Design and Construction of a Tensegrity Tower. A Visual and Statistical Case Study of a Tensegrity System

Project Report from the year 2017 in the subject Engineering - General, grade: 1,7, Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe - University of Applied Sciences, language: English, abstract: Until now, tensegrity structures receive less importance in civil engineering, but they are more po- pular with the visual arts. Tensegrities are of interest in structural design studies because of their lightweight property, aesthetic and modern look. Usually, the structures are built in such a way that struts are connected, which might not be the original definition for tensegrity. Open tensegrity systems must, in order to be stable, provide forces to the foundation or to secondary constructions that are beyond the scope of the forces resulting from their own weight and the external loads. Open systems have the advantage that the pressure elements don't have to be used as diagonals, as in closed systems. As a result, shorter pressure sections are possible with open systems, which can be executed with a smaller cross section. A closed tensegrity system is a self-sufficient array of struts and tendons, arranged in such a way that the struts and tendons enforce an ongoing structural integrity in the overall assemblage. These are termed as 'real' tensegrity systems. Closed systems are, regardless of their storage, inherently stable.