Grid-shell optimality conjecture for vaults under finitely many point loads

Let ff be a finite collection of point forces, written as

f=j=1NPjδxj.f = \sum_{j=1}^{N} P_j\,\delta_{x_j}.

A truss-like solution of (P)(\mathcal{P}) is a measure of the form

σ=k=1Mskσxk,xk+=k=1MskτkτkH1\vruleheight1.6exdepth0ptwidth0.13ex\vruleheight0.13exdepth0ptwidth1.3ex[xk,xk+],τk=xk+xkxk+xk,\sigma= \sum_{k=1}^M s_k\,\sigma^{\,x^-_k,\,x^+_k} = \sum_{k=1}^M s_k\,\tau_k \otimes \tau_k\,\mathcal{H}^1\mathbin{\vrule height 1.6ex depth 0pt width 0.13ex\vrule height 0.13ex depth 0pt width 1.3ex}[\,x^-_k,\,x^+_k], \qquad \tau_k = \frac{x^+_k-x^-_k}{\left\lvert x^+_k-x^-_k\right\rvert},

where xk,xk+x^-_k,x^+_k belong to Ωsptf=Ω{x1,,xN}\partial\Omega\cup\operatorname{spt}f=\partial\Omega\cup\{x_1,\ldots,x_N\}. A vault optimally designed for a discrete load is a grid-shell. There exists such a truss-like solution σ\sigma of (P)(\mathcal{P}), and the optimal vault is therefore composed of finitely many bars joining boundary points and points of force application.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Karol Bołbotowski, “Optimal vault problem – form finding through 2D convex program”, arXiv:2104.07148 (2021).

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