tensegrity shell

cults3d

Tensegrity is a structural principle where elements under compression do not touch each other. They're only connected and hold in place by tensioned members (usually cables). The term "tensegrity" is short for "tensional integrity and was proposed by Buckminster Fuller in the 1960s. This model of a tensegrity shell is an experiment/extension of the tensegrity arc. Simply put, it is a concatenation of arcs with a modified joint to get a smoother transition. There's no assembly required, the whole model is printed in a single process without the need of support material. The focus here is on FFF/FDM as fabrication method. The larger elements are only connected through fine strands to each other for stabilization. It's just filament extruded into the air. This technique is called bridging. The model is rotated by 90 degrees when printing, so the strands are always parallel to the printing surface. The length of the shell is only limited by the available height of the build space. The dimensions of the shell in the picture are ~22 x 13 x 35cm. Geometry was created using Rhino/Grasshopper.