A practical grid generation procedure for the design of free-form structures

Boqing Gao, Tierui Li, Teng Ma, Jun Ye, Jurgen Becque, Iman Hajirasouliha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (SciVal)
138 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Computer aided design software enables the rapid conceptual creation of a curved surface geometry, whereas it is neither a convenient nor an obvious task for engineers to create a discrete grid structure on a complex surface that meets architectural and aesthetic requirements. This emphasizes the importance of grid generating tools and methods in the initial design stage. This paper presents an efficient design tool for the synthesis of free-form grid structures based on the “guide line” method, employing a fast and straightforward approach which achieves grids with rods of balanced length and fluent lines. The process starts with defining a limited number of curves (named the “guide lines”) on the surface, which are then used to determine the directions of the ‘rods’ of the grid. Two variations of this concept are introduced in this paper: the ‘Guide Line Scaling Method’ (GSM) and the ‘Two Guide Lines with Two End Vertices Method’ (2G2VM). Case studies are provided which illustrate the successful execution of these procedures. The results show that the free-form grid structures generated with the proposed methods feature a regular shape and fluent lines, thereby satisfying aesthetic requirements. These two methods have been programmed into the software ZD-Mesher, enabling rapid grid generation for structural design purposes.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)292-310
Number of pages19
JournalComputers and Structures
Volume196
Early online date31 Oct 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2018

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A practical grid generation procedure for the design of free-form structures'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this