Tilted Arch; Implementation of Additive Manufacturing and Bio-Welding of Mycelium-Based Composites.

Behzad Modanloo,Ali Ghazvinian,Elham Andaroodi,Mohammadreza Matini

doi:10.3390/biomimetics6040068

Abstract

Bio-based materials have found their way to the design and fabrication in the architectural context in recent years. Fungi-based materials, especially mycelium-based composites, are a group of these materials of growing interest among scholars due to their light weight, compostable and regenerative features. However, after about a decade of introducing this material to the architectural community, the proper ways of design and fabrication with this material are still under investigation. In this paper, we tried to integrate the material properties of mycelium-based composites with computational design and digital fabrication methods to offer a promising method of construction. Regarding different characteristics of the material, we found additive manufacturing parallel to bio-welding is an appropriate fabrication method. To show the feasibility of the proposed method, we manufactured a small-scale prototype, a tilted arch, made of extruded biomass bound with bio-welding. The project is described in the paper.

Highlights

IntroductionIn addition to wellknown bio-based materials such as bioplastics, materials made of bacteria, algae, and fungi have been increasingly interesting for design and fabrication
Academic Editors: AndrewAdamatzky, Phil Ayres and Han A.B
This paper presents the early stages of an interdisciplinary research project exploring the applications of mycelium-based composites in architecture as a sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable alternative material

Summary

Introduction

In addition to wellknown bio-based materials such as bioplastics, materials made of bacteria, algae, and fungi have been increasingly interesting for design and fabrication These alternative materials have led to the emergence of new design methods at the intersection of design, materials science, biology, arts, and crafts, which fundamentally changes the designer’s role from a passive receiver to an active material maker [1]. Chitin is a large and complex polysaccharide made from modified glucose chains This substance has the primary role in the material characteristics of the fungi-based matter [7]. Hyphae first secrete enzymes into food sources that break down biological polymers of organic substrates into smaller units, such as monomers. These monomers are adsorbed to the mycelium. The mycelial branches bind the organic matter together and make a lightweight, foam-like material called mycelium-based composites [8]

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