13: Filigree Shell Slabs - Christie et al

Authors
J.Christie, S. Bodea, J. Solly, A. Menges, J.Knippers

Abstract
In recent years, the coreless filament winding (CFW) technique has gained attraction due to its capacity to effectively realize large-scale lightweight building components out of fibre-reinforced composites. However, the sequential nature of its filamentbased production process imposes a series of design constraints that restrain the use of this technique in new typologies and applications. The current research introduces a novel shape optimisation-to-fabrication method that expands the scope of CFW towards the production of load-bearing components for slabs. A multi-stage workflow is proposed, integrating parametric design, shape optimisation, stress-driven material layup, and fabrication to ensure a high level of consistency between form and materialization. The research is presented in two phases. The first phase explores the use of shape optimisation to comprehend the underlying logic of shell forms capable of performing under the specific requirements of the slab scenario. The second phase integrates the inherent conditions of the material, formwork system, and robotic filament winding process into a seamless design-to-manufacturing workflow. The research resulted in a 10.2 kg prototype of a slab load-bearing structure that withstood a load of 559 kg while spanning 2.7 m, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach.