This work investigates the design of a new class of three dimensional tensegrity tower structures with nodes lying on a cylinder. The novel aspect of the proposed topology is the fact that all bars in all stages are oriented in the same way, clockwise or counterclockwise. We investigate the existence of conditions for static equilibrium of such towers with an arbitrary number of stages and uniform force distribution.
A new topology for a prestressed tensegrity plate, the unstable-unit tensegrity plate (UUTP), is introduced, together with a detailed algorithm for its design. The plate is a truss made of strings (flexible elements) and bars (rigid elements), which are loaded in tension and compression, respectively, where bars do not touch each other. Given the outline dimensions of the desired plate, and the number of bars along the plate's width and length, the algorithm solves for the nodes' positions and the prestress forces that make a plate in equilibrium. This is done by solving a non-linear matrix equation via Newton's method. This equation reflects static equilibrium conditions. We've designed several such plates, proving the feasibility of the proposed topology and the effectiveness of its design algorithm. Two such plates are characterized in detail, both statically and dynamically (via simulation). The proposed algorithm may be extended to solve for other tensegrity structures having different topologies and/or different shapes. The UUTP may be used as a building block of many types of structures, both uncontrolled and controlled, either large-scale or miniature-scale.
Conference Committee Involvement (2)
Modeling, Signal Processing, and Control
27 February 2006 | San Diego, California, United States
Modeling, Signal Processing, and Control
7 March 2005 | San Diego, California, United States
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