Marta Gil Pérez

Abstract

Coreless filament winding is a robotic fabrication technique in which conventional filament winding is modified to reduce the core material to its minimum. This method was showcased and developed through a series of pavilions demonstrating its potential to create lightweight structures. The latest project, Maison Fibre, goes one step further and adapts the fabrication into a hybrid structure combining fibre-polymer composites (FPC) with laminated veneer lumber (LVL) to allow for walkability. The result is the first multi-storey building system fabricated with this novel technique. During the integrative design process of the slab system, the optimum fibre layup was negotiated between the timber support span, load induction, boundary conditions, and material amount required. A total of four iterations of the hybrid component were load tested and compared with the maximum enveloped forces resulting from the global structural simulation. The full-scale load tests were used to calibrate the refined structural simulation of the slab components. The experimental process allowed for material reduction and validated the structural system's capability to withstand the design forces. In addition, the fibre layup was tailored and load adapted for the non-tested wall and slab components of the installation using the test results and achieving further material optimization. This publication describes the integrative design process of the hybrid slab system from initial concepts to the iterative optimization of the structural system, demonstrating its potential for future applications.

Abstract

Coreless filament winding (CFW) is a novel fabrication technique that utilises fibre-polymer composite materials to efficiently produce filament wound structures in architecture while reducing manufacturing waste. Previous projects have been successfully built with glass and carbon fibre, proving their potential for lightweight construction systems. However, in order to move towards more sustainable architecture, it is crucial to consider replacing carbon fibre’s high environmental impact with other material systems, such as natural fibre. This paper evaluates several fibres, resin systems, and their required CFW fabrication adjustments towards designing and fabricating a bio-composite structure: the LivMatS Pavilion. The methods integrate structural design loops with material evaluation and characterisation, including small-scale and large-scale structural testing at progressive stages. The results demonstrate the interactive decision-making process that combines material characterisation with structural simulation feedback, leveraged to evaluate and optimise the structural design. The built pavilion is proof of the first successful coreless filament wound sustainable natural fibres design, and the developed methods and findings open up further research directions for future applications.

Abstract

The applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites extend rapidly along with the development of new manufacturing techniques. However, due to the complexities introduced by the material and fabrication processes, the application of conventional structural design methods for construction members has been significantly challenging. This paper presents an alternative methodology to find optimum fiber layups for a given tube-shape geometry via a graphical optimization strategy based on structural performance requirements. The proposed technique employs simplified shell element models based on classical lamination theory (CLT) to avoid explicit fiber modeling in the FEA simulations. Lamination parameters are utilized to generate the reduced stiffness matrices for continuous multi-layer FRP lamination. The fiber layup of the component is retrieved from the optimal lamination parameters that maximize the structural performance. The case study results demonstrate that the developed method provides compact solutions, linking the structural design requirements with optimal fiber orientations and volumetric proportions. In addition, the determined solutions can be interpreted directly by the winding fabrication settings.

Abstract

In coreless filament winding, resin-impregnated fibre filaments are wound around anchor points without an additional mould. The final geometry of the produced part results from the interaction of fibres in space and is initially undetermined. Therefore, the success of large-scale coreless wound fibre composite structures for architectural applications relies on the reciprocal collaboration of simulation, fabrication, quality evaluation, and data integration domains. The correlation of data from those domains enables the optimization of the design towards ideal performance and material efficiency. This paper elaborates on a computational co-design framework to enable new modes of collaboration for coreless wound fibre–polymer composite structures. It introduces the use of a shared object model acting as a central data repository that facilitates interdisciplinary data exchange and the investigation of correlations between domains. The application of the developed computational co-design framework is demonstrated in a case study in which the data are successfully mapped, linked, and analysed across the different fields of expertise. The results showcase the framework’s potential to gain a deeper understanding of large-scale coreless wound filament structures and their fabrication and geometrical implications for design optimization.

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced composite structures manufactured by coreless filament winding (CFW) are adaptable to the individual load case and offer high, mass-specific mechanical performance. However, relatively high safety factors must be applied due to the large deviations in the structural parameters. An improved understanding of the structural behavior is needed to reduce those factors, which can be obtained by utilizing an integrated fiber-optical sensor. The described methods take advantage of the high spatial resolution of a sensor system operating by the Rayleigh backscatter principle. The entire strain fields of several generic CFW samples were measured in various load scenarios, visualized in their spatial contexts, and analyzed by FEM-assisted methods. The structural response was statistically described and compared with the ideal load distribution to iteratively derive the actual load introduction and prove the importance of the sensor integration. The paper describes methods for the sensor implementation, interpretation and the calibration of structural data.

