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Foreword, Individual design 03 Farid Boussihmad 04 Dimitrios Sampatakos 10 Erfan Zoakman 14 Group Design 18 Principles 18 No energy consumption, separate adjustability of each unit and self adaptive? 19 Shape memory alloys - Nitinol 20 Memory alloy in the sun shading system 21 Constant shape change and use of shape memory effect in the project. 21 Implementation and design 22 Rhombus and nitinol 22 Description 22 Motion and driving force 23 Experiments and Reaction Force 24 Final design 26 Use of the sunshading system on a real building 26 Adaptive to the outer or inner climate? 27 Conclusion 28 Evaluation 28 Bibliography 29 Additional Renders_Photos_drawings 30
Foreword
During the Bucky Lab course each one of us tried, first individually and then as a team, to develop a truly efficient and innovative sunshading system/mechanism. The final design of the shape memory facade tried to fulfill as many initially set goals as possible. The development went through different phases of research, experiments and model constructions in order to observe different aspects of what would later become the final design of a sunshading system or facade layer. The focus point and challenge in this procedure has been the word innovative, the smart function and effectiveness of the structure. Due to the nature of the materials and elements used it would have been impossible to accomplish the final group design without testing from the first moment of the idea until the last moment of the construction of the model, which finally gave us the satisfaction of having created something we developed ourselves going through all the difficulties of such a procedure. From the beginning until the last part support from our tutor Dr.-Eng M.Billow has been a determinant factor for completing the final design.
Individual design
The first part of the course included individual designs and development of Sunshading systems. Farid Boussihmad: Snow globe facade Dimitrios Sampatakos: Braided structure-Medical stent Erfan Zoakman: Pupil Sunshading
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Farid Boussihmad
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At the start of the Bucky-lab course, my enthusiasm was really big. Coming up with an own sun shading idea, that didnt exist, and research this idea and eventually realise it in a realistic prototype is a chance that I didnt get before this course. The introduction week and various excursions, made this feeling only grow more and more, till... CONCEPT Till the moment, when we got the chance to actually sit and come up with an innovative sun shading idea. How does one come up with an idea that didnt exist. I think this is a question that is worth a book to write about. So after some effort and thinking, the enormous enthusiasm descended and made room for some concern. The advantage of working in groups in one atelier, is that one can make a tour and see what the group mates are up to. Are they facing the same difficulties, or do they actually have the ability to come up with an idea that didnt exist yet. After some conversations with some group members, I discovered that most of the people didnt come up with an idea in some seconds. It is however a search in a certain direction for an possible idea. So my first direction, that interested me most, was the idea of an adaptive sun shading system. An system that is smart enough, to know when to shade and when not. The journey for a new idea began, when I opened Google and typed: Adaptive sun shading.The moment that the journey started, was the start of getting different ideas and concepts. Most ideas fall apart when thought about more, and some survive the thinking, but fail when sketched. The disadvantage about searching for a new idea, is the fact that many different ideas come to mind. It can be compared with standing in the dark and grapping around, to catch different things every time. At this stage I realised to add some parameters to my search and start searching in a specific direction. This direction I made clear by sketching some sun scenarios.
Figure 5.1: sun shading during different scenarios: cloudy, semi cloudy and sunny.
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DEVELOPMENT I found many existing ideas and some I found very interesting. Some examples: Researching more on this topic, I came to know that there are different ways to design such an adaptive sun shading system. I found some interesting examples for this system. However most examples were just concept ideas, and not a concrete working solutions. This stimulated me to research further in this direction. While drawing this scenarios, I came up with a concept for sun shading: A material that darkens by exposing it to the sun. After some research about this, I came with the existing properties, which is named by Photo chromic materials. These materials change under the influence of light, later I came to know, due to Mr. Marcel Billow, that there are also Thermo chromic materials (change under influence of heat) and Electro chromic materials (change under influence of electricity). I was really enthusiastic about this new material properties. Because the system will be designed to block sun light, it was for me naturally to go for a photo chromic material. I soon discovered that this material is being used on various fields. For example in some glasses, this material is used to function as a sunglass when the sun is shining. After more research about this material and consultation with the teacher, I came to the conclusion that it is not an innovative idea to use an existing material, but change only the application and the size. I had to think in another scale: same principle but with different scale. This made me look back to the previous systems of the adaptive sun shading examples. It is funny how sometimes this process of designing works. After many effort and research about the principle of photo chromic glass, it was swiped out by a single shower that I took.
