A direct approach to design of geometry and forces of tensegrity systems

In the process of designing a tensegrity system, some constraints are usually introduced for geometry and/or forces to ensure uniqueness of the solution, because the tensegrity systems are underdetermined in most cases. In this paper, a new approach is presented to enable designers to specify independent sets of axial forces and nodal coordinates consecutively, under the equilibrium conditions and the given constraints, to satisfy the distinctly different requirements of architects and structural engineers. The proposed method can be used very efficiently for practical applications because only linear algebraic equations are to be solved, and no equation of kinematics or material property is needed. Some numerical examples are given to show not only efficiency of the proposed method but also its ability of searching new configurations. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.