Investigation of the Fabrication Suitability, Structural Performance, and Sustainability of Natural Fibers in Coreless Filament Winding.

Coreless filament winding is an emerging fabrication technology in the field of building construction with the potential to significantly decrease construction material consumption, while being fully automatable. Therefore, this technology could offer a solution to the increasing worldwide demand for building floor space in the next decades by optimizing and reducing the material usage. Current research focuses mainly on the design and engineering aspects while using carbon and glass fibers with epoxy resin; however, in order to move towards more sustainable structures, other fiber and resin material systems should also be assessed. This study integrates a selection of potential alternative fibers into the coreless filament winding process by adapting the fabrication equipment and process. A bio-based epoxy resin was introduced and compared to a conventional petroleum-based one. Generic coreless wound components were created for evaluating the fabrication suitability of selected alternative fibers. Four-point bending tests were performed for assessing the structural performance in relation to the sustainability of twelve alternative fibers and two resins. In this study, embodied energy and global warming potential from the literature were used as life-cycle assessment indexes to compare the material systems. Among the investigated fibers, flax showed the highest potential while bio-based resins are advisable at low fiber volume ratios.

Material Monitoring of a Composite Dome Pavilion Made by Robotic Coreless Filament Winding.

A hemispherical research demonstration pavilion was presented to the public from April to October 2019. It was the first large-scale lightweight dome with a supporting roof structure primarily made of carbon- and glass-fiber-reinforced composites, fabricated by robotic coreless filament winding. We conducted monitoring to ascertain the sturdiness of the fiber composite material of the supporting structure over the course of 130 days. This paper presents the methods and results of on-site monitoring as well as laboratory inspections. The thermal behavior of the pavilion was characterized, the color change of the matrix was quantified, and the inner composition of the coreless wound structures was investigated. This validated the structural design and revealed that the surface temperatures of the carbon fibers do not exceed the guideline values of flat, black façades and that UV absorbers need to be improved for such applications.

Deformation Behavior of Elastomer-Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics in Dependence of Pneumatic Actuation.

This paper aims to define the influencing design criteria for compliant folding mechanisms with pneumatically actuated hinges consisting of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). Through simulation and physical testing, the influence of stiffness, hinge width as well as variation of the stiffness, in the flaps without changing the stiffness in the hinge zone, was evaluated. Within a finite element model software, a workflow was developed for simulations, in order to infer mathematical models for the prediction of mechanical properties and the deformation behavior as a function of the aforementioned parameters. In conclusion, the bending angle increases with decreasing material stiffness and with increasing hinge width, while it is not affected by the flap stiffness itself. The defined workflow builds a basis for the development of a predictive model for the deformation behavior of FRPs.

Learning from plant movements triggered by bulliform cells: the biomimetic cellular actuator.

Within the framework of a biomimetic top-down approach, our study started with the technical question of the development of a hinge-free and compliant actuator inspired by plant movements. One meaningful biological concept generator was the opening and closing movements of the leaf halves of grasses. Functional morphological investigations were carried out on the selected model plant Sesleria nitida. The results formed the basis for further clarifying the functional movement principle with a particular focus on the role of turgor changes in bulliform cells on kinetic amplification. All findings gained from the investigations of the biological model were incorporated into a finite-element analysis, as a prerequisite for the development of a pneumatic cellular actuator. The first prototype consisted of a row of single cells positioned on a plate. The cells were designed in such a way that the entire structure bent when the pneumatic pressure applied to each individual cell was increased. The pneumatic cellular actuator thus has the potential for applications on an architectural scale. It has subsequently been integrated into the midrib of the facade shading system Flectofold in which the bending of its midrib controls the hoisting of its wings.

Design and construction principles in nature and architecture.

This paper will focus on how the emerging scientific discipline of biomimetics can bring new insights into the field of architecture. An analysis of both architectural and biological methodologies will show important aspects connecting these two. The foundation of this paper is a case study of convertible structures based on elastic plant movements.