Figure 6.1: example of an adaptive sun shading system: the different layers make sure the light is blocked completely, partly or passed through.
It was in a morning before the consultation with the teacher, that I decided to take a shower. And that shower changed my idea completely. I was showering and looking at the water drops fall down. I was fascinated by the effect of blocking the view, but still giving some view though the water. It felt like I saw it the first time of my life. My thoughts wandered away to the Bucky Lab assignment, and I started to think about it, and tried to apply this shower phenomena to the sun shading solution. What fascinated me the most, was the fact of combat the heat of the sun with water drops. And in that direction snow came into my mind, snow is colder then water. So It would be a great solution Figure 6.2: another example of adaptive sun shading. to combat the heat of the sunshine with the cold character of snow. There the idea of a snow globe facade was born: There has to be a kind of mechanism that make it snow when the sun shines. A Snow globe is a descent comparison. Thermochromic glass http://www.aisglass.com/swfs_solar_heat/pdf/Thermocromic_Glazing.pdf Thermochromic glass http://www.aisglass.com/swfs_solar_heat/pdf/Therm
Figure 6.3 : photo chromic glass: The glasses at sunlight. Photochromic materials change
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After some deeper thoughts and consultation with the teacher, the next step is getting the brains thinking and the hands dirty. I had to experiment with different objects and make sure that the idea actually works. First thing I explored, was how the snow globes were made. There I came to know Sunshading systems that it is actually quite simple. One needs 4 basic things: a waterproof pot, water, some artificial snow Concept Idea: Sneeuwboll effect (which can also be made from chalk) and last some Glycerine. The ingredients are quite logical, except for the glycerine. Glycerine is used to make the water heavier, so the snow floats slower and constantly. After some searching I got all the materials needed, so the experiment could start. The experiment went well, and I came to know more about the system and how to proceed. The most important conclusion, is that water alone is not enough to translate the snow globe idea into a working solution. Simply because the snow does not float that much, it had to be turned upside down several times in a short period to maintain the snowing effect. The other challenge I faced, was the question how to keep the facade snowing, when there is constant light. Naturally its not possible to turn the building upside down, like its done at snow globes. But there has to be a solution for that. The pictures above displays the progress of the snowing. It shows the view that is blocked if its fully snowing, and how the view gets better when the snow is floating down. To make the floating slower and better, glycerine was the solution for this. However, the amount of glycerine has to be limited, because otherwise the water will have a bigger density than the floating elements, which will result in the elements not floating but stay on top of the water.
Figure 7.2: starting ingredients for the experiment: waterproof pot, water, glitters and glycerine.
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The other problem I faced, was the question how to make the facade snow when there was sunManually shine. The first ideas was to make the system work manually, simplyManually by creating a pressure box on the bottom of the facade, which can be pushed against. This push will create an pressure that blows the snow into the facade. I was not satisfied with this solution, so parallel to developing this system I was thinking of better smarter solutions. Soon after some thinking and turning back to the beginning concepts of adaptive sun shading, I came up with some idea. The idea that the sun shading is needed when there is sunshine, and when there is no sunshine, the shading is not needed. So there has to be a system that is activated by the sun. The famous system that works on sun, is off course PV-cells. These cells produce power under influence of UV-radiation. Now we found ourselves a power source, we need a system that works on this source and makes sure that the snow will float on the facade. This solution is found in a water-resistant propeller. This propeller should be driven by PV-cells and it should rotate harder when there is more sunshine. Resulting in the facade to be snowy, which will block the sun radiation. At this stage the major solutions for this system were found, there were some minor application problems that had to be solved. Like the resistance of the system against water, How to keep the system circulating. the resistant against freeze and the integration in a real facade. Because of the mid-term presentAutomatically ations arriving, these problems should be tackled after the presentations, if the idea is chosen. The concept idea works, quite well, as shown at the presentation. However, there are some question Manually marks, which had to be solved. The next step was actually finding a PV-cell and propeller system, and test that, so I can be more certain that the system actually works. I searched for the tools, and I found one system which comes with Lego. It was a set of Lego to build a helicopter, there was also a propellers driven by PV-cells. Unfortunately the engine of the propeller was not water resistant, so I could not combine the system Automatically with the floating snow, and test the whole system. However I could assume that it will work perfectly, just by testing the different systems apart from each other.
