VLFLstarlink

by Tim C. Lueth, SG-Lib Toolbox: SolidGeometry 5.6 - SG/Solids
Introduced first in SolidGeometry 1.0, Creation date: 2012-01-06, Last change: 2025-09-14

returns a structure of several independent objects that can combine an inner and a outer structure

Description

This function is under development. At a later stage, it should be used for realizing light weight strucutres

Example Illustration

missing image of VLFLstarlink(Ro,Ri,bx,f)

Syntax

[VL,FL]=VLFLstarlink(Ro,Ri,bx,f)

Input Parameter

`Ro`:		Maximum outer radius
`Ri`:		Innerer Diameter
`bx`:		Thickness in x-direction
`f`:		Number of links

Output Parameter

`VL`:		Vertex list of the strutures
`FL`:		Facet list of the strutures

Examples

Generate 6 bars between 30 mm and 100 mm
[VL,FL]=VLFLstar (100,30,10,10,6); 
VLFLwriteSTL ('TEST','Tim',VL,FL);

Copyright 2012-2025 Tim C. Lueth. All rights reserved. The code is the property of Tim C. Lueth and may not be redistributed or modified without explicit written permission. This software may be used free of charge for academic research and teaching purposes only. Commercial use, redistribution, modification, or reverse engineering is strictly prohibited. Access to source code is restricted and granted only under specific agreements. For licensing inquiries or commercial use, please contact: Tim C. Lueth

Algorithm (Workflow)

This algorithm is designed to link a cylinder to a frame or a tube by generating a structure of bars between an inner and outer radius. It replaces an older version used in previous experiments.

Input Parameters

Ro: Outer radius of the structure.
Ri: Inner radius of the structure.
bx: Thickness of the bars in the x/y-direction.
f: Number of links or bars to be generated.

Output Results

VL: Vertex list of the structures.
FL: Facet list of the structures.

Algorithm Steps

Calculate the angular increment dw as 2*pi/f, which determines the angle between each link.
Initialize the angle w to -dw/2 to start the first link at the correct position.
Loop over the number of links f:

Calculate the position pa for the inner radius using polar coordinates: [Ri*cos(w); Ri*sin(w); 0].
Calculate the position pb for the outer radius using polar coordinates: [Ro*cos(w); Ro*sin(w); 0].
Generate a bar between pa and pb using the function VLFLbar2P, which returns new vertex and facet lists NVL and NFL.
If it is the first link, initialize VL and FL with NVL and NFL. Otherwise, concatenate the new lists with the existing ones using VLFLcat2.
Increment the angle w by dw for the next link.

The algorithm effectively creates a series of bars connecting the inner and outer radii, forming a star-like structure with the specified number of links.

Algorithm explaination created using ChatGPT on 2025-08-19 00:11. (Please note: No guarantee for the correctness of this explanation)

Last html export of this page out of FM database by TL: 2025-09-21