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These Proceedings are based on the Fifth International Conference on Space Structures, organised by the University of Surrey. Produced as a 2-volume set, they contain original and innovative information on space structures from leading engineers and architects from around the world.
xiv aggregates: this touches on the very nature of things. The concept of statistical symmetry which Loeb develops is particularly important, it emphasizes the limitations in seemingly random aggregates and for permits general statements of which the crystallographer's sym metries are only special cases. The reductionist and holistic approaches to the world have been at war with each other since the times of the Greek philosophers and before. In nature, parts clearly do fit together into real structures, and the parts are affected by their environment. The problem is one of understanding. The mystery that remains lies largely in the nature of structural hierarchy, for the human mind can examine nature on many different scales sequentially but not simultaneously. Arthur Loeb's monograph is a fundamental one, but one can sense a devel opment from the relations between his zero-and three-dimensional cells to the far more complex world of organisms and concepts. It is structure that makes the difference between a cornfield and a cake, between an aggregate of cells and a human being, between a random group of human beings and a society. We can perceive anything only when we perceive its structure, and we think by structural analogy and comparison. Several books have been published showing the beauty of form in nature. This one has the beauty of a work of art, but it grows out of rigorous mathematics and from the simplest of bases-dimensional ity, extent and valency.
Space Structures are economical and aesthically pleasing in appearance. They provide a unique solution for covering large column free areas. This book gives a state of the art presentation of the analysis, design and construction of space structures. The author synthesizes data currently available with his original and exhaustive research to produce the definitive book on space structures. This book is appropriate for university level architecture / building science / civil engineering departmental libraries. Post graduate students and academics, as well as practising architects and engineers will find much of value in this comprehensive work.
Space flight is a comprehensive and innovative part of technology. It encompasses many fields of technology. This monograph presents a cross section of the total field of expertise that is called "space flight". It provides an optimal reference with insight into the design, construction and analysis aspects of spacecraft. The emphasis of this book is put on unmanned space flight, particularly on the construction of spacecraft rather than the construction of launch vehicles.
Architects are constantly looking for new methods to create large indoor spaces unhindered by columns and other supports. Tensile and cable-strut structures are one method of producing such spaces. They also enable the creation of different shaped spaces allowing architects more scope for innovation. Free-standing Tension Structures: From Tensegrity Systems to Cable-strut Systems provides the background engineering needed to produce these wonderful structures. Providing a complete background to the underlying structural engineering theories of tensegrity, this book will prove invaluable for all architects and engineers working on tensile structures.
This book involves the third dimension. It brings to the emerging field of design science, a lively text filled with diagrams, drawings, and photos. Its use is as diverse as its content. Not only will teachers in the disciplines of Art, Math and Science find the information useful, but artists and designers can learn much for their work in three space. This volume begins with the manipulation of the pliable plane to create 3-d folded structures. It moves on to show how the eternal triangle is used to build stable forms. The familiar cube generates other families of rectangular solids. Also explored are the properties of the sphere and its connections to solids called polyhedra. The latter are explored in great detail.
The diversity of constructions included in this publication on space structures ranges from anten reflectors and masts positioned in space, to equally exciting terrestrial structures, notably large-span domes, barrel vaults, multi-layered grids, cable and membrane systems, and pneumatic structures. This collection of more than two hundred and twenty papers, presented in to volumes, is the work of leading international experts for presentation at the Fourth International Conference on Space Structures. These two volumes contain a prodigious amount of original and innovative information on space structures that will be of especial interest to engineers, architects and other professionals engaged in the planning, design, fabrication and erection of novel constructions.
