P S E U D O Geodesic

The aim of this research is to present the design and construction of a GFRP gridshell based on pseudo-geodesic curves. Pseudo-geodesic curves on a surface have a constant angle between their normal vector and the surface normal. They are thus a generalization of asymptotic curves (where this angle is equal to 90°) or geodesic curves(where this angle is 0° or 180°), which have already been used to construct elastic grid-shells. Like asymptotic or geodesic gridshells, pseudo-geodesic gridshells benefit from a flat unrolling property as well as a standard connection detail. The paper presents the design strategy of the first pseudo-geodesic gridshell. A parametric structural analysis shows that the gridshell outperforms geodesic gridshell significantly but also that it is sensitive to local lateral-torsional buckling. The fabrication stage confirmed that the construction of a unique type of connector is possible. In total, 160 connectors have been used for the prototype. The mathematical properties of pseudo-geodesic curves have thus been successfully turned into a technological solution to materialize doubly curved shapes