The MODS optical spectrograph uses a de-centered Maksutov-Schmidt camera with a clear aperture of ~300mm. This large camera has two widely spaced elements, the corrector and the camera mirror, and a field flattener near the focal plane. This paper describes the truss system that supports the optical elements very rigidly, uses adjustable length links to provide a deterministic method for alignm...

Abstract The Truss Topology Design (TTD) problem deals with the selection of optimal configuration for pin-jointed trusses, in particular, the optimization of the connectivity of the nodes by the members, in which volume and/or compliance are minimized. In general, it is known that such truss structures are statically determinate and not redundantly rigid, that is, if just one member is damaged...

Engineers often decide to measure structures upon signs of damage to determine its extent and its location. Measurement locations, sensor types and numbers of sensors are selected based on judgment and experience. Rational and systematic methods for evaluating structural performance can help make better decisions. This paper proposes strategies for supporting two measurement tasks related to st...

Traditional truss design and analysis assumes pinned joints at the connections. Other design provisions recommend that the trusses be designed and analyzed as frame structures, with careful consideration of the stress, timber behavior, and joint response. A large body of knowledge has been compiled detailing truss behavior as it relates to member properties and responses. However, the modeling ...

1. Abstract Use of decomposition-based design optimization methods requires a priori selection of system partitioning and of the corresponding coordination strategy. Typically, partitioning systems into smaller, easier to solve subproblems leads to more complicated, computationally expensive coordination strategies. Previous optimal partitioning techniques have not addressed the coordination is...

In the design of a mechanical structure, we’re interested in finding a general layout of the structure’s supporting frame that best supports some anticipated design loads. Often, the design of such supporting frames are addressed in ad-hoc ways, such as by complicated domain-specific heuristics [TTG05, DG01]. Our project targets the problem of designing a truss–a collection of bars rigidly atta...

In this paper, an efficient technique is presented for static analysis of tall buildings with combined tube-in-tube and outrigger-belt truss system while considering shear lag effects. In the process of replacing the discrete structure with an elastically equivalent continuous one, the structure is modeled as two parallel cantilevered flexural-shear beams that are constrained at the outrigger-b...

The transverse compression and shear collapse mechanisms of a second order, hierarchical corrugated truss structure have been analyzed. The two competing collapse modes of a first order corrugated truss are elastic buckling or plastic yielding of the truss members. In second order trusses, elastic buckling and yielding of the larger and smaller struts, shear buckling of the larger struts, and w...