A Novel Composite Material for Foldable Building Envelopes

Contemporary research is increasingly focused on studying buildings that either interact with environmental boundaries or adapt themselves to their users’ needs. In the current literature, this kind of ability is given different names: responsivity, adaptability, smartness. These are different ways...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 11; no. 17; p. 4684
Main Authors Rodonò, Gianluca, Sapienza, Vincenzo, Recca, Giuseppe, Carbone, Domenico Carmelo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2019
Subjects
Adaptability
Aluminum
Architecture
Automation
Building components
Building envelopes
Composite materials
Construction
Elastomers
Envelopes
Kinematics
Mechanical properties
Polyethylene terephthalate
Production methods
Sensors
Smart materials
Styrene
Styrenes
Sustainability
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Summary:Contemporary research is increasingly focused on studying buildings that either interact with environmental boundaries or adapt themselves to their users’ needs. In the current literature, this kind of ability is given different names: responsivity, adaptability, smartness. These are different ways to refer to a common concept, with subtle nuances. Foldable surfaces are one of the most interesting geometries able to give responsivity to building components, but often their production is complex and expensive. The aim of this research was the creation of a novel material that can provide lightweight solutions for foldable building envelopes. This composite material can be folded and unfolded easily, like a sheet of paper, but with a higher mechanical performance. It is made with the thermoplastic elastomer SEBS (styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene) as its matrix, as well as a fabric reinforcement. In this paper, following an introduction to this subject, the authors present the composite material’s production methods and its mechanical characterization.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su11174684