Strings As Structural Elements? Engineers Devise Mathematics For New Age Structures

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Top: Tensegrity structures are deformed by actuators that pull cables. Bottom: In a paper in the International Journal of Solids and Structures UCSD researchers describe the initial (upper) versus the optimal (lower) distribution of the prestress in ...
Top: Tensegrity structures are deformed by actuators that pull cables. Bottom: In a paper in the International Journal of Solids and Structures, UCSD researchers describe the initial (upper) versus the optimal (lower) distribution of the prestress in a tensegrity structure. The dotted lines represent tensegrity elements that are not prestressed.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have devised two mathematical tools considered to be major contributions to the optimal design of a new generation of deformable bridges, buildings, shape-controllable airplane wings, radio antennas, and other alternatives to current structural technologies. Two reports will be published in the International Journal of Solids and Structures, with the first appearing in the April issue.


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