Breakthrough

The visits I have taken to the SEM lab each day this week have been the most fruitful yet. In order to strengthen my structural argument, I needed to find examples of the chosen assembly logic in more than one specimen. One case study may hold within it a clear structural logic, but to argue that its application in an actual building project is appropriate would be unreasonable given the lack of data and precedent. By looking at multiple specimens in hopes of finding similar structural assemblies (based on the model I have chosen to pursue), I aimed at building a catalog of examples that would make my application more relevant.

To start, I looked at the shell of what is commonly known as a "spotted crab," a small coastal species. Below is a sample of the images taken on the SEM from Hitachi.






The findings concluded that a particular overriding geometry was at work within the structure of its exoskeleton. Using the images and drawing analysis as a structural proposition, I wanted to transpose the logic from its existing nano scale form to a macro scale application.

The only problem with this approach, as previously stated, is the lack of reasoning behind such a leap. To make this argument based on one specimen seems largely unsupported. Other specimens needed to be analyzed. The following are this week's findings. A Blue Crab and Eastern Fiddler were looked at to provide more source material. The findings were completely unpredictable. I was hoping to find something that echoed what I had already discovered in the original crab shell. After all, I was looking at two more crab species. The results showed incredibly similar structural assemblies. These findings were thrilling. The hypothesis was correct! If the shells of various crab species are analyzed to determine their structural logics, than all of the logics will be similar if not congruent. This was correct as the new data below shows.

Blue Crab:





Eastern Fiddler:





After the excitement of these findings subsided, I realized that the overall pool of data still lacked some legitimacy. The data had come from the same genus. Yes, the species varied, and the fact that the structural logics are incredibly similar across this field is quite astonishing. But all of the specimens were crabs. I needed something different to test, something that might still fit into the same category as the other test subjects without having to adhere to the same genus classification exhibited thus far. I decided that the exoskeleton was the element in each subject that needed to share a common thread. The crab shells, or exoskeletons, had all been examined at this point. The exoskeleton, then, of another oceanic crustacean should have he same structural logic. This hypothesis seemed slightly farfetched at the time. However, after acquiring a sample from a local supplier, the images produced from the microscope would be all that I needed to bridge the data gap I refused to agree would be filled by the information thus far. Enter the Atlantic Shrimp.

I analyzed the shell of the Atlantic Shrimp to determine its structural logic. The results show a slight variation, expected given its different genus from the previous specimens. The structural logic? Identitical.

Atlantic Shrimp:






The structural logics and assembly systems are the same throughout this examination of 4 different exoskeletal crustaceans. Quite exciting, I'll further the argument at the midterm.






more to come.