Figure 8.1: manual system to push the snow into the facade.
Automatically
Figure 8.2: snow globe facade that is driven by PV-cells and propellers.
Solar radiation ->
Solar radiatio
Automatically
Figure 8.6: the three situations, and the reaction of the facade.
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CONCLUSION Looking at the design at the end of the mid-term period, I think I can assume that the design has been developed very deeply, it is a simple to the point system. Elaborating this design, there are few things to solve, such as the integration with a building facade and the resistance against cold and freeze. However, I assume that the solutions for these problems lay within fingertips. However, building a prototype, Im sure will give some minor problems, that were not elaborated yet. I, however am content that my design is not chosen to be elaborated more. Because the challenges that lay in this design are not that big, there are only some little points to be solved. The nitinol design, however, gave us more resistance, and made us make some serious thinking and come p with solutions.
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Dimitrios Sampatakos
The development of an innovative shading system/mechanism within the bucky-lab course has in my case gone through many different phases comprising seemingly disparate solutions. On a closer look and analysis however they have all been part of an attempt to combine aspects connected to energy efficiency, to the possibility of self adapting to the environment (needs to shade more or less in different parts of a facade or even within a window), separate adjustability of each element of a whole shading system and in some cases to visual aspects and the way the human eye perceives images. Design aspects and beauty of the final product has not been a starting point or an inspiration for me to create a specific solution although I strongly believe that a really interesting and clever system that actually works and fulfills many requirements can much easier be designed in an eye-pleasing way than the other way around. (apart from the fact that in my opinion innovative engineering has a beauty in itself). Most time of the semester has thus been devoted to research, experimenting and development of different aspects of the final design, instead of working on the details of one idea (almost) from the beginning to the end. One of the first phases of my research started with setting the basic demands of such a system/ mechanism and thinking of properties or features current systems dont have, or what I usually dont like about them. The solutions I dealt with during this seeking/search of a truly innovative shading device were usually based on one or more of those requirements, usually fulfilling one of them to a large extend and in a later phase combining some others too. Goals/requirements for the Shading System: Energy Efficiency how is it driven Adaptability to the environment Adjustability of each element Smoothness of shadow/ outside view The first steps and ideas were mainly about the visual aspects and a possible combination with an efficient mechanism. Many shading systems had as I found out problems with a percentage of the faade surfaces being completely intransparent and the rest part completely transparent (100%-0% transparency). The bigger the elements for shading (intransparent part) the more they prohibited the view to the outside, especially in certain angles or from certain perspectives close to faade/window surface. Smaller shading elements create a better, smoother view to the outside even at different viewing angles or distances. An example for that are half-transparent fabrics widely used on facades. The Fibers of the fabrics are in that case the 100% intransparent elements, which because of their very small size create a smoother shaded picture of the external space. Even in that case however a view from a close distance was more prohibited than one from a longer distance. Thoughts about eliminating the problem led to two directions that I tried to combine in this stage of my research. First I wanted to make use of the principle that a division of a faade or window in smaller parts of transparent and intransparent elements will create a smoother shaded picture of the outside world. Thus fibers, thread and strings were used in some experimental models. Different overlapping shapes and use of more than one layers made it possible to create different degrees of transparency by moving the ends/fixing points of the fibers or by rotating them to wrap the fibers around each other.
