Advancing the architectural application of complex geometry GFRC

Conference paper (2015)
Department
Architectural Engineering and Technology (Architecture and the Built Environment) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2015 The Authors
Complex geometry GFRC Flexible moulds Casting moulds Sprayed Method
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Published Date

31-12-2015

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Source:

Papers of the 17th international congress of the GRCA-GRC 2015, Dubai (VAE), 19-21 April, 2015

Faculty

Architecture and The Built Environment

Department

Architectural Engineering and Technology

Abstract

Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) has been developed over the last 50 years into the material it is today. GFRC is mostly used as a cladding material and to a lesser extent for structural elements. This paper examines the challenges of using freeform thin-walled GFRC elements in the design and fabrication of a self-supporting artwork. The initial conceptual design of the artwork using the latest parametric software tools is described. The structural analysis of the artwork is presented showing the feasibility of creating a structurally self-supported freeform GFRC structure. In the structural analyses the main stresses in the structure and the deflections are calculated and compared to the allowable stresses. Two models were evaluated; a fully monolithic model, which would assume the artwork being cast as one element, and a discretized model assuming the artwork comprised of small elements, joined using structural connections. The analysis showed that the discretized model had stresses below the maximum allowable stresses, however, its feasibility depended on the connection between the elements. It was necessary to develop these connections further.

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