Okt. 2014 – Feb 2015
Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal
This is my studies final Thesis. It is in German but most of it are pictures, so even if you cannot read it, have a peek inside.
The original cover I made from 1mm of plywood – the same material I used for some models – that I laser-cut in a rapid prototyping workshop and glued onto gray cardboard.
I wanted something slightly bigger then DIN-A4 and wider, to give my images some space.
sheet: 354 x 224 mm
cover sheet: 358 x 232 mm
Double page size: 644 x 224 mm
Back in the days, products were made to last – they say.
Sure, if they wanted to make something last for a decade, engineers had to over.engineer it, so old buildings, cars or other products may last centuries.
But when it comes to vehicles, over-engineering them ofte also results in mass.
So while over-engineering tries to make something last by brute force, or brute material, Toplogy Optimisation is an attempt to achieve it by clever developing of shapes. A simplified example: The cantilever problem – a weight is to be suspended at a distance from a wall (a). A thick beam across the shortest distance is the simplest solution (b). A compression strut against the bending direction of the beam allows for thinner beams (c). A tension cable replaces the compression strut (d).
A much better example are trees. They tend to last for decades or centuries by growing into the perfect shape for the job. Look at trees during storm. It looks impossible, how they bent and move and still carry their weight, without breaking – or at least before breaking. A reason for that is, that they grow into the shape they need to be in. But we cannot grow, let’s say a car. Or can we?
Kind of: there are actually different ways: By calculating, for example the Finite Element Method, and by examining existing natural examples, as described by the Soft Kill Option method, both having similar results.
Rhinoceros 3d with Grashopper programming plugin and Millipede FEM plugin
length 2.5m
width 1.4m
height 1.0m
20 cells per meter
1:5
polystyrole,
laser-cut chemically welded
cotton and acryllic yarn
87 g (about 11 kg at full scale)
1:5
birchwood, multiplex,
laser-cut and woodglued
cotton and acryllic yarn
61g (about 8kg at full scale)
