A Complete Graphic Statics for Rigid-Jointed 3D Frames. Part 1: Legendre Transforms for Moments

TL;DR

This paper extends graphic statics to 3D rigid-jointed frames, providing a complete mathematical framework using Legendre transforms and homology theory to describe all states of self-stress, including moments and shear forces.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized Rankine reciprocal and a stress space mapping via Legendre transforms, enabling comprehensive analysis of 3D frame forces and moments.

Findings

Complete description of 3D self-stress states

Representation of internal moments and forces in 3D frames

Use of homology theory to decompose structures into stress loops

Abstract

We extend graphic statics to describe the forces and moments in 3D rigid-jointed frame structures. Graphic statics relates the form diagram (the geometrical layout of structural bars) to a reciprocal force diagram representing the forces in those bars. For 3D structures, Rankine reciprocals represent bar forces by areas of polygons perpendicular to bars. Unfortunately, that description is incomplete. Here, Rankine reciprocals are generalised to provide a complete description. Not only can any state of axial self-stress be described, but so can any state of self-stress involving axial and shear forces coexistent with bending and torsional moments. This is achieved using a discrete version of Maxwell's Diagram of Stress which maps the body space containing the structure into the stress space containing the force diagram. This mapping is a Legendre transform, defined via a stress function and its gradients. The description resulting here is applicable to any state of self-stress in any 3D bar structure whose joints may have any degree of fixity. Using homology theory, a structural frame is decomposed into a set of loops, with states of self-stress being represented by dual loops in the stress space. Loops need not be plane. At any point on the structure the six components of stress resultant (axial and two shear force components, with torsional and two bending moment components) are represented by the oriented areas of the dual loops projected onto the six basis bivector planes in the 4D stress space. This description is complete: any self-stress of any frame can be represented. Finally, this paper describes an object whose projections encode internal moments. It is a hybrid of form and force: it plots the original stress function at the dual coordinates. This allows internal bending and torsional moments to be separated from the moments about the origin associated with the forces.