3d woven structures and methods of making and using same

Abstract

Structures, space frames, lattice materials and articles of a great variety of shapes including interconnected struts and methods to make and use same. The structures have no nodes and are made from struts including plates that are interconnected in a 3D woven pattern. The advantages are lower cost, improved performance, and simpler manufacture of parts and assembly relative to traditional frames and articles. In an embodiment, the method of assembling parts is a 3D weaving algorithm/methodology. The 3D woven structures can be used in a great variety of different ways.

1 - 98 . (canceled) 
     
     
         99 . A method to form a structure comprising plates, wherein each plate comprises wings, and wherein the method comprises:
 (a) identifying a shape of the structure;   (b) generating a representation of the shape using a polygon mesh, wherein
 (i) the polygon mesh comprises an assembly of polygons, 
 (ii) each of the polygons comprises vertices and edges, 
 (iii) each of the polygons shares an edge with one or more adjacent polygons, 
 (iv) each of the edges shares a vertex with one or more adjacent edges, 
 (v) each of the polygons has a first face and an opposite face, wherein each face has an outward direction and the edges of each face are directed edges, wherein a direction of each directed edge is determined by a right- or left-hand thumb rule convention, and 
 (vi) each of the faces comprises the wings, wherein each wing is associated with the directed edge of the face; 
   (c) determining a shape and dimensions of the wings based upon the polygon mesh, wherein
 (i) a particular wing is associated with a particular edge of a particular face of a particular polygon in the polygon mesh, 
 (ii) the particular wing is joined to a matching wing that is associated with the particular edge of the polygon mesh, wherein the matching wing is associated with a second face of a second polygon that has the particular edge, wherein
 (A) the outward direction of the particular face of the particular wing and the outward direction of the second face of the matching wing point into a same volume, 
 (B) the directed edge associated with the particular wing and the matching wing point in opposite directions, 
 (C) the particular wing and the matching wing are joined at a shared edge and have a dihedral angle around the shared edge, 
 (D) when only one polygon has the particular edge, the second polygon is the particular polygon and the second face is the opposite face of the particular face, and 
 (E) the particular wing and the matching wing are a matching pair, 
 
 (iii) the particular wing shares a strut tab surface with a second wing that is associated with the particular edge of the polygon mesh, wherein the second wing is associated with the opposite face of the particular polygon that has the particular edge, wherein
 (A) the directed edge associated with the particular wing and the second wing point in opposite directions, 
 (B) the particular wing and the second wing are a wing pair, 
 (C) when only the particular polygon has the particular edge, the second wing is the matching wing, and the wing pair is a matching pair, and 
 (D) a winged strut comprises matching pairs and wing pairs associated with the particular edge; 
 
 (iv) the particular wing shares a connecting tab surface with a third wing that is associated with an adjacent edge of the particular edge, wherein the third wing is associated with the opposite face of the particular face of the particular polygon that has the particular edge, wherein
 (A) the particular edge and the adjacent edge share a particular vertex of the particular polygon, 
 (B) the directed edge associated with the particular wing and the third wing both point toward the particular vertex of the particular polygon, 
 (C) the particular wing and the third wing are a connecting pair, and 
 (D) a topological structure comprises a sequence of matching pairs and connecting pairs; 
 
   (d) determining a shape and dimensions of the plates based on the polygon mesh, wherein each plate comprises one or more matching pairs, wherein when there are two or more matching pairs, the two or more matching pairs are joined at a shared connecting tab and/or strut tab surfaces.   (e) fabricating the plates as determined by the step of determining the shape and dimensions of the wings; and   (f) assembling the plates to form the structure, wherein the wings of the plates share strut tab surfaces and connecting tab surfaces.   
     
     
         100 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein
 (a) the plates comprise a connector for joining the plates together, and   (b) the connector is selected from the group consisting of adhesive bonds, welded materials, brazing materials, melted material, glue, sintered materials, fasteners, rivets, bolts, nails, screws, latches, buckles, catches, clasps, stitching material, sewing material, buttons, tying material, self-fasteners, hook and loop, hole and pin, closures, clamps, couplings, links, magnets, molecular bonds, and combinations thereof.   
     
     
         101 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein the polygon mesh comprises an edge shared by at least three polygons. 
     
     
         102 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein the polygon mesh comprises two polygons that share more than one edge. 
     
     
         103 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein at least one of the polygons in the polygon mesh is a non-planar polygon. 
     
     
         104 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein at least one of the polygons in the polygon mesh is an open polygon. 
     
