Juan Dong - Abstract - 20150128

Free standing shell built with fabric using industrial robot

Juan Dong
juadon@umich.edu

Folds in fabric that create structure have been researched by craftsman since long time ago. In that time, folds were more operated with manual processes. Every time we crush a piece of paper and throw it on the ground, the paper takes on a unique geometry that cannot be repeated a second time. It means that with the same procedure of production, the outcome can be different. And this unrepeatable attribute makes up the gap between what one can form manually and what one anticipates the form to be. Industrial robot has the advantage of precisely control over materials attached to it, in which way it controls the outcome to a certain precision.

This research focuses on the control of industrial robots in forming the folds of fabric, and on aggregating the fabric units into a double curved surface that builds on its own weight. By setting the moving path of the robot arms, the fabric will be held and change its form according to tension, compression, torsion and gratitude that has be attached to it. With each piece of fabric getting on its form and keeping the form by using fabric stiffening coating, the pieces of the fabric can be aggregated as a big piece of double curved surfaces under the assembly logics and algorithm preset be the computer simulation process.

Fabric is a material without bearing ability. Through the stiffening process and folds formed in the fabric, the fabric can gain an imbedded structure which allows the possibility of building each piece in a way that when the pieces are aggregated together, they can sustain themselves. It must be understood that the double curved surface will has its own range of success. Because of the special quality of flexibility for the fabric, there will be some forms for the double curved surface to fail in standing on themselves, but different forms would be tested to see which way the big piece of double curved surface will be able to stand on itself better.  

Progress Blog:Plastic Extrusion Ryan, Ellen and Jordan

Insight from previous plastic extrusion projects:

Annie (thesis last year) 1/16:

Hard time working with the air knife (helps to cool the plastic post extrusion)

Rate of extrusion does not vary on extruder. Not worth trying

Play with when to turn the air knife on/off (should be off at first so that the plastic sticks to base)

Luis (helped with Farzin’s research grant) 1/20:

Plastic melts between 170-240 C

Trials of form work: bucket, foam, nails, cardboard waffle (BAD), plastic bags (BAD), nylons (BAD)

When extruding straight lines, pull up before going over

Make sure to plan enough time for final model. Farzin’s project took 35 hours to fabricate.

    *issues in scale. as a team, we can only book 9 hours a week.

Was done in components and zip tied together for final

Two main connects to the air hoses- one from air knife, other helps cool

Turn air knife on 2 seconds after beginning of extrusion

Output 17 = extruder

Fabric should have 10% nylon, the tighter the fabric, the easier to take off

Jeremy (previous Material Science student) 1/16:

In testing, play with straight lines first and vary speed and “smash”/offset

Testing on fabrics is productive. Could also think about other things to extrude on

Insight from Wes / Aaron 1/22:

Okay to use big robots

Will be set up to use by the end of next week for trials.

Can use pellets from last year as trials.

Will need to buy own material after test trials.

Changing diameters of extrusion tip does not help flow rate

Plastic extruder is NOT a 3d printer

Don’t use any dyes, other composites

Insight for 3d Pen:

Plastic needs to cool on contact with surface, not before

Curved extrusions between points need to be tested in different increments

Projections:

Create double curved with minimal form work, working primarily with basic structure and/or elastic fabric- stretching fabric over simple frame

Purchase material post trials next week

Fabric becomes part of the formwork/reusable formworks

Progress Log_Material Tests_Jawwad, Vanessa, Julie, Andres

1/12/15

Talk with PVB and Moji Navaab

Project premise: manufacture double-curved shell without mold using

• woven fabric, elastic
• cement/acrylic/others composite - brush on paste
• frame of possibly plastic conduits/pvc pipes - to hold fabric

Advantages in fabric composite:

• concrete doesn’t crack
• shell is thin and flexible
• easy maintenance on shell construction - one can brush on more material to repair
• no mold, no wasted material

Tips in computational design:

• strength is in the curve
• sag ratio: 1 (sag depth) to 10 (length of span)

Possible material explorations needed for prototyping:

• Fabric
• scrim/polyester fabric

Manufacturers:

• Bollocks? (fabric in CA)
• Birdair (fabric manufacturer)

1/14/15

Talk with Sean Ahlquist

Material sources:

• High lycra content textiles (15+% lycra to 80% polyester)
• Spandex World
• Goodwinds - rods for kites
• Kite n Things - ask for stocks of 8’ rods

Material tests:

A1-A9 store-bought materials

Brushed on mixtures: cement, paint acrylic, cement with acrylic admixture, rapid set cement, rapid set cement with acrylic admixture

QC - Quikrete default mix; 5.5 cement to 3 water

PY - Polycrylic

R2 - Rapidset, acrylic fortifier, water; 4 to 0.75 to 0.75

QA-1 - Acrylic fortifier, water; 5.5 to 3

RC - Rapidset default mix; 4 cement to 1.5 water

RP - Rapidset, polycrylic; 4 to 1.5 to 0.5

1/15/15

Releasing tests

New various to test: # of fabric layers, time it takes to set.

Set up test board #6 (RP), unpinned after curing for 3 hours.

Drafted “The 10 Commandments”

1/18/15

Talk with Moji Navvab regarding our interest in acoustics: if, our shell hovers as a canopy above the patient lying on a single bedroom ICU, shields the patient from noises/sounds destructive to recovery process by manipulating sound paths

Learned:

• Source, path, receiver
• RE: ICU applications, panel design will vary depending on type of room ie. one bedroom vs. one room with 2 beds, with 6 beds, etc.

Team decision: design panel geometry first, nail down aesthetics and fabrication techniques then see how shell can be performative.

1/19/15

Talk with Victor Li regarding EEC

EEC not “stretchable” but can withstand a lot of pressure (bends)

3D printing option.  Team decision: not viable; stay with fabric direction.

1/20/15

Testing variables:

1. Epoxy type
2. Fabric elasticity
3. Geometry (outer stays constant)
4. Release time

2 Test:

7&8: One layer fleece, white interior

9&10: One layer fleece, grey interior

3:1 Thin epoxy and hardener, medium dry

Acoustic abstract written.

1/21/15

Testing with fabric and styrene pasted with epoxy.

Each panel follows testing logic (controlling variables) of:

Geometry (x) -> fabric type (2) -> stretching directions (3)

material test photos for 3J group_Jian_Jing_Juan