Considerations of the Structure

We will be constructing a '2V' dome, that is a dome with two strut lengths, struts A and B. The lengths, obviously, depend on the diameter of the base of the dome. 

These lengths will be calculated with the help of the dome calculator at http://www.desertdomes.com

Strong Members 


As the dome needs to take the load of a covering/cladding (in a real situation this would be the roof and walls and therefore rather weighty) the members making up the structure must be strong. For this reason we have chosen to use 20mm steel electrical conduit. 

Stiff Joints 


The dome must avoid structural movement and for this the joints between the members must be stiff and strong, similar to the needs of the joints of a portal frame. For this the conduits will be flattened at the ends and holes drilled through the flattened sections to accommodate bolts to tie the members to one another. 

Introduction.

We are undertaking the construction of a 1:1 scale complete Geodesic dome with a complete hight of 2m. We intend on using steel or aluminium hollow pipes for the basic structure.

Initially introduced by Buckmister Fuller in 1954, the Geodesic dome is considered to be one of the most cost effective and sustainable forms to create a shelter. As the dome has no internal support structures, the whole interior space is deemed usable. 

A Geodesic Dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles(geodesics) on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When completed to form a complete sphere, it is a geodesic sphere. A dome is enclosed, unlike open geodesic structures such as playground climbers.