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Thread: Space-Plates

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    Space-Plates


  2. #2
    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    Thanks I had not seen this technology before, Charles.

    I bought a pack of pipe cleaners to try out some ideas for domes yesterday. I live in an apartment so I can only make models for testing ideas now. Once I feel comfortable with a method I will make a bigger one at a park.

    Here is the quickest and easiest method I have found so far on the internet that uses pvc piping and plastic ties.

    So far I have not seen the wood dowel and rubber tubing and plastic tie dome that I made while living in Ohio. I plan on making a pvc pipe, rubber tubing and plastic tie version.

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    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    I had forgotten how I got around the struts being the same size when I made my dome in Ohio. Playing with the pipe cleaners and triangles of equal size, it triggered my memory after quite a bit of fidgeting to remember that I had looked at the shapes that the triangles ended up making.

    pipeCleaner.png

    So then I got on the computer and made this using hexagons and pentagons, with all the struts being the same size.
    drawing.jpg

    Here is the result after cutting it out and taping. The benefit of going with fixed polygonal shapes is that it is easier to assemble. You can put the top pieces together first and raise the dome up as you go along. Of course in this paper model it was just folding.
    dome.jpg

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    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    Triangle with Hexagons

    Here is a triangle with hexagons. This doesn't give too much protection (coverage). If you join the triangle with the hexagons and their sides, it becomes a vertical structure. Looks better flattened out.
    TriHex.jpg
    TriHex.jpg

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    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    11 Pentagons

    11 Pentagons, gives complete coverage.
    11Pentagons.jpg
    11Pentagons.jpg
    Last edited by kryton9; 07-02-2012 at 11:05.

  6. #6
    Hi Kent,

    As you have seen, regular hexagons and pentagons make the most elegant geodesic domes. Anything more complicated needs a calculator and Spherical Trig!

    This HexaPent Frame is about 3.3M across and all the struts are 650mm long, roofing battens (2x1 inch). small metal strips were used to fix the joints. I made this in 2004, before trying more complex designs. It is still my favourite dome geometry.

    Charles

    PS: Correction to struct length: 650mm




    https://picasaweb.google.com/charles...Nfk3pyF5c_e6QE
    Last edited by Charles Pegge; 08-02-2012 at 09:42.

  7. #7
    There is another shape you might like to try. It is made of 30 identical diamonds (parallelograms). The width of each diamond is in proportion to the fibonacci ratio of its length.

    This means each diamond length is 1.6180033.. times its width.

    The ends of the diamonds form nodes of 5 embers and the sides form nodes of 3 members.

    Charles

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    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    So far that combo looks the nicest in my opinion too Charles. It is lots of fun playing with this stuff. Here is the last of the paper models I made. I did the hexagon pentagon combo, but with a hexagon on top instead of a pentagon.
    13Hexs3Pentagons.jpg13lHexagons3Pentagons.jpg
    One with nothing but hexagons.
    AllHexagons.jpg
    And last nothing but Octagons, but this is going to take too much work, so I stopped at a partial point.
    Octagons.jpg

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    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    soda straw model

    I forgot to upload the next step in my tests. I used plastic drinking soda straws with the bendable ends. It sort of turned out lopsided as I built in sitting on the couch, but everyone who has seen has been amazed by how light and strong(for straws) it is. For the next final project I will make it efficient by only having 1 strut for each side, not duplicates as with the straws and over 3 times bigger.

    strawDome.jpg

  10. #10
    thinBasic MVPs kryton9's Avatar
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    Saran Wrap is a good idea John. I gave it to my neighbor's grandkids to play with. They had fun with the paper ones before.

    Another good idea for wrapping is the heat shrink plastic wrap they use at markets. I have used the window insulation shrink wrapping before, it costs more than the market wrap so not a cheap option.

    I am gonna go back to this store that I saw bamboo rods in the garden section. They had a 25 pack for $4.50 and the rods were 3' long. I hope they didn't sell out.
    I will need 55 rods to make that dome with single struts.

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