Description

This research investigates the relationship between the topology of a structure, load-path values and material efficiency for given boundary conditions in structural form finding using 3D Graphic Statics (3DGS) methods. Subdividing the force polyhedron is a technique in graphic statics that allows generating topologically-different structural forms for a given boundary condition. This method is used to deal with buckling problems in long members by substituting them with multiple members with shorter lengths. However, subdivision methods result in more members and nodes in the structure and this adds to the construction costs and material use. This research investigates the effect of subdivision techniques on the change in the load-path values and local buckling load for various developed funicular polyhedral systems and the volume of the construction material. Multiple subdivision algorithms are developed to generate series of bar-node compression-only spatial structural systems for a given boundary condition, and relevant algorithms are designed to calculate the volume, load path, and maximum local buckling force.