Modular Coreless Filament Winding For Lightweight Systems In Architecture

Abstract

The paper describes novel strategies towards coreless filament winding of geometrically complex fibre<br> reinforced building components. The research focuses on winding processes that reduce the need for formwork,<br> allowing for the fabrication of individual one-off components made of glass and carbon fibre rovings. The<br> component geometry and layout of the rovings is adapted to the structural loading of the system. Through the<br> development of a modular system, the dimension of the resulting structure is not limited by the robotic<br> fabrication set-up, which demonstrates how the coreless winding method is applicable in large scale building<br> implementations.<br> The paper presents two prototypes produced by modular coreless winding: First, the ICD/ITKE Research<br> Pavilion 2013-14 investigated and demonstrated the geometric variability of the system. Second, the Elytra<br> Filament Pavilion at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2016 extended this approach towards a fully<br> functioning roof system of significant scale. The Elytra Filament Pavilion is additionally equipped with a fibre<br> optic monitoring system, allowing for on-line sensing of strain and temperature and illustrating the potential of<br> multi-functional fibre systems.