Abstract
This article is a survey discussing the application of fiber-reinforced polymer composites in freeform structures and their impact on the design and shape generation process. The analysis of case studies showed that the use of FRP composites not only helps to overcome some challenges in the construction of objects with complex geometry, but also creates brand new types of structures and design approaches. On the other hand, there is a problem—although FRP materials are frequently used in construction, the shapes of structures and design methods are often traditional and are simply copied from materials such as wood, concrete, and steel. FRP composites have been applied in civil engineering for several decades, since the 1960s, as building envelopes, façade skins, load-bearing structures, and internal and external reinforcement. The article aims to analyze this accumulated experience and to explore the role of FRP materials in the design of buildings with free, complex, fluid, and organic shapes. A new classification of freeform composite structures is proposed. They are classified in this article according to the methodology applied at the conceptual design stage: structures created by using a geometric approach, a form-finding (equilibrium) approach, or a biomimetic approach. Each approach is described in its own separate section, with a thorough literature and state-of-the-art review.
Highlights
Introduction and JianGuo DaiThe complexity of the design and construction process of freeform buildings and structures means that they can be analyzed as a separate research area [1,2,3]
We distinguish the biomimetic approach from the others, bionic and bio-inspired motives can be found in many complex geometry structures
Thin-walled corrugated shells, described in [25,26], require use of all three approaches: geometric—the structures are mathematically described ruled surfaces, biomimetic—the laws governed by mechanical properties of folded orthotropic sheets—mechanical restrictions, and formfinding—optimization of the resultant shell shapes, the location of the sheet’s contraction line, and the appearing pre-stresses resulting from the initial elastic shape transformations
Summary
The complexity of the design and construction process of freeform buildings and structures means that they can be analyzed as a separate research area [1,2,3]. This article analyzes approaches and design methods for freeform structures In these methods, the key factors are the relationships between the shape of the building, material properties, and structural behavior. The objective of this paper is to analyze the role that advanced composite materials play in the design and shape generation process of freeform structures. It gives a brief description of FRP composite materials. Each of the sections includes a literature review and state-of-the-art of built structures
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