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A geodesic dome is formed from a plurality of triangles. Each triangle comprises three hollow struts with depending flanges and one or two sheets which are secured to the struts. The area within the struts can be filled with insulation.

InventorThomas J. Smrt
Primary Examiner: Carl D. Friedman
Current U.S. Classification52/81.2; 52/81.3; 52/222
International Classification: E04B 132

View patent at USPTO
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Citations

Cited PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US3255556Feb 14, 1963Jun 14, 1966PANEL AND SPHERICAL STRUCTURE
US3314199Dec 16, 1963Apr 18, 1967PREFABRICATED SECTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
US3323820Apr 19, 1965Jun 6, 1967BRACCINI SPACE FRAME STRUCTURES
US3332197Jun 30, 1964Jul 25, 1967INTERLOCKED STRUCTURAL ASSEMBLIES AND STIPPENERS THEREFOR
US3513608Nov 20, 1968May 26, 1970CURVILINEAR PREFABRICATED BUILDING WITH CONICAL ROOF
US3535844Jul 15, 1968Oct 27, 1970STRUCTURAL PANELS
US3660952Feb 19, 19701972PREFABRICATED MODULAR BUILDING
US3757479Dec 27, 19711973 MIRROR

Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US4611441Mar 25, 1985Sep 16, 1986Geodesic dome
US4736551Aug 21, 1986Apr 12, 1988Structural unit for forming a building
US5452555Sep 1, 1993Sep 26, 1995The Board of Regents of the University of Texas SystemMethod and apparatus for assembling multiple wall segments into a curved configuration
US5483774Mar 30, 1994Jan 16, 1996Construction according to a double-curved surface
US6108984Mar 22, 1999Aug 29, 2000Structural connection system for use in a geodesic dome
US6134849Apr 23, 1999Oct 24, 2000Prefabricated self-supporting panelled structure system
US6499260Feb 23, 2000Dec 31, 2002Amtech CorporationPortable greenhouse structure and method and apparatus for assembling same
US6996942Jan 30, 2003Feb 14, 2006Constructing geodesic domes
US7434359Aug 17, 2004Oct 14, 2008Constructing geodesic domes with panels
US7627993Jun 14, 2006Dec 8, 2009Method and apparatus for geodesic sphere construction
US7770338May 6, 2005Aug 10, 2010Method for producing triangular elements designed for the manufacture of structures and resulting triangular elements
US7774992Jul 18, 2007Aug 17, 2010Tile and strut construction system for geodesic dome

Claims

1. A geodesic dome formed from a plurality of structural triangles, each triangle having three apices, three struts joined together at the apices, and a panel member secured to the struts and covering the area within the struts, each strut having a hollow rectangular cross section and a flange portion positioned on the outside of the triangle, the flange portion of each strut of each triangle being secured to a flange portion of an adjacent strut, a generally V-shaped reinforcing member positioned within each strut, each triangle including three V-shaped connectors and a corner extension at each end of each strut, each corner extension being generally channel-shaped in cross section and having a pair of end portions, one of the end portions being received within one of the hollow struts and having a pair of inclined inner surfaces mating with the V-shaped reinforcing member, each connector having a pair of legs which are received by two adjacent struts of the triangle at one of the apices of the triangle, each leg including a downwardly extending tab, each connector including a transverse wall abutting the tab of the associated connector and restraining outward movement of the connector from the strut.

2. A geodesic dome formed from a plurality of structural triangles, each triangle having three apices, three elongated struts joined together at the apices, and a planar panel secured to the struts and covering the area within the struts, each strut having a longitudinally extending hollow body portion having a polygonal transverse cross section and a longitudinally extending flange portion on the outside of the triangle which extends from the body portion generally transversely to the plane of the panel, the flange portion of each strut of each triangle being secured to a flange portion of an adjacent strut of another triangle and a plurality of anchors around the periphery of the bottom of the dome, each anchor having a generally horizontally extending base portion secured to the surface which supports the dome and a pair of triangular riser portions which extend generally vertically upwardly from the base portion, each of the riser portions having a flat upper surface which is inclined upwardly from the base portion and which meets the flat upper surface of the other riser portion in the center of the anchor, each of the flat upper surfaces being secured to the flange of a strut of one of the triangles at the bottom of the dome whereby the dome is anchored to the supporting surface.

3. A geodesic dome formed from a plurality of structural triangles, each triangle having three apices, three elongated struts joined together at the apices, and a planar panel secured to the struts and covering the area within the struts, each strut having a longitudinally extending hollow body portion having a polygonal transverse cross section and a longitudinally extending flange portion on the outside of the triangle which extends from the body portion generally transversely to the plane of the panel, the flange portion of each strut of each triangle being secured to a flange portion of an adjacent strut of another triangle, the body portion of each strut being formed from a sheet of metal which is bent to form top, bottom, and opposite side walls which provide a rectangular transverse cross section, the flange portion of each strut being provided by a first edge portion of the sheet which extends downwardly from one of the side walls as a continuation thereof and a second edge portion of the sheet which extends downwardly from the bottom wall generally perpendicularly thereto, the first and second edge portions abutting each other and being secured together, each triangle including three V-shaped connectors, each connector having a pair of legs which are positioned within the hollow body portion of two adjacent struts of the triangle at one of the apices of the triangle and which are secured to the body portion.