Bionisch-inspirierte Faserverbundstrukturen - Prinzipien für Fertigung und Auslegung

Bio-inspired fibre composite structures - principles for fabrication and design

The request of free-form surface generation strategies in architecture and industrial design is ever more increasing. For complex-shaped structures, fibre-based materials are often an obvious choice as they offer numerous advantages compared to traditional building materials and techniques. However, the usage of these materials in the construction field is still limited. Moreover, the design and simulation of fibre-based materials is still a very challenging topic. For these reasons the authors developed an innovative, bionic-inspired and multidisciplinary approach which allows the exploitation of the material potential to create highly efficient structures. Following this purpose, an integrated methodology for the simulation and manufacturing process was conceived for the architects and engineers. The developed methods were the basis for a prototype realized on the campus of the University of Stuttgart in the summer 2012, allowing the testing and proof of the proposed approach. The semi-transparent pavilion spanned 8 m for a thickness of only 4.6 mm and weighed, despite its considerable size, less than 320 kg.