Figure 10.2: Different visual perceptions due to angle/distance. Possibility of making use of density points during eye movement. Figure 10.1: Models used for studying overlapping and different density/transparency points within fiber structures, smoothness of shading
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Even in that case the smoothness of the view in very close distances to the fibers was not perfect. (Overlapping of layers also creates different degrees of transparency from different angles if they are not placed within a few millimeters of distance). A characteristic picture that can describe the whole problem is when someone has a very good view to the outside when looking at a window covered with venetian blinds, but needs to push them apart with his hand when he comes very close or needs to see at a specific angle. The next step was setting a challenging question connected to these problems: Is it possible to make certain surface of X% transparency so smooth to the human eye that one cannot distinguish the 100% intransparent elements from the 100% transparent part at any distance? The first thought was moving pictures and frequency. Research led to already existing projects using rotation of circular surfaces that comprised a transparent and a printed part. However the use of Fibers, linear elements and research into energy efficiency matters made vibration/oscillation the object of investigation in this case. This happened while simultaneously searching into the possibilities of making use of wind energy through rotation or oscillation/fluttering of elements as constantly moving parts are highly energy-consuming. The windbelt was one of the recent innovative ideas in this area, using a thin plastic stripe (similar to a belt) that oscillates/flatters when wind flows through it. Combining more of those stripes to create a shading system was an idea that was abandoned due to reduced airflow on a building faade, possible noise problems and because at that phase vibration would be a way to visually smoothen the shaded view. The findings showed that it is indeed possible to create a completely smooth picture of the outside by using vibration of a linear element. Frequency will only have an effect on the perception of the movement from the human eye not on the shading percentage. This means that a surface 50% covered by an instransparent part will have 50% of its area completely (100%) filled and 50% of its area completely (100%) transparent. However different viewing distances/ angles, as mentioned before, may change the visible part. When in motion the whole (100%) area will in this case have a 50% transparency and a perfectly smooth view from any distance if the frequency is high enough (for example more than 40%) and only if the filled parts are evenly spread within the surface and have the same motion/period of motion. Use of vibration and generally motion in the sun shading solution of the course was abandoned due to the difficulty to use it as a truly energy efficient device. No use of mechanically/ electrically driven parts OR hand operated systems will at the end of the project research procedure be the ultimate goal. At some point the innovative windbelt, an oscillating plastic stripe that makes use of wind energy was a subject I observed to use as a sunshading element, but dependence on wind and not smooth and sufficient flow close to a building facade created problems. The next step in the development of the final shading system was researching more into possibilities of changing the percentage of transparency without using more layers (only work when layers are very close to each other). Linear elements had to change in number or width within the surface to allow adjustability. This thought led to the well known poissons ratio, to tensile/compressive forces exerted longitudinally at the ends of the linear elements and also to experiments with elastic bands.. Models were at this stage similar to the ones created with fibers/thread because of the linear shape of the shading parts, but adjustability was in this case achieved by tensile forces. Poissons ratio, being the relation between linear and transverse strain (change in length/width), means in this case that an elastic band becomes thinner -to a certain amount depending on its properties and force- when stretched. One simple solution making use of this principle was for example a number of parallel elastic bands attached/fixed on one side to a frame and on the other side to a rotating rod. Rotation of the rod exerts tensile force on the bands which become thinner according to poissons ratio, thus covering a smaller percentage of the faade or opening/window.
Figure 11.1: Outside view prohibited more or less according to intrasparent part shape/width. Same percentage of transparency, less prohibited viw from more angles. Reason for searching into of fibers/linear elements.
Figure 11.2: Overlapping of fibers, different arrangements. Exploring vibration and transparency with shutter speed and focus. (effect of frequency?)
