Thames & Kosmos Architectural Engineering - GIANT DOME; Giant Dome Strength Experiment

GIANT DOME
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EXPERIMENT
HERE’S HOW
Place magazines, one at a time, on the top of the
dome. How many magazines does it hold before
the dome starts to deform? Compare the
strength of this dome to the strength of the
smaller dome you made on page 11.
Dome strength
WHAT’S HAPPENING
This dome is larger, but it also has more structural supports,
than the dome on page 11. Therefore, you probably
observed that this dome supports more weight than the
smaller dome. However, there are many variables involved
here, and it is possible that your observations differ.
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Done!
BONUS EXPERIMENT
Cover the dome structure with
sheets of wet paper towels.
Overlap the towels so there is
at least one layer of towel
covering most of the structure.
You have created a surface
structure to enclose the dome.
Aach five X shapes: Aach
the boom of each X shape to
each alternating pair of
anchor pins and two-to-one
converters. Aach the top to
the top pentagon.
Aach the five remaining X
shapes: Aach the boom of
each X shape to each alternating
pair of anchor pins and two-to-
one converters. Aach the top to
the top pentagon.
x
x
Follow the general
tips for model
refinements on the
inside back cover to
finish your model.
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Architectural Engineering