FEASIBILITY OF THE UNIVERSAL SCISSOR COMPONENT (USC): BUILDING A FULL-SCALE DEPLOYABLE DOME

摘要

A new multi-configurational Universal Scissor Component (USC) is developed for designing scissor structures in a generic way: the USC is used as a uniform 'building block' for a variety of configurations. The structures can be disassembled and the USC can then be reconfigured, enabling re-use (cfr. a kit-of-parts system), while the component's uniformity favours mass-production, implying a cost benefit. Moreover, the diversity in possible structural forms invites multiple uses. This paper applies the novel USC concept to a full-scale deployable dome, which was built during the workshop of the Transformable Structures Study Group at the 7th International Seminar of the Structural Morphology Group (SMG - WG 15 of IASS) in September 2011. The aim of the prototype is to investigate the practical feasibility of the USC concept in terms of manufacturing, assembly and deployment process.