     
         105 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein, for at least some of the plates, the plate is a compound weaver plate. 
     
     
         106 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein, for at least some of the plates, the plate is a compound strut plate. 
     
     
         107 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein, for at least some of the plates, two or more plates are continuously integrated. 
     
     
         108 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein the structure is a 3D structure having the topology of a 3D woven structure. 
     
     
         109 . A structure comprising one or more plates wherein each plate comprises a plurality of wings, wherein
 (a) a particular wing in the plurality of wings is associated with a particular face of a particular polygon that has a particular edge of a polygon mesh, wherein
 (i) the polygon mesh comprises an assembly of polygons, 
 (ii) each of the polygons comprises vertices and edges, 
 (iii) each of the polygons i shares an edge with one or more adjacent polygons, 
 (iv) each of the edges of the polygon mesh shares a vertex with one or more adjacent edges, 
 (v) each of the polygons has a first face and an opposite face, wherein each face has an outward direction and the edges of each face are directed edges, wherein a direction of each directed edge is determined by a right- or left-hand thumb rule convention, and 
 (vi) each of the faces comprises the wings, wherein each wing is associated with the directed edge of the face; 
   (b) the particular wing is joined to a matching wing that is associated with the particular edge of the polygon mesh, wherein the matching wing is associated with a second face of a second polygon that has the particular edge, wherein
 (i) the outward direction of the particular face of the particular wing and the outward direction of the second face of the matching wing point into the same volume, 
 (ii) the directed edge associated with the particular wing and the matching wing point in opposite directions, 
 (iii) the particular wing and the matching wing are joined at a shared edge and have a dihedral angle around the shared edge, 
 (iv) when only one polygon has the particular edge, the second polygon is the particular polygon and the second face is the opposite face of the particular face, and 
 (v) the particular wing and the matching wing are a matching pair; 
   (c) the particular wing shares a strut tab surface with a second wing that is associated with the particular edge of the polygon mesh, wherein the second wing is associated with the opposite face of the particular polygon that has the particular edge, wherein
 (i) the directed edge associated with the particular wing and the second wing point in opposite directions, 
 (ii) the particular wing and the second wing are a wing pair, 
 (iii) when only the particular polygon has the particular edge, the second wing is the matching wing, and the wing pair is a matching pair, and 
 (iv) a winged strut comprises matching pairs and wing pairs associated with the particular edge; 
   (d) the particular wing shares a connecting tab surface with a third wing that is associated with an adjacent edge the particular edge, wherein the third wing is associated with the opposite face of the particular face of the particular polygon that has the particular edge, wherein
 (i) the particular edge and the adjacent edge share a particular vertex of the particular polygon, 
 (ii) the directed edge associated with the particular wing and the third wing both point toward the particular vertex of the particular polygon, 
 (iii) the particular wing and the third wing are a connecting pair, and 
 (iv) a topological structure comprises a sequence of a plurality of matching pairs and connecting pairs; 
   (e) each plate comprises one or more matching pairs of wings, wherein when there are two or more matching pairs, the two or more matching pairs are connected at a shared connecting tab surface or strut tab surface; and   (f) the one or more plates form the structure, wherein the matching pairs of the one or more plates share strut tab surfaces and connecting tab surfaces.   
     
     
         110 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein
 (a) the plates comprise a connector for joining the plates together, and   (b) the connector is selected from the group consisting of adhesive bonds, welded materials, brazing materials, melted material, glue, sintered materials, fasteners, rivets, bolts, nails, screws, latches, buckles, catches, clasps, stitching material, sewing material, buttons, tying material, self-fasteners, hook and loop, hole and pin, closures, clamps, couplings, links, magnets, molecular bonds, and combinations thereof.   
     
     
         111 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein the polygon mesh comprises an edge shared by at least three polygons. 
     
     
         112 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein the polygon mesh comprises two polygons that share more than one edge. 
     
     
         113 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein at least one of the polygons in the polygon mesh is a non-planar polygon. 
     
     
         114 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein at least one of the polygons in the polygon mesh is an open polygon. 
     
     
         115 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein, for at least some of the plates, the plate is a compound weaver plate. 
     
     
         116 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein, for at least some of the plates, the plate is a compound strut plate. 
     
     
         117 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein, for at least some of the plates, two or more plates are continuously integrated. 
     
     
         118 . The structure of  claim 109 , wherein the structure is a 3D structure having the topology of a 3D woven structure.