Abstract
Dynamic shading systems in buildings help reduce solar gain. Actuated systems, which depend on renewable energy with reduced mechanical parts, further reduce building energy consumption compared to traditional interactive systems. This paper investigates stimuli-responsive polymer application in architectural products for sustainable energy consumption, complying with sustainable development goals (SDGs). The proposed research method posits that, by varying the infill percentage in a pre-determined manner inside a 3D-printed mono-material component, directionally controlled shape change can be detected due to thermal stimuli application. Thus, motion behavior can be engineered into a material. In this study, PLA+, PETG, TPU and PA 6 printed components are investigated under a thermal cycle test to identify a thermally responsive shape-memory polymer candidate that actuates within the built environment temperature range. A differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test is carried out on TPU 95A and PA 6 to interpret the material shape response in terms of transitional temperatures. All materials tested show an anisotropic shape-change reaction in a pre-programmed manner, complying with the behavior engineered into the matter. Four-dimensional (4D)-printed PA6 shows shape-shifting behavior and total recovery to initial position within the built environment temperature range.
Highlights
Digital materiality is defined as the combination of digital and material disciplines in the fields of built environment design and construction [1]
Implementing 4D polymeric material programming in architecture can enable building interactive system components, which can be achieved in six steps: system motion design, identifying the required angle of bending that corresponds with the solar radiation penetration, system component identification, allocation of active components within the system and programming the polymers by 3D printing
This paper investigates thermal stimuli-responsive shape shifting by 3D printing of a single/mono-material to acquire anisotropic shape shifting through variable infill parameters during printing
Summary
Digital materiality is defined as the combination of digital and material disciplines in the fields of built environment design and construction [1]. The application of 3D printing digital fabrication to acquire smart spatial structures has been widely investigated [2,3,4,5]. The application of the 3D printing method to acquire stimuli-responsive spatial deformation in a programmed manner has been classified as a 4D printing manufacturing paradigm [7,8]. Implementing 4D polymeric material programming in architecture can enable building interactive system components, which can be achieved in six steps: system motion design, identifying the required angle of bending that corresponds with the solar radiation penetration, system component identification, allocation of active components within the system and programming the polymers by 3D printing. Four-dimensional (4D) printing manufacturing parameters are identified as final desired shape, material properties, stimulus and material structure through printing paths [8]. The act of recovering a polymer to its initial position after actuation upon stimuli application is identified as a two-way shape-memory polymer (SMP) [4,13,14]
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