cable elements to pull associated points from an initially planar system into an elastically deformed configuration. This paper will discuss the strategy of form-finding bending-active structures with ultra-elastic contraction elements by looking at basic samples of coupled bending-active structures, complemented with some considerations of the numerical background. In addition, samples of complex applications in built prototype structures are presented to highlight the effectiveness of this approach. Keywords: bending-active, form-finding.

Keywords

bending-active, form-finding.