02/20: Undulating Space Frame

For the final project of Deployable structures, Steve Kocher and I incorporated a revised adjustable strut into a square pyramid/tetrahedron space frame. There are two deployments. Starting off in its most upright and compact form, the lateral members unfold and the truss expands to its identifiable geometry.

The second deployment has the diagonal struts expand to raise the vertices along the top surface independently, allowing for the creation of many possible undulating surfaces. Originally I had thought that this could serve as the structure for a bed, supporting a mattress of memory foam, able to be adjusted as needed to create pillow or back support or to elevate part of one’s body. The struts performed admirably but the joints were held together with wood glue and seemed fragile as a result. One criticism we recieved from Peter McCleary was that the lateral supports were designed to be identical despite the fact that the bottom members were in tension and the top ones were in compression. Future models may try to reflect this, and these components may be tested in metal rather than basswood.