TOWARDS A SOFT-MOLD BASED HYBRID FIBER FORM DEFINING APPROACH
Open Access
- Author:
- Han, Xiao
- Graduate Program:
- Architecture
- Degree:
- Master of Architecture
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 16, 2017
- Committee Members:
- Felecia Ann Davis, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
- Keywords:
- soft mold
reconfigurable
form-force
undulating surface
pre-tensioned fibers - Abstract:
- Fiber composites have been widely used in aeronautics, sailing, and other industries. Recently they have re-emerged as building materials, which are worth investigating their potentials and alternative approaches of the shaping process. The problem with fiber-based structures is that fiber composite manufacturing relies heavily on shaping through traditional molds usually made of EPS foam. These molds are expensive, non-flexible and non-reconfigurable. In this thesis, I propose a soft mold based hybrid form defining approach. This approach focuses on force-induced forms and addresses molding issues. The soft mold is created by a layer of fibers and a framework that can shape the entire fibrous structure through its flexible surface. The hybrid fiber system is comprised of frameworks for a static system and patterns for a form-active system. I test this research vision through the following steps: 1) reviewing shaping process of fiber composites and molding systems in fibrous architecture; 2) investigating the inherent material capacity especially the tension and compression in tensile surfaces; 3) developing fiber based soft molds as flexible molding systems; and 4) prototyping with different soft mold based surfaces through analogue material experimentation. The contributions of this thesis include: 1) proposing a reconfigurable and deformable soft mold to shape fibrous surfaces; and 2) establishing a hybrid fiber system that can shape multi-directional curved undulating surfaces through pre-tensioned fibers.