Physical finite elements

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2014.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Calisch, Samuel Eli
Other Authors: Neil Gershenfeld.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95595
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author Calisch, Samuel Eli
author2 Neil Gershenfeld.
author_facet Neil Gershenfeld.
Calisch, Samuel Eli
author_sort Calisch, Samuel Eli
collection MIT
description Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2014.
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spelling mit-1721.1/955952022-01-18T17:06:36Z Physical finite elements Calisch, Samuel Eli Neil Gershenfeld. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences. Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences. Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2014. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 62-65). Engineering with digital materials, by discretely and reversibly assembling structure and function from a mass-produced construction kit of parts, is indeed an exciting vision. The ability to decouple conventionally linked material properties and reach new territory in parameter space has already been demonstrated [12] by the fabrication of ultralight samples with extreme specific stiffness. Further, these material properties can be spatially varied, opening new possibilities in engineering design. The discrete assembly process also frees us from constraints of monolithic manufacturing and the corresponding supply chains. Thus, this approach offers compelling promise for the design, manufacture, and deployment of large structures. In this thesis, we argue that digital materials offer a further benefit in the power and accuracy of simulation possible, as compared to modeling materials with less order. At the most general level, this comes from mirroring the discrete nature of the structure in the mathematical model, creating a hierarchical representation of the assembly and treating each level independently. The results can reduce the cost to design and validate complex structures, in both the required computational resources, as well as the time and testing cycles of human engineers. We outline several techniques for structural modeling of such digital material assemblies, focusing on workflow flexibility and engineering empowerment through custom design tools. We demonstrate two effective table-top part production techniques: one for producing many tightly-toleranced parts for validating simulations and one for producing high performance, directionally aligned composite parts in an out-of-autoclave process. We implement several structural tests in hardware and software, comparing results from modeling with empirical data. We show that at both the scale of individual parts, as well as of large assemblies, models synthesized from beam bending equations outperform more complicated and computationally intensive finite element simulations. Finally, we undertake an ambitious design study using these tools, using both simulation and physical testing to predict performance. The results suggest the feasibility of building skinned, lighter-than-air digital material structures, capable of withstanding atmospheric crush pressures and floating under the lift generated by the displaced air. by Samuel Eli Calisch. S.M. 2015-02-25T17:12:41Z 2015-02-25T17:12:41Z 2014 2014 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95595 903696772 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 65 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.
Calisch, Samuel Eli
Physical finite elements
title Physical finite elements
title_full Physical finite elements
title_fullStr Physical finite elements
title_full_unstemmed Physical finite elements
title_short Physical finite elements
title_sort physical finite elements
topic Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95595
work_keys_str_mv AT calischsamueleli physicalfiniteelements