| Constructing A Geodesic Dome |
How are the Struts Calculated ?
The foundation of the geodesic mathematics is based upon the platonic solid known as the Icosahedron.
The Icosahedron is a 20 sided body whose faces are triangles, which are all of equal size and shape.
Each of the vertexes (points) of the Icosahedron touch the face of an imaginary sphere surrounding the Icosahedron.
If you were to draw triangles on a face of the Icosahedron, then project those lines onto the face of the surrounding sphere, you can generate the geometry of the geodesic dome. By increasing the number of triangles on a face of the Icosahedron, you effectively increase the frequency of the dome. As the frequency increases, so does the number of struts forming the dome.
The higher the frequency or strut resolution of the dome, the more spherical the dome will appear. |
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Buddha Dome Design Statistics
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| Diameter (Feet) |
30 |
| Frequency |
4 |
| Number of Hubs |
91 |
| Number of Triangular Faces |
160 |
| Number of Struts |
250 |
| Strut Diameter (Inches) |
1.74 |
| Number of Unique Strut Lengths |
6 |
| Floor Area (Square feet) |
707 |
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Photos of the process of fabricating the struts and assembling the dome
Here each end of the 250 struts were flattened using a 20 ton hydraulic press and custom built forming die.
Drilling Jig setup to drill a hole in each end of the struts
Here each end of the 250 struts were bent to an angle ranging from 7 - 9 degrees.
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Assembling the base ring of struts.
Laying out the struts for the first row and beginning assembly.
Starting assembly of the second row of struts.
Finishing assembly of the third row of struts.
Assembly nearing completion.
Installing the last bolt at the very top of the dome.
Dome assembly completed in only one day !
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