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Temporary Wooden Rib SystemAmerican Ingenuity's Dome Building Kits are erected using a system to temporarily hold the panels in place until the seam concrete and concrete on the entryways, dormers, cupola and link has cured. The systems (Rib or Radial) are dismantled upon completion of the dome and the 2x4s are recycled as part of the interior framing. Shorter 2x4's can be used to frame the second floor perimeter knee wall. Behind this knee wall, electrical, plumbing or ducting can be run or the space can be used for storage. The Rib System consists of using your own 2x4s and steel hubs on loan from America Ingenuity to assemble a free standing framework which matches the geometry of the dome.
Q: Can I purchase the 2x4's for the rib system precut and the holes drilled in them? Q: I would like to have the rib system assembled by the working consultant. Will the working consultant cut the 2x4's to length, drill the holes and assemble the wood skeleton? A: Yes but he will need laborers to assist him. Click on Kit Assembly Consultant for more info.
A: The 22’ and 27’ need 75 - 2x4s eight feet long. The 30', 34', 36, 40' require 135 - 2x4s eight feet long. The 45' and 48' require 135 - 2x4s ten feet long. The 60' needs approximately 200 - 2x4s. Q: Can I remove the temporary supports too soon? A: Yes you can. The dome shell is not self supporting until all the panel seams are concreted and all the building options have been concreted. This means "Do not remove the rib system until the concrete on the dormers, entryways, link, cupola and seams has cured." Q: Why can the dome shell be self supporting with no need for interior load bearing walls to support it?A: Manufactured geodesic dome home kits are constructed using a triangular network to form a spherical shape. The triangle shape is the strongest shape known to man. The geodesic dome construction method using triangles, provides for a free-span, self-supporting structure requiring no internal supports such as roof load bearing partition walls. This allows for maximum flexibility of floor plan design and utilization of interior space. As an architectural form, the dome is one of the strongest structural forms devised and built by man. Domes that were built centuries ago enclose many of the great cathedrals of Europe. Domes are structurally superior to rectilinear enclosures. The partial sphere is an aerodynamic shape that is very stable in high winds and can withstand heavy snow loads. For these reasons, residential domes greatly exceed the structural requirements of the major building codes in the United States.The dome, or partial sphere, is a geometric form that encloses the greatest amount of volume with the least amount of surface area. Historically, massive domes constructed of stones, brick or concrete were common in ancient Greece and Rome. In modern times, Buckminster Fuller was the first to formulate geodesic principles for constructing a spherical surface by triangular subdivision.
A: The methods used for lifting the panels includes; Small cranes, Highlifts (all terrain scissors forklifts often used by roofers), and A steel scaffold rigged with wheels and winch. Other lifting devices successfully employed by our dome owners include: a boom added to a tractor, a block & tackle, & a hoist fastened to the top of the framework with wood ramps up the side of the dome. Monthly rentals on transverse lifts also called Boom Lifts, Horizontal Boom Fork Lifts, Roofing Lifts, Shooters are available from National Rental Chains like US Rentals, Hertz Equipment Rentals, United Rentals, etc. The companies can be found in the telephone book We now have a lifting spike that can be borrowed for a $100 deposit. It makes the attaching of the panels to the hoisting mechanism easier. Tools and Materials needed to assemble the Rib System:
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