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For the final project in the graduate-level class Aesthetics of Design, each student was tasked with making something with only the requirement that the product be dynamic. Students made everything from websites to clothing, lamps, and sculptures.
I wanted to challenge myself to make a large sculpture that boasts a modern minimalist aesthetic and plays with weight and visual balance. My final product is a metal sculpture with a rotating diameter of over 8 feet and 3 independent pivot points.
Assembly-Driven Design
For the sculpture to spin as long as possible, and so that the movement would be as random as possible, each assembly has to rotate about its center of mass. To achieve this without visually large counterweights, I used solid steel and brass as counterweights for the otherwise light aluminum arms. I used the center of mass tool and mass properties in Solidworks to predict within 0.5" where each pivot would be before using empirical data to locate the final position of the pivots.
TIG Welding
One skill that I was able to learn for this project was TIG welding. I had previously used MIG machines, however due to the variety of materials and the required precision, I chose to use TIG. This allowed me to more easily switch between stainless steel, aluminum, and steel welding modes for the different components of the sculpture.
Material Choices
Some of the material choices came from the necessity to provide a counterweight for the rest of the assembly, however there were multiple materials that could achieve similar results. In the end, material choice came down to a combination of usefulness and aesthetic. Everything except for the base of the sculpture is left intentionally unfinished, so most of the materials do not corrode including stainless steel, aluminum, and brass. The largest counterweight, however is made of alloy steel which will rust over time. This will allow the sculpture to grow and change with time as it sits outside, providing another level of dynamics to the final product.
Dynamic Component Design
Taking on a project of this scale and complexity required engineering skills as well as an artistic touch. To ensure that the arms would move, fulfilling the dynamic requirement, I designed bearing assemblies to distribute loads from each arm and provide smooth motion to the sculpture. These were designed to blend in with the aluminum arms and could be used in various applications beyond this project. I spent time choosing sealed bearings that would stand up to the elements, could support the expected lateral loads, and would allow for easy assembly and disassembly.
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