Computer aided geometric design of strip using developable Bezier patches

Developable strip is commonly used in product design due to its ease of manufacture. This paper proposes an algorithm for geometric design of strip using developable Bezier patches. It computes an aggregate of triangular and quadrilateral patches interpolate two given space curves defining a strip. The computation process selects optimal solutions in terms of surface assessment criteria specified by the user. Each patch is then degree-elevated to gain extra degrees of freedom, which produce G1 across the patch boundaries by modifying the control points while preserving the surface developability. Test examples with different design parameters illustrate and validate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm. In comparison with previous studies, this work allows strip design with freeform developable patches, generates better results in the surface assessment, and provides more flexible control on the design shape. It serves as a simple but effective approach for computer aided geometric design of developable strip. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.