Abstract

The BUGA Fibre Pavilion was built in 2019 in the Bundesgartenschau (National Gardening exhibition) at Heilbronn, Germany. The pavilion consists of modular fibre-polymer composite components made out of glass and carbon fibres with an epoxy resin matrix. The fabrication technique employed, called coreless filament winding (CFW), is a variant from conventional filament winding where the core is reduced to minimum frame support. The fibres are wound between these frames, freely spanning and creating the resulting geometry through fibre interaction. For the structural design of these components, conventional modelling and engineering methods were not sufficient as the system cannot be adequately characterized in the early stage. Therefore, a more experimental design approach is proposed for the BUGA Fibre Pavilion, where different levels of detailing and abstraction in the FE simulations are combined with prototyping and structural testing. This paper shows the procedure followed for the design and validation of the structural fibre components. In this process, the simulations are used as a design tool rather than a way to predict failure, while mechanical testing served for the verification and validation of the structural capacity.

Abstract

The BUGA fibre pavilion built in April 2019 at the Bundesgartenschau in Heilbronn, Germany, is the most recent coreless fibre winding research pavilion developed from the collaboration between ICD/ITKE at the University of Stuttgart. The research goal is to create lightweight and high-performance lattice composite structures through robotic fabrication. The pavilion is composed of 60 carbon and glass fibre components, and is covered by a prestressed ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) membrane. Each of the components is hollow in section and bone-like in shape. They are joined through steel connectors at the intersecting nodes where the membrane is also supported through steel poles. The components are fabricated by coreless filament winding (CFW), a technique where fibre filaments impregnated with resin are wound freely between two rotating scaffolds by a robotic arm. This novel structural system constitutes a challenge for the designer when proving and documenting the load-carrying capacity of the design. This paper outlines and elaborates on the core methods and workflows followed for the structural design, optimization and detailing of the BUGA fibre pavilion.

Abstract

In previous studies, it was demonstrated that the geometry of regular anticlastic membrane structures attached to edge beams on all four sides of the membrane is one of the most influential factors for the performance of the structure. However, regular anticlastic membranes are not easy to apply at specific design sites. For this reason, a greater degree of irregularity is introduced in this study to create a wider range of design possibilities. From the regular-shaped fabric panels that are symmetric about the two axes, one of the symmetries is removed. In this way, two new parameters are introduced: asymmetry about the transverse axis creating trapezoid-shaped panels, and asymmetry about the longitudinal axis creating inclined panels. These two types of panel parametric studies are the scope of this work. From findings of case studies of irregular anticlastic membrane structures with asymmetry about one or both axes, design aid charts and design equations for trapezoid-shaped and inclined panels are proposed that would be needed at the preliminary design phase.

Abstract

This study introduces the development of membrane fabric structures as well as the procedure for their design and analysis along with an explanation of the finite element modeling and conditions considered. In addition, a parametric study on regular barrel vault shaped membranes supported between arches is conducted. The following three parameters determine the geometry of this type of membranes: the arch curvature, the width of the panel, and the scale of the arch. Considering these three parameters and the different combinations among them, regular membrane panels are analyzed leading to the development of a design aid for this type of membranes.

Abstract

Membrane fabric structures are spatial structures that allow for long span and lightweight roofs. In many cases, membrane roofs are supported with trusses or masts and prestressed together with cables to obtain a resistant shape for a given loading condition. For the design of membrane structures, geometrically nonlinear analysis is required. Additionally, modeling of each membrane element and formfinding of the shape are of great importance in the design process. First, an equilibrium-finding analysis is conducted for the purpose of obtaining the optimal shape of the membrane structure, during which the initial stresses of the membrane and cables must be balanced. Next, the stress-deformation analysis is performed for the required loading condition. This analysis allows understanding of the behavior of the structure and confirms that the design of the membrane satisfies the required safety factor for the construction. The analyses of the Southwestern Baseball Dome in Seoul and the Jeju Stadium Dome in Jeju Island, both in Korea, are presented, with an emphasis on details in all aspects of the analysis process. It is found that the selection of analysis and design techniques and appropriate construction materials would be most critical. The analysis results also show that the form-finding step has a significant effect on increasing the stiffness of the structure and a more regular geometry promotes a more stable response under various loading conditions.