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Experiments with elastic fabrics showed that using many stripes of them would mean that very high tensile forces as well as many cm/m of elongation are needed to stretch them enough. According to the theory pure rubber has a poissons ratio of almost 0.48-0.5 (poissons ratio: v= transverse strain/longitudinal strain. Strain is L/L) . This means that for an elongation of a 5cm wide and 1m long stripe of 100% rubber to 2m length the width will become 2.5 cm. Relatively high forces are usually required to stretch the band to more than double its size (impossible to be hand driven if many bands are being used especially without some special linkage to reduce the force needed.) , rubber is rarely used as a pure material and will also be problematic after a certain number of deformation cycles. It will certainly become dry and loose part of its elasticity even without being exposed to the external environment. Maintenance and accurate operation of the system will be a problem due to the properties of rubber. As in previous cases energy consumption would in this solution also be high because of high tensile stresses. The drawbacks of rubber stripes changed the direction of the research to other materials and elementary shapes that could be part of a linear element within a faade. Investigating the properties of rubber, the definition of elasticity/poissons ratio and the cause for these properties one confronts with micro scale atomic bonds and arrangement of atoms. These bonds can be visualized/illustrated as a stretching honeycomb or grid. Longitudinal tensile or compressive forces cause the rearrangement of these bonds that become longer (stretch) in the direction of the tensile force, but also thinner in height/width in order to preserve their bonds and basic structure. This effect can be easily shown in a linear structure as a grid of interlocked/connected crystals or rhombuses and has also been the inspiration for the next stage of the development. As already described problems caused by the properties of rubber needed to be avoided (drying, high energy consumption, high non constant forces), but at the same time the effect of reducing the width of a linear element under longitudinal force should be preserved. Much lower force to operate the mechanism would be preferable as well as a good ratio between transverse-longitudinal elongation under force. These requirements caused the research to focus on braided structures based on the basic shape of a transforming rhombus. This arrangement would keep the effect of width change under length change without using elasticity, but thin and strong fibers. One of the most characteristic structures of this kind are medical stents. They have been an important point in the whole procedure of seeking the most effective system as their structure and material were a strong influence for the final idea/solution. Medical stents are braided tubes inserted into the human body in order to prevent or cure localized blood/air flow constriction. During a surgery they are inserted as very thin tubes (very small diameter) into the artery/vein/esophagus etc and after placement in the specific area their diameter increases significantly exerting a constant reaction force on the artery walls to keep it open and improve flow. The change in width/diameter of medical stents was at first achieved by inflation of an internally placed balloon that pushed the stent open when placed into the human body and was removed right after. The material of the stent (metal) had properties that made sure it would stay in place and its diameter would not be reduced. Development of material science and technology very soon caused improvement in the design of medical stents, but especially in the materials used. So called smart materials were a very important recent development that medical science made use of. Stents are now made of smart alloys and polymers that can self expand within the human body. Expansion is usually actuated by temperature change, using the temperature difference between the environment (or specific place where they are kept) and the human body. The properties of these smart materials and possibility of energy efficient design (no electricity, no human force required) were the basic principle used at the final stage of the development of the innovative sunshading system and an important focus point of the whole project.
Figure 12.1: Braided protection sleeve found in computer shop simulating effect according to medical stent inspiration.
Figure 12.2: Model for inflating (bicycle pump) balloon inside a braided tube. Idea from proccess used during surgeries (stents) and artificial muscles.
Figure 12.3: Fibers extending beyond transparent part for transparency and being compressed into transparent part (glass/window) due to heat for shading
Figure 12.4: Possible ways of streching (rotation etc) linear elements/fibers or different overlapping arrangements. Thermally actuated compression that leads to denser arrangement
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At this previous stage research was focused on the actual design and structure of the stents. A very similar braided fiber tube was used for experiments. It is usually used as a protective braided sleeve for electric cables or water lines. ( in some cases also fire protection) This braided sleeve showed some very strong advantages over stretchable rubber elements. Much less longitudinal tensile or compressive force was needed to change the tubes width. Experiments showed that when fully compressed (4cm length) the width of 17mm changed to 7mm of width when fully extended (10cm length). This change ratio is a result of the basic rhombus shape as a multiplied unit within braided structures or grids. The change of the rhombus shape from a perfect rectangle to a slender shape that tends to become a line in the horizontal or vertical direction respectively under diagonal force (pushing the corners closer to each other) gave more development possibilities to this design, whether it would be used as a surface or a tube. Research this time led to existing innovations like the worm robot, or artificial muscles, which use a very similar braided flexible tube that can change its width anywhere along its axis. Change of width anywhere along a tube was at this stage a very important aspect and advantage over elastic bands as one of the main requirements has always been adjustability. Braided flexible stent-like tubes were at this stage designed at different scales to observe how they could be implemented in a faade. Designs ranged in scale, starting from a big tube wrapped around a transparent glass building. The tube could at any point of its length become thicker and denser to create more shadow as a reaction to sunlight, looking similar to a moving worm along a facade. In a window or one office scale the same design looked like parallel linear tube elements which were pushed or stretched at different points along their axis to become thicker or thinner according to the shading needs. This development phase ended with observing the possibility of using the principle of the braided structure or grid that can become denser at different points due to the change of the rhombus shape. Thinking of future designs and solutions a smart grid or braided surface that will be adaptive and change/adjust its density (of the grid) at different points according to the light would certainly fulfill the requirements of adjustability and adaptability. In sketches that showed the idea a surface of this kind could have connected corners at all rhombuses (of small size) and at any point of the surface the connection could pull the corners close to each other to create a denser area. This could happen automatically with light sensors but at a later stage also add a high-tech mechanism of tracking the eyes, faces of people in a room or the computer/tv screens in relation to the sun position. In that way very specific points of the grid will be able to become dense and protect eyes and screens from direct sun in offices for example without sacrificing the other advantages of sunlight. This part of the development of the innovative faade system has been mainly connected to the basic structure and how it could fulfill the requirements of adjustability of each element separately and adaptability, even if it is until this point mainly mechanically driven by electricity. The next phase is a more focused research on energy efficiency and how one of those diamond/rhombus shape based structures could self adapt to the environment without any energy consumption at all. Until this stage most of the research concentrated on small scale elements as smoothness of shadow and outside view were a starting point. This meant that mostly fiber-like linear units were arranged in different shapes, geometries and overlapping positions in order to adjust transparency. Photography with different shutter speed tried to show the effect flattering or oscillation would have with those fibers. (thread,string,plastic etc) However as a real shading system of a faade these fiber based solutions were difficult to realize and implement in order to become a reliable and effective mechanism, especially with the limited means of a student project. Thus the first parts to a large extend had an experimental and theoretical direction.
Braided crystalline geometry (observation): Fully compressed width: D0=17mm Unrestrained width: D=8mm Fully extended width: De=7mm Fully compressed lenght: L0=4mm Unrestrained length: L=9mm Fully extended length: Le=10mm angle b between rhombus side and vertical axis (depending on braiding pattern): Fully compressed angle: 0=20* Unrestrained angle: =25* Fully extended angle: e=70*
Figure 13.1: Idea of tracking sun and ojects of the inside space that need shading
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There for I started searching for another fascination. From this point I left the mechanical and technical products and started searching outside the manufacturing world. Here it was that I found my idea for the sun shading system in the human body. I was fascinated by the human eye. The pupil of the eye which reacts on the amount of the light which falls on the eye and shrinks and grows by that. For me it was the task to integrate this function of the pupil in a product which can be manufactured and used as an sun shading system. By making a research on how the eye works and how the pupil can shrink and grow. I found different kind of options to make it in a product form. The pupil of the eye is connected to two types of muscles, circular and radial muscles. When the pupil becomes small the circular muscles become contracted and the radial muscles extended. When the pupil grows the muscles react opposite. From this I made some sketches about how it can work as an mechanical system. I have thought of different systems and techniques to imitate the growing and shrinking of the pupil. The first one was using a sheet which can expand by