Re: fiberglass plate domes

["J & D Goldman" <jmgoldma at dwx dot com>]

Dick,
  Nice pictures!  And thanks to Steve too for the jpg of the plydome.
In case it is not already obvious, you can see that the lower diagram
in Steve's picture is more like what I was describing, where the
patches are (somewhat) centered on the triangular panel.  In the
ModelZ, Q, etc in Dick's pictures, the patch is centered on a hub.
Same idea, just a different approach.  From simple observation, it
*looks* like centering the patch on the panel face, rather than on the
vertex, allows one to place fasteners along the "strut" lines and
catch more of the overlapping surfaces of the patches.  Looks to me
like you did a fine job illustrating what I tried to describe.   I'll
see what I can dig up on Domocile when I a chance and see if there is
anything new there.

Oh, on those CD's - no shooting after roof installation...   :-)

-Dan G.


>Dan - Here is a link to a picture of a paper plate randome
>model. It is similiar to what you are talking about in some
>ways.
>
>http://communities.msn.com/BuckminsterFuller/shoebox.msnw?Page=6
>
>See also:
>http://communities.msn.com/BuckminsterFuller/shoebox.msnw?Page=5
>
>Check it out. Comments?
>
>Dick
>
>--- J & D Goldman <jmgoldma at dwx dot com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> >
>> >--- J & D Goldman <jmgoldma at dwx dot com> wrote:
>> >> > I looked
>> >> >> at a fiberglass
>> >> >> unit a while back that used round panels, but the
>> >> holes
>> >> >> were just punched
>> >> >> where the struts would land, so it was pretty easy
>> to
>> >> >> follow.
>> >> >> -Dan G.
>> >> >
>> >> >Dan -  Can you say anything more about this unit?
>> >> >
>> >> >Dick
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> Several years ago I got brochures and pricing from the
>> >> company shown
>> >> below. I pulled this off the dnaco dome website, and
>> at
>> >> this point
>> >> have no idea whether this is still a going concern or
>> >> not.   If you
>> >> try to contact them and it bombs, let me know and I'll
>> >> send you copies
>> >> of what I have on file (probably have phone numbers on
>> >> the
>> >> literature).  Hopefully they are still operating,
>> >> although, as I
>> >> recall, their domes were definitely not budget types.
>> I
>> >> suspect the
>> >> same technique could be used with other materials.
>> >
>> >What is the technique?
>> >
>> >
>> >Dick
>>
>>
>> I was just referring to this type of assembly in general.
>>  I'm no
>> authority on this, and have no elegant method in mind to
>> share, but to
>> help answer your question, it goes like this.  You start
>> with a
>> material that can be curved in two directions.  (Even
>> corrugated metal
>> can be curved in two directions, but the ease of doing
>> this varies
>> with the material, thickness, etc.)  Now picture
>> something like a
>> conduit dome, or any hub and strut type frame.  Take your
>> bendable
>> material, and make circles, or patches of some kind,
>> large enough to
>> span all three points of each triangle in the conduit
>> dome, with
>> plenty of overlap.  Lay them over the framework, like
>> large fish
>> scales (you can try this at home, but don't do it in the
>> wind!
>> )    )  centering the patch over the center of each
>> triangle. Bend
>> them so that they lay a bit more like a hemisphere than
>> the hub n'
>> strut frame, or, make the patches really big, so that
>> each pent or hex
>> is a single patch.   Then fasten the "scales" together
>> using rivets,
>> bolts, screws, glue spots, spot welds, whatever.  You can
>> join them
>> anywhere you want, but one possible pattern is to join
>> the patches
>> along lines precisely where the struts would be.   If
>> some of the
>> patches are left too small to completely over lap, you
>> have the
>> makings of a window, skylight, or other opening.
>>    That said, I'm sure somebody out there (Steve Miller?)
>> has a much
>> more quantitative and methodical approach to this.  I
>> haven't check
>> the math or looked up Fuller's patent yet, but I hope to
>> find some
>> improved approaches there.  The approach I describe here
>> is a bit
>> clumbsy. In any case, I hope that makes it clearer what I
>> meant by the
>> "technique".  If you see some pictures of the fiberglass
>> domes, you
>> will notice they quite resemble what I have described
>> here.  I'm sure
>> some work with a paper model would lead to an improved
>> system.
>>
>> -Dan G.
>>
>
>
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