ETH Zürich  |  DARCH  |  ITA  |  Structural Design  |  DOCTORAL THESES  |  EXTENSION OF GRAPHICAL STATICS 
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On the Extension of Graphical Statics into the 3rd Dimension
M. Schrems
2009 - 2016


The extension of graphical statics (EGS) is basic research. It represents the logical continuation of the 19th century graphical statics [Culmann 1866], which was historically determined superseded by the analytical statics, as in those days numerical calculations were much easier to handle. Today there is the possibility to act in a digital 3D space, so that we are independent of interacting with projections. For architects and engineers it is common to draw by conventions. For this reason it is obvious, that the dialogue about force flow should be led in the common language of drawing, because it is a excellent way to show the geometrical dependency of form and forces. All graphic methods for the representation of the internal force flow act in 2D, directly or through projections, why the third dimension collapses. It is possible to show, that by using the EGS in 3D any finite constellations of forces in general position can be reduced to a couple of forces, which represent all forces in intensity, direction and position. With that method the con-struction remains always spatially, without any projections and independent of a global coordi-nate system, like e.g. by numerical methods. Like in 2D there are two linked diagrams, a form diagram and a force diagram, which mean that modifications in one diagram force an adjustment in the other diagram. With that method the dependency of form and forces in 3D can be seen without using projections and an active and synthetic designing process could begin.

last modified 30.10.2015