PARABOLIC

STRUCTURES
Presented by: Janvi Sojitra
Mayur Kotecha
Meera Parikh
Zainab Hathiyari
 INTRODUCTION
A parabola is a U-shaped plane curve where any point is at an equal distance from a fixed point
(known as the focus) and from a fixed straight line which is known as the directrix.
Parabolas have the property that, if they are made of material that reflects light, then light that
travels parallel to the axis of symmetry of a parabola and strikes its concave side is reflected to
its focus, regardless of where on the parabola the reflection occurs.

Parabola has an amazing property that ant ray parallel to the axis of symmetry gets reflected
off the surface straight to the focus
So the parabola can be used for
- Satellite dishes
- Radar dishes
- Concentrating the suns rays to make a hot spot
- The reflector on spotlights and torches

Key terms
Vertex: the point at which a parabola changes direction, corresponding to the minimum or
maximum value of the quadratic function

Axis of symmetry: a vertical line drawn through the vertex of a parabola around which the
parabola is symmetric
 The History
The parabola was explored by Menaechmus (380 BC to 320 BC), who was a pupil of Plato
and Eudoxus. He was trying to dublicate the cube by finding the side of the cube that has an
area double the cube. Instead, Menaechmus solved it by finding the intersection of the two
parabolas x2=y and y2=2x. Euclid (325 BC to 265 BC) wrote about the parabola. Apollonius
(262 BC to 190 BC) named the parabola. Pappus (290 to 350) considered the focus and
directrix of the parabola. Pascal (1623 to 1662) considered the parabola as a projection of a
circle. Galileo (1564 to 1642) showed that projectiles falling under uniform gravity follow
parabolic paths. Gregory (1638 to 1675) and Newton (1643 tp 1727) considered the
properties of a parabola

Apollonius Galileo Pascal Euclid

Parabolas in art and architecture
The parabola is a beautiful and elegant curve. For this reason, not just
mathematicians and physicists like it: but architects like it too. Not
surprisingly, we find that it has been used in many man-made structures.

Parabola Applications:
Parabolas are conic sections that are an integral part of mathematics; however, they're not just
confined to the pages of math books. Instead, parabolas hold numerous applications in the real
world, including their use in architectural structures like bridges, cathedrals, gates, roofs and
more.
Parabolas in the Real World

•Parabolas are often spun around a central axis in order to create a concave shape used in
building designs.

•When a particular shape is created by spinning a parabola, this shape is called parabolic.

•Parabolic lenses are often used in lighting equipment, like searchlights, since the shape allows
for high efficiency in reflecting light.
 ADVANTAGES
There are multiple design options from which to choose.

You can span a greater distance.

There is a higher level of resistance available.

It is possible to create anything out of almost any material , no material constrains.

A variety of forms are possible.

If there is no parabola Architects cannot build a bridge with a strong braces, a beautiful
building inspired by a parabolic shape
 DISADVANTAGE
S
Provide a finite span with each set of abutments.

It is a design option which requires an experienced hand.

May require additional side supports.

Need higher levels of ongoing maintenance.

It can take more time to build.

can sometimes have too much flexibility

 KINTAI BRIDGE
Kintai bridge is a historical wooden arch bridge, in the city of lwakuni, in Japan. The bridge
was built in 1673, spanning the Nishiki river in a series of five wooden arches.
Four stone piers as well as two wooden piers on the dry riverbed on the beginning and end of
the bridge are used for support.
The main wooden parts of the bridge were covered bt sheets of copper for additional
durability.
Structure:
The shape and weight of the bridge made it extremely strong at the top, but incredibly weak for
underneath. The bridge was designed so that the wooden pathway merely floats on the top of its
frame using mortise and tenon joints.
This allowed rising flood waters to lift out the wooden pathway and carry it off down stream
while sparing the main structure.
Bridge span Bridge height
1st span 34.80m 8.78m
2nd span 35.10m 12.46m
3rd span 35.10m 13.03m
4th span 35.10m 12.90m
5th span 34.80m 9.42m
 Gateway Arch
Architect Eero Saarinen

Engineer Hannskarl Bandel Cost 13 millones de dólares (en 1963)

Structural Engineer Fred Severud Location St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Construction Company MacDonald

Construction Co

Developer Tishman Realty &

Construction Company

Built in 1963-1965

Weight 42.000tn

Height 192m

Width 192m
The primary construction materials used to build the Gateway Arch were steel and concrete. The
outside skin consists of ¼-inch stainless steel.

There is also an inner layer of 3/8-inch structural steel with a layer of concrete between the
layers of steel.

The Gateway Arch was erected section-by-section (a total of 142 sections) on foundations that

are about 60 feet deep. Each section resembled a steel triangle that narrowed as they got closer to
the top.

The hollow design reduced the overall weight and allowed for the inclusion of a tram system that
transports visitors to the top, where there is an observation deck with 16 windows on each side.
On a clear day, you can see approximately 30 miles

Its sturdy construction can withstand an earthquake. It's designed to be able to sway as much as

18 inches. However, a 50-mile-per-hour wind will only move the structure a little more than an
inch.
 More Examples

SaddleDome in Calgary, Canada Infosys campus, Pune

Lotus Temple, Delhi Taj Mahal, Agra

 Parabola as Arches

India Gate, Delhi Gateway of India, Mumbai

IIM, Ahmedabad School of Dancing Arches, Gujarat

Heyder Aliyev Center, Azerbaijan Opera House, Sydney

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Arc De Triomphe, Paris

Parabola in Everyday Life
Golden gate bridge, San Francisco 16th street bridge, Washington

Bayonne bridge, New jersey Hulme arch bridge, Manchester

L’Umbracle , Spain is a sculpture garden

L,hemisferic, Spain
 Lagora, Spain

Polytechnic university , Florida

 Mediopadana station, Liege Guillemins , Belgium (railway station)

Bodegas Ysios, Spain Athens Olympic stadium, Greece

Peace Bridge, Canada paragliding

Eiffel tower, Paris Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Dallas

 The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

The terminal building at Beijing Daxing International Airport

 Auditorio de Tenerife, Spain

Shankar’s earthen living space, Thiruvananthapuram

 Gardens by the Bay
Side-by-side parabolic conservatories of glass and
steel anchor this cutting-edge botanical garden in
Singapore’s booming Marina Bay district. Named
the 2012 building of the year by the World
Architecture Festival, the Wilkinson Eyre–designed
structures replicate distinct climates—one dry, the
other humid—allowing for diverse attractions like a
flower meadow and a misty mountain forest.

Location: Singapore Site Area: 54 Hectares Client: National Parks Board, Singapore
Engineers :Atelier One Atelier Ten Quantity Surveyors: Davis Langdon & Seah Project value:
£350 million
Bay South is the first and largest of three landscaped gardens that will comprise the 100-hectare
Gardens by the Bay, sited on reclaimed land beside the marina in downtown Singapore.
There are also themed gardens, a lake, tree-lined walkways, a playground and an events space.
The most common example of Parabola
 REFERENCES
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/File:Gatewayarch.jpg

http://www.carondelet.pvt.k12.ca.us/Family/Math/03210/page2.htm#story

https://www.bing.com/search?
q=parabolic+structure+advantages+and+disadvantages&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=
-1&pq=parabolas+in+architecture+advantages+and+disadvantages&sc=1-
54&sk=&cvid=64A94D7128A64D59BF3DD347D3C55705

https://sciencing.com/vertex-parabola-equation-5068207.html