Other Underconstrained Systems and Contact Problems

This chapter comprises a selection of underconstrained structural systems of which some are new and others are combinations of the already familiar components such as cables, nets, and membranes. The subject of the first section is a band or a cable-band assembly. These assemblies involve one or more arrays of structural members in the form of thin narrow flexible bands, which represent a relatively new addition to the list of generic structural components. When used in place of one (or, possibly, both) of the cable arrays of a net, bands advantageously combine load-carrying and surface-cladding functions. The kinematic properties of a band, together with the arrangement of band or cable-band intersections, account for some interesting features in the system statics and kinematics. At the same time, the properties of a band as a structural component impose certain restrictions on the feasible geometry of a band or cable-band system as compared with a similar cable net.