Minimum mass design of tensegrity bridges with parametric architecture and multiscale complexity Academic Article

abstract

• We present a design methodology for tensegrity bridges, which is inspired by parametric design concepts, fractal geometry and mass minimization. This is a topology optimization problem using self-similar repetitions of minimal mass ideas from Michell (1904). The optimized topology is parametrized by two different complexity parameters, and two aspect angles. An iterative optimization procedure is employed to obtain minimum mass shapes under yielding and buckling constraints. Several numerical results are presented, allowing us to explore the potential applications. The given results show that the minimum mass complexity of the optimized bridge model has a multiscale character, being discrete with respect to the first complexity parameter, and markedly or infinitely large with respect to the second complexity. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

authors

• Skelton, Robert

published proceedings

• Mechanics Research Communications

author list (cited authors)

• Skelton, R. E., Fraternali, F., Carpentieri, G., & Micheletti, A.

citation count

• 67

complete list of authors

• Skelton, RE||Fraternali, F||Carpentieri, G||Micheletti, A

publication date

• June 2014

publisher

• Elsevier  Publisher

published in

• Mechanics Research Communications  Journal

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1016/j.mechrescom.2013.10.017

start page

• 124

end page

• 132

volume

• 58

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mechrescom.2013.10.017