The objective of this paper is to discuss the characteristics of a family of space structures that are referred to as 'nexorades'. Typically, a nexorade is constructed from scaffolding tubes, connected together with swivel couplers. An important application of nexorades is for shelters of various sizes and shapes for temporary or permanent purposes. In such a shelter, the structural skeleton is provided by a nexorade and the cover is provided by a membrane material
This is the first paper in a series of papers that are intended to cover the present state of knowledge in the field of formex configuration processing. This field of knowledge has been developed during the last three decades and has now reached a level of maturity that makes it an ideal medium for configuration processing in many disciplines. In particular, it provides a rich assortment of concepts that are of great value to the engineers and architects involved in the design of space structures.
This is the third paper in a series of papers that are intended to provide a comprehensive coverage of the concepts of formex configuration processing and their applications in relation to structural configurations. In the present paper, the attention is focused on structural forms that are based on hyperbolic paraboloidal, hyperboloidal and annular surfaces. It is shown that these categories of structural forms include many exciting possibilities for lattice and shell structures. The paper also includes sections on structural forms that may be obtained from combinations of simpler forms or through certain composite transformations that are called paragenic transformations.
This is the second paper in a series of papers that are intended to provide a comprehensive coverage of the concepts of formex configuration processing and their applications in relation to structural configurations. In the present paper, attention is focused on the configuration processing for a number of families of space structures, namely, pyramidal forms, towers, foldable systems and diamatic domes . Also included is a section on information export as well as an Appendix on basic formex functions. The section on information export describes the manner in which the information about the details of a configuration, generated by the programming language Formian, can be exported to graphics, draughting and structural analysis packages.
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