the heat of the sun and shrink when it is cooled down. For this I have searched the different kind of chemical conditions of different kind of materials, to find a material which can change very easily by a small different of temperature. The conclusion at the end of my search was that, gas expands more than liquid and liquid more than solid type materials. The first design began by using a bag form with gas in it, which can expand at higher temperature and shrink at lower temperature. The problem that I encountered with this design was finding a material for the bag that can very elastic. Because the expanding of the bag should something in the range of 10 times bigger as the shrinked size. So finding the right material for this design was not possible, even if I would find it, it would be a very expansive material which would cause problems in later stage of the project where I would have to develop and build the design. The second design that I have approached was more inspired on the functions of the pupil muscles. I thought of an hydraulic system which can represent the radial muscles. These hydraulic tubes which can extend and contract pulls on a ring which is connected to a fabric, which will extend when the hydraulic tubes starts to contract. Here I had to deal with two problems. The first problem was the fabric. This fabric had to be very elastic so it can cover a window of 1m by 1m and at the same time shrink to 10cm without to much buckles in the fabric and avoiding that the fabric will hang loose over the window. The second problem was also related to finding the right material. In this case for the ring. The ring would be pulled by the hydraulic tubes so it can stretch the fabric. For this the ring had grow in diameter, thats why I had to be also from a very stretchable material. Which was also very hard to find. After thinking over and over again about this kind of design a lot of them could not be developed because there were every time some problems which couldnt be solved. At that point I realised how much an architectural students lacks knowledge in mechanical and technical productions. I was very glade that I could realised this trough this course. Thats why I started searching outside the architectural faculty to gain more knowledge by going to other facultys which had to do more with mechanical and technical stuff. My first step also towards the 3Me faculty. By talking with a friend at the mechanical faculty about this project, he introduced me to one of his professors which was specialised in micro-techniques. This subject was dealing with al kind of manufacturings. After making an appointment with him and sitting talking about the project and about my fascination. He gave me some great examples about how it could be developed and some systems which were manufactured at micro level but still had the same system type as I wanted, also the things that I should reckon with.
Figure 15.1: Muscles working pupil
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I was surprised how quick mechanical engineers could think from just an idea to a whole manufactured product. After gaining the knowledge from that conversation, I started again with designing. This was the part that found the solution to my fascination in a design form. The design that I have then made was a to sheet form filled with liquid. The translucent colour would make sure that no sun light will enter the space. And when there is no need for sun shading, the liquid would be vacuum and the two sheets will starting come to each other in the centre and start compressing the liquid to the sides of the sheet. This will create a transparent opening in the middle of the sheet and start growing as more liquid is vacuum. The effect what you get with is, is almost exactly the effect of an eye pupil.
Development
Of course this design wasnt also without any struggling. The problems which I encountered where not anymore in the field of materialisation and not finding the right material for it, but more in the technical part. For this I made some goals which I want implemented in the end product. First of all, the product needs electric energy for the vacuum machine. So my goals for the energy was that the sun shading system should win his own energy and use that for the vacuum machine. Beside this each panel should be adjustable separately, in case one panel used for one window. Or if many smaller panels are used for one window, then it could be controlled as one panel. I should reckon with the weight of the panel, by adding liquid the weight of the panel can very heavy. Also the vacuum liquid should be kept some where temporary, so it can be pumped back in when needed. Also some question which a rise are like, should the system be putted in front of a facade, or in between glass, or inside the building. Also how it can been replaced when the sheet is broken or damaged etc. Not for all of these questions were answers found. It wasnt also very problematic, because the first phase of the bucky lab project was more focused on developing an idea for the sun shade system and think about the major aspects of the sun shade, like how it works, what kind of materials you need etc. In a later stage the design would be developed to an real product and designed all the details of the product. So because the system was really sensitive in the mean that it cant really held up hard weather conditions and forces, I have decided to put the system between the glass plates. And create space above the sun shade system where the reservoir for the liquid could be placed and also on the outside of the solar cells for gaining sun energy. For the electricity of the vacuum machine. The vacuum machine would be connected to the sheet with tubes where the liquid can go trough.
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Conclusion
Concluding at the end of the first stage of the bucky lab project, I can say that it took a lot of time to come up with the right idea that can be developed and build. Thats why the end product has many question marks. Its an high tech solution as an sun shading system, but it needs a lot of time and energy to be developed to an working product. By making models I figured out that even building a small model of the system can have so much problems. So the idea needs to be simplified and approached more from