The force cone method: a new thinking tool for lightweight structures

Abstract

The force cone method developed by Claus Mattheck enables computer-free topology designing and offers a profound knowledge for lightweight structures. Thus, the recently developed method enhances the series of the so-called thinking tools. The method's basic idea is the force distribution of a single force in an elastic plane. The symmetrically placed cones appear in front of the force and behind it. These cones intersect with 90° angles at primary points that quickly lead to a structural design proposal. Furthermore, the method is very useful for the evaluation of structures and their lightweight potential. With the knowledge of the load case, it is easy to identify the main tension and compression paths leading to a deeper understanding of lightweight results. Natural structures such as trees can also be understood in another way, highlighting the structural principles at the root, leaf, treetop or even the entire tree. Nowadays, technical lightweight solutions can be found with different methods, including the soft kill option developed at the KIT 20 years ago. The method resembles that of the biological mineralization process of living bone and results in structures that can be seen as optimized lightweight design proposals. The comparisons of those structures with the state-of-the-art designs used in the industry and with those found by the force cone method indicate the high potential of the new method. For the confi rmation of the basic rules and principles, different assembly positions of force and supports as well as different types of supports, such as fi xed supports or torsion anchors, have been analyzed. Keywords: Force cone method, lightweight structure, topology design. INTRODUCTIONIn mechanical engineering, a design needs to meet several demands. At fi rst, the design needs to withstand the given tasks with regard to applied loads and the durability during its lifetime. In addition to optical issues, nowadays the weight often counts the most. With the increasing energy costs, the weight reduction within mechanical constructions gets more and more importance. Thus, almost everything has to be lightweight.In nature there are further reasons for lightweight designs. Running faster than someone makes hunting more effective or prevents from being eaten. Low weight enables fl ying and consequently unlocks new territory. Million years of evolution brought up an advanced degree of lightweight optimization. Several starting points exist, e.g. the skeleton as the structural framework of many species. The framework is built up of bones, muscles and sinews, resembling the fi rst step of the lightweight design. The second step can be found with a closer look at the bones. The bone material is placed perfectly in correlation with the force fl ow. The highly loaded zones are fi lled with a trabecular bone, also called spongiform bone, which is a micro-framework of very fi ne small struts of the bone.With the soft kill option (SKO), the lightweight principle of the bone growth was transferred into techni...

From Biological Gene to Functional Gene: Revolutionizing Product Innovation Design

“…Biological knowledge has significant implications for engineering design [10], such as bio-inspired fatigue-resistant design [11], lightweight design [12], design analogy to nature engine [13], multiple biological effects [14], and so on. In the field of genetics, genes are composed of nucleotide sequences that contain genetic information, and they control the development and expression of traits in organisms [15].…”