Chapter 8 : Tension Structures Section 8 . 3 : Tensegrity Structures

Tensegrity Structures are nowadays very popular even if, until now, there are very few full scale true tensegrity projects. Since the concept enounced by Richard Buckminster Fuller, and the first sculptures by Kenneth Snelson at Black Mountain College in 1948, they were the object of an increasing number of studies. The main applications are not all in the field of Architecture and Civil Constructions, many other fields take advantage of this fascinating and surprising structural composition. It also inspired other efficient structural systems. The literature about Tensegrity principle, tensegrity structures, and tensegrity state is increasing day after day, and looks like a tangle of definitions and explanations, even if the available texts are all derived from early ones and among them from the initial patents. This section does not aim at providing an exhaustive explanation of Tensegrity Structures; it is only the place to give some " keys " for their understanding. Roughly speaking literature is appearing in three main periods: the early works in the forties and fifties, the first publications relating theoretical and experimental studies (from sixties to early nineties), and an increasing amount of publications since twenty years combining important books, papers of great interest, and appropriation of the " tensegrity " concept without a recognized pertinence 8.3.2. The pioneers From the concept to its materialization There is no doubt that three names are always quoted when people want to know more on the emergence of Tensegrity Structures: Richard Buckminster Fuller, Kenneth Snelson and David Georges Emmerich. All three applied for a patent with different wordings, and for a better understanding of their personal contribution to the field, interested readers may consult a special Issue of the International Journal of Space Structures [8.3.1]. David Georges Emmerich was very popular in France, where he taught in a school of architecture. His text books were appreciated, and so was his paper published at the second International Conference on Space Structures [8.3.2]. Even if the title " Réseaux " is not explicitly indicating the topic of the paper, this was a matter of fact that it was dealing with tensegrity systems, even if David Georges Emmerich called them " Systèmes autotendants " (" Selfstressing Systems "). His studies very mainly geometrical and despite his collaboration with academic people like J. Tardiveau and R. Siestrunck [8.3.3], he could not overcome the drawbacks of this single side approach for systems characterized by …