Abstract

Planar isotropic lattices are common and useful both in natural and man-made structures. Examples include the hexagonal honeycomb of the bee and fully triangulated grids used in space frames. Imperfections in such lattices reduce their overall stiffness. This talk will examine how to simply design with such lattices whilst taking account of imperfections. The approach described allows each lattice to be considered as a homogeneous material with appropriately reduced elastic constants. The effect of different types of imperfection is discussed with reference to three types of isotropic lattice: the hexagonal honeycomb, the Kagome truss and the fully triangulated grid. Particular attention will be given to the connectivity of these lattices and how this influences their behaviour.