Date of Award

Spring 1990

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Program/Concentration

Engineering Mechanics

Committee Director

Mason Chew

Committee Member

Gene W. Hou

Committee Member

Stephen G. Cupschalk

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E57K86

Abstract

An integrated graph theory and a symmetry-based approach have been developed for the type synthesis of deployable truss structures. Using this systematic approach, a bay of a deployable structure may be looked upon as being built around an axis or a plane of symmetry, including anti-symmetry. By providing a fictitious joint along this axis, the problem of structural design and analysis can be reduced to the study of one plane or face of the given structure. Each face is considered to be an assemblage of structural links connected by joints which form a closed kinematic chain. The conventional graph representation of a mechanism is used for type synthesis by the method of separation of kinematic structure and function. An expert system knowledge base has been developed to generate and evaluate a large number of design alternatives.

The basic symmetric plane, identified using symmetry, can be used for the synthesis of new concepts. Platonic solids can also be used to determine the orientation of these planes. Several examples are considered in this context. In general, structural symmetry can be observed in such graphs and dual graphs of these structures. A brief discussion from this perspective is also presented. The co-relation between the order of the graph and the spatial dimension is illustrated through some examples. NASTRAN results are provided to compare the relative desirability of one concept over the other.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/6xag-8963

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