ABSTRACT
Geodesic domes are lightweight structures, and their numerous advantages allow them to be used as coverings for large surfaces without needing internal support. The aim of the paper is to present a numerical analysis of a geodesic dome derived from a regular octahedron. This dome is an innovative 2888-hedron structure, the topology of which was shaped by the appropriate division of the initial faces of the regular octahedron. Different member grouping of struts elements was performed, thanks to which 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 groups of struts with different cross-sections of round pipes were distinguished in the analyzed dome. Finally, six geodesic domes were modeled and subjected to numerical static analysis. Moreover, the development of six models of 2888-hedron geodesic dome, differing in the number of groups of struts with different cross-sections, made it possible to take into account the optimization aspect related to the minimization of the total mass. This aspect was presented in finding the best member grouping of the struts of the analyzed dome.
