I'm not at all sure on the semi-folding roof design yet. I don't have quite enough of a feel for the H13 structurally - I've only built two, one using pretty much the traditional up-and-over strap tape anchor design, and the plywood one here. I'm generally somewhat uncomfortable with hexayurts which *don't* have the up-and-over strap and tape anchor design, although experience seems to be showing that a rope web is just as good on the Playa - at least they're not failing! I'm basically waiting-and-seeing on the H13 at Burning Man. Should be fine, but H13 increases the strain because of the large flat surfaces (front walls and the roof parallelograms) and the folding designs also strip one of the key structural features. The fact we've had practically zero (zero?) hexayurt failures at Burning Man probably shows that the Classic H12 is overdesigned, however.
The critical bit to remember is that the Classic H12 doesn't rely on the adhesive strength of the tape to hold it together. The adhesive strength of the tape keeps the tape on the surface, but *all* of the structural load is taken by the *tensile* strength of the tape. For the Classic H12 the hexayurt will stay firmly on the ground right up to the point where a piece of tape snaps. Some of the designs I'm seeing seem to rely on the adhesive strength of the tape, where the tape can tear off the surface resulting in a structural failure. The tensile strength of the tape is something like 400kg / 900lbs. The adhesive strength is much, much lower. So that's worth bearing in mind - are you relying on the tensile or the adhesive strength? On the other hand, a rope web is a pretty substantial tensile structure in-and-of-itself so it may be fine. That's my thinking on this so far - I don't fully trust the folding designs yet because they're generally working on the adhesive rather than the tensile strength, and the rope web looks Pretty Good - so I'm basically cautiously optimistic about field performance, but 1> overbuild. Consider putting large (6' long) straps of tapes perpendicular to hinges so there's a long spread of force accross the panel, not just at the edge 2> at the first signs of problems on the Playa, hit it with actual up-and-over tape straps. It might mess up the hinges, but it'll *stay* in all probability Also don't neglect the tension ring! It matters, hinges or not! Document, document, document. The only way we're going to learn is by seeing lots of examples (flickr is your friend) and comparing results. This is all experimental science. Good question, Vinay On Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 8:26 PM, Lorin Basche <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm currently constructing my H13, and I've got a few questions. First > of all, regarding the walls, is there a reason that the base can't be > assembled as one piece instead of 2? I'm trying to limit the amount of > taping that will be required on the playa, and figured it would be > easier to simply add another tight hinge to connect the panels > together. I know that having them separate allows you to sandwich the > roof pieces in between them for transport, but that's not that > important for me with how we're packing. Also, regarding dou's semi- > folding roof design, what are your thoughts Vinay? I know structural > integrity comes from how everything is taped together, and I don't > know if having the roof triangles with tight hinges folding inwards > instead of outwards on the flat surfaces would cause any loss of > strength, and if it did, if that could be easily solved by simply > taping the inside of the seem as well during setup. And then my last > question, which seems to get very little attention (or maybe I just > failed to look hard enough x]) is what is the best way in which to > build a door for an h13? I'm at a cross between wanting to use the 8 > foot side of the yurt for a full sized door, or for just more headroom > while inside. If I put the door on one of the 4 foot sides, I know I > would gain more structural integrity since I would be able to stretch > a single piece of tape all the way around the yurt where the roof > meets the walls, and would actually have more usable headroom inside > since the side with the headroom could actually have things positioned > next to it instead of having to leave it clear for the doorway. But > either way, I don't know the best way to build the door. Do I cut out > the full door then tape it back on with a tight hinge? Do I need a > sill at the bottom and if so, what should I make it out of? What do > you use as a clasp to keep the door shut? and is an inward or outward > swinging door better? I'm installing a swamp cooler as well, so I'll > have outward pressure. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks! > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > > -- Vinay Gupta Free Science and Engineering in the Global Public Interest http://hexayurt.com - free/open next generation human sheltering http://hexayurt.com/plan - the whole systems, big picture vision "In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer" - Albert Camus Twitter/Skype/Gizmo/Gtalk/AIM: hexayurt UK Cell : +44 (0) 7500 895568 / USA VOIP (+1) 775-743-1851 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en.
