| Topic for open discussion: AWES Form-Finding
Shell Structures Informing AWE
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Aug 15, 2020, post by Dave Santos
Lets carefully distinguish Architectural "Shells" as such, as effectively rigid and therefore inherently more massive than soft membranes and inflated forms. The
negligible intersection of AWE and Aerotecture with Shells is small
minor components less subject to Cubic-Mass Scaling Law, and rare cases
of suspended catenaries, of an inverted mirrored geometry to optimal
Shells with compressive continuity against gravity, as Gaudi famously
applied.
The
Form Finding we most seek in AWE and Aerotecture is purely tensile
(polymer) structure; excepting compression only by the fields of rammed
or enclosed air, and "staked-out" compression-force in the
ground-anchor surface-medium.
The best keyword term here is "AWES Form Finding"
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| August 15, 2020, join post by Dave Santos and Joe Faust Form Finding Lab and Metamaterial Kite Lattices Dear Dr. Adriaenssen, Your work has attracted interest in the new fields of Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) and Aerotecture. A metamaterial paradigm of vast lattices of many-connected unit-kites is emerging. There are many topological precedents in classic kites: trains, arches, meshes, and volumes of "kitematter." In just over ten years, about a thousand scholars have taken up AWE, mostly in unit-cell R&D, not lattices. It is an urgent research field, since the power of upper-wind is the only renewable geophysical resource abundant, dense, and ubiquitous enough to power civilization post-oil. Topologically ordered kite lattices are the scaling path. Aerotecture is a utopian possibility for a vast new space for living. Many basics are now validated by simulation and scale prototype, like sustaining flight during calm by reverse-pumping the lattices. AWE lattice theory and experiment is now moving beyond simple feasibility toward optimal form-finding. Form Finding Lab is obviously an ideal player, given your expertise in large soft-matter structures for architecture and civil engineering. Other players are specialized in materials, aerospace, and EE aspects, like polymer-physics, control avionics, aerodynamics, and power engineering. Princeton had worthy student activity in AWE in past years, and many top universities have active teams, but only three in the starting metamaterial lattice aspect. It is all still a very early direction of research, but a lot is projected to happen by 2030. Attached are some sample slides giving a rough idea of the scope of work. Please reply soon if you are interested in learning more about AWE and Aerotecture form-finding R&D. Best, Dave Santos Joe Faust kPower |