Close-up of the torus surface lit in purple and orange.

Heating Torus

Adaptive Strategies course, University of Applied Arts Vienna

A milled, torus-shaped test chamber with light bulbs as heat sources and sensors wired to an Arduino, built to measure how geometry shapes temperature inside a volume.

Year
2017–2018
Type
Research
Role
Co-author
Location
Vienna, AT

For the course “Adaptive Strategies” we created a volume shaped like a torus, in which we could control the interior climate to a certain extent and, with sensors installed, track the temperature gradients caused by light bulbs used as heat sources.

Fabricated as a double-sided milled piece, the geometry works as a test chamber for temperature increase and heat dissipation. Its height varies throughout the volume, and with changing apertures and distances from the heat source, different conditions arise inside the ring. Sensors inside the object, connected to an Arduino board, measure them, and the results are analysed and visualised on the computer.

Exploded line drawing on black: top and bottom halves of the torus, bulb sockets, plywood board and slats.
01 The test chamber, exploded — two milled halves, two 60 W bulbs, six heat sensors.
Line drawing on black: plan of the torus with the sensor positions and wiring.
02 Sensor setup.
Four photos: the torus being CNC-milled, a milled half, and the halves with sensors and wiring fitted.
03 Modelling and set-up.
A grid of small coloured images of the torus, alongside photos of it lit from inside.
04 Test runs with different light-bulb arrangements.
The torus lit from inside on a dark table, a hand pointing at its glowing opening.
05 Running a test.
Close-up of the torus’s inner opening glowing orange against a blue-lit surface.
06 Heat and light inside the ring.