Sublime Bodies: 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: