Axisymmetric Nets

Abstract

The general results of the preceding chapter are elaborated on and applied here to axisymmetric nets. This class of nets is segregated for two main reasons. First, axisymmetric nets are widely used in engineering applications, including situations where a suitable segment of an axisymmetric net approximates a general-type surface with an acceptable precision. Second, their analysis reduces to ordinary differential equations, admitting in many cases closed-form first integrals and making unnecessary the use of tensors. The simpler analysis facilitates better understanding and provides additional insights into the structural behavior of all nets, not just axisymmetric ones.