SCALING OF LARGE SPACE STRUCTURE JOINTS

A PROGRAM IS PROPOSED TO INVESTIGATE METHODS FOR PRODUCING SUBSCALE TRUSS JOINTS WITH STIFFNESS AND DAMPING PROPERTIES SUCH THAT THEY MAINTAIN DYNAMIC SIMILITUDE WITH THEIR FULL-SCALE COUNTERPARTS. THAT IS, THE LOSS FACTORS OF THE MODEL AND PROTOTYPE ARE EQUAL AND THEIR LINEAR STIFFNESS ARE IN THE RATIO R(E)R(L). R(E) AND R(L) ARE RESPECTIVELY THE MODEL-TO-PROTOTYPE RATIOS OF MATERIAL ELASTIC MODULI AND LENGTHS. A DEMONSTRATION EXERCISE WILL BE ATTEMPTED TO SHOW THAT SIMILITUDE CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR A SELECTED JOINT DESIGN BY MEANS WHICH ARE CHEAPER AND MORE PRACTICAL THAN EXACT GEOMETRIC PROPORTIONALITY. STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION METHODS AND SOFTWARE WILL BE USED TO DESIGN A SUBSCALE JOINT THAT HAS SPECIFIED PROPERTIES, BUT IS SIMPLER AND CHEAPER IN CONSTRUCTION THAN A MINIATURE REPLICA. STIFFNESS AND LOSS FACTOR WILL BE MEASURED FOR THE FULL-SCALE PROTOTYPE AND SUBSCALE MODEL.