CAD-integrated parametric design and analysis of lightweight shell structures

Abstract

[EN] In the digitalization of planning, analysis and building processes, a streamlined interaction between the conceptual phase and the structural design is of crucial importance to overcome the gap between architecture and engineering. In this paper we show the advantages of performing parametric CAD-integrated design of shell structures by means of an integrated Isogeometric B-Rep Analysis (IBRA) tool that allows to perform Finite Element Analysis directly on trimmed multipatch CAD models. This allows for non-linear analyses and form-finding techniques to be directly applied to complex shapes within the CAD environment -without the need to convert to a simple polygonal mesh- and thus enables structurally informed design iterations at any stage of the design process. We use different hyperbolic-paraboloid geometries and combinations inspired in exemplary works of the shell master F & eacute;lix Candela to highlight the design steps and the potential of the IBRA tool. The examples show that the smooth integration of parametric CAD and analysis model allows the designer to perform a powerful exploration of different configurations and their structural behavior and improve the shape and performance through numerical hanging models.