Flattening
Glossary Term
During the flattening process, a curved surface is transformed into a flat horizontal projection area. Depending on the selected method, the flattening process results in certain location, distance, angle and size distortions.
In the cartography, the flattening is considered an important mapping condition for the transformation of the curved surface of the earth into a flat map. In structural engineering, the flattening is used to determine flat cutting patterns for prestressed membrane structures.
A numerical planarization of arbitrary surfaces is possible using the RF‑CUTTING‑PATTERN add-on module. In addition to the pure flattening, this program also provides the option to consider compensations and allowances.
Keywords
Flattening Cutting Smoothing Planarization Membrane Prestress Compensation Allowance
Downloads
Links
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![[FR] CP 001170 | Playground with Tension Membrane Structure in Châteauneuf-de-Galaure, France](http://img.youtube.com/vi/jOjLYa4r3_4/mqdefault.jpg)
The RF‑FORM‑FINDING add‑on module can be activated in the ‘Edit Model - General Data’ window, ‘Options’ tab. By activating the module, a new RF‑FORM‑FINDING load case is created and an additional menu appears in the main program, allowing for the definition of prestress conditions for membrane and cable elements.
- Planar and geodesic cutting lines
- Flattening of double-curved surface parts of tensioned membranes or pneumatic cushions
- Definition of cutting patterns by using boundary lines which are not required to be connected
- Sophisticated flattening based on the minimum energy theory
- Welding and boundary allowances
- Uniform or linear compensation in warp and weft direction
- Possibility of different compensations for boundary lines
- Adaptable data organisation (any additional modification of input data is considered up to the final "weld")
- Graphic display of cutting patterns
- Statistical information about each cutting pattern (width, length, size)
- Option to automatically generate cutting patterns from cells
- How can I define a material allowance at the edge of a cutting pattern?
- How is it possible to create the cutting pattern geometry for a decorative sticker on a biaxially curved membrane roof?
- How are the properties of the elasticity and shear modulus of a membrane fabric with the usual force/length syntax transformed into the general force/surface syntax to be entered in RFEM?
- Why does the direction of a cutting pattern edge line in the support area change abruptly?
- How do I recognize that the flattening process in RF‑CUTTING‑PATTERN has found the convergence?
- How can I smooth continuous boundary lines of membrane cuttings?
- By which length is the boundary line compensation distributed in the surface?
- Why is the compensated cutting pattern length of a membrane surface incompatible with the defined compensation?
- How does the flattening process consider the compensation in the determination of cutting patterns?
- I would like to calculate and design "temporary structures." What do I need for this?
Associated Products
Add-on Module
Generation of cutting patterns for tensile membrane structures
2,240.00 USD
