Computer Aided Design of Shell Structures

Abstract

How far can we go in the automatic design of shell structures and its numerical processing by computer? It is our intention to design any kind of shell structure in civil engineering wi th the graphical and numerical processing power of the computer. By design we mean to allow the user to define any shape of shell, like cilinders , one-leaf hyperboloid, ellipsoids, hyperbolic paraboloids, conoids, cones, torusses and helicoids, and to optimise it with regard to its strength and dimensions (Fig. 1-8 ). In other words to analyse it with a finite element method and to evaluate the result (graphically) in order to adjust the original design in a convergent way.