CIV-E5010 - Geometry & Lightweight: Structures and Architecture D, Lecture, 10.1.2022-20.2.2022
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220210 Physical Minimal Surface - Experiments
Completion requirements
Do the following experiments as physical models:
- your submission will be graded - 8 points
Make a submission
Due: Wednesday, 16 February 2022, 4:00 PM
In class, wee discussed physical minimal surfaces from soap film.
Do the following experiments as physical models:
- PREPARATIONS
- Build 2 CIRCULAR RINGS from thin metal wire with a diameter of 7cm. Connect each of them to a handle (stick or similar) so you can hold the rings without touching them. Make sure that all of the material is grease-free!
- Prepare a mix of dishwashing liquid and water in a pot, large enough to put the rings, handles and your hands inside. Make sure that no foam is on the surface.
- Prepare your cellphone or digital camera, a spotlight and a black / white background.
- FIRST EXPERIMENT
Put both of the rings into the liquid and take them out again. Somethimes it helps to do that in a slightly inclined way. Make sure that the rings are filled with a soapfilm lamella, and that the rings always touch each other.
Now slowly increase the distance of the 2 rings and look at the CATENOID that is emerging. Take photos from the shape and try to have some reflections of the light on the soapfilm so it gets visible. It depends on the environment and light if the white or black background works better.
OBSERVE: Check and document what is the biggest distance that you can achieve. Set the maximum hight of the catenoid in relation to the radius of the rings.
SUMBIT the photos and the maximum hight as follows: hmax= x-times * r = x.x cm - SECOND SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS
Same procedure as before, but deform the shape of the circular rings to other geometries.
Go from simple to complex, and from planar to spatial - for example: 2squares, 2 tringles, 1 square+1trinagle, 2 square hypars in same direction, 2 square hypars in oposite directions, free form like in the image, ....
OBSERVE: Check and document the shapes in general, the hights that you can achieve and especially look at the horizontal and vertical cross-sections (from the photos) of the experiments
SUMBIT the photos and a summary of your observations (pdf) - name it as follows "Surname_Name_FreeformCatenoids.pdf"
- your submission will be graded - 8 points