Catenaries

Before last week’s class the idea was to create a model in GS, by using a formula of the catanery and then entering points so it would make the environment in which points could be added being columns which made the landscape change. In class axel told me this could not be done because in the formulas there were too many unknowns to solve. He showed me another program called CADenary, in this program it is possible to pick points, from these points the computer will calculate the arch along the catenary line. Not only is it possible to put in the points for an arch but also a membrane. The disadvantage of the program is that it is hard to alter the input later on, so it was a nice program o see what actually happens when u create a membrane or an arch.

To work some more precise it was needed to work whit another program, which is the base behind the Cadanery; this is the program processing. Processing is a scripting program, which gives the output in a java run applet. My luck was that because of the CADenary the script for the catenary already existed. So to work whit it, it was only needed to alter the script in the way it alters the landscape of the floor.

The script in processing works whit springs and particles. The springs don’t have any mass but they are linear elastic. Attached in between the springs are the particles, they do have a mass. By applying a force to the particles in this case gravity the particles start moving. By moving they elongate the springs. At the point there is equilibrium in the springs they stop moving.

In the first case a model was made with 10 x 10 particles and in between the springs, so it would behave as a membrane. At first the first two sides were pinned later on the other 2 sides, by pinning other points it would react in the same way like a column is placed there.

The second step is a bigger model with 20 x 20 particles. The same steps described above were used. Starting by putting columns in the middle so the biggest difference would be overcome.

The question now is how to put this in a model which can be calculated and also how to test the models to the research questions, to test it to the research question some standards have to be added on which the model can be checked. Also a hypothesis has to be made whit these standards.

Off course it is also good to look at other models in which the floor is sculpted in other ways besides the sculpting used with the forces as a tool.