Pleated    Structures

Diamond pleating

Diamond pleating is a special case of trapezoid pleating.

It can be used to create tube and tunnel shapes.

Some photographs illustrate the pattern:


Diamond pleating


Diamond pleating


Diamond pleating - close up


Diamond pleating


Diamond pleating - from underneath

This pattern has been known about since at least the 1960s - and may be much older.

The depth of the valleys can be varied by changing the angle between the ridges and the valleys.

A similar pattern has been used to create tensile structures - e.g. see [here], [here] and [here].

In theory, the structure could be made using ridge and valley cables - though the crossed cables seem likely to generate undesirable friction.

Perhaps more practical would be a folded plate structure - perhaps with tensile straps across the upper tips of the diamonds (and underneath them) to increase the resulting strength.

Links

  • Lantern

  • There's a folded plate picture here

  • Another one is here

  • Origami bolt


  • Tim Tyler | Contact | http://pleatedstructures.com/