Tree column analysis

COMPUTER PROGRAM

Tree column analysis YEAR COPYRIGHT KEYWORD : 2018 : Jun Yanagimuro, Kazuki Hayashi : design interface / Rhino / Grasshopper / stress analysis

Tree columns have been used as structural components of a large-scale structures; however, due to complexity of structural analysis and joint, it is difficult to design an irregular shape for them. This difficulty becomes more serious for small-scale structures because of limited available labor cost.

The developed interface connects architects and structural engineers for designing tree columns with an irregular shape. By providing lower and upper bounds for design variables in view of feasibility of construction, the shape can be varied within feasible regions. Moreover, the structural performance can be considered during the study because the member stresses are instantly visualized when the shape is changed. The tree shape determined by the architects maintains the digitalized format, which facilitates the overall design workflow because the data is easily converted to a structural analysis model, 2D drawings, and data for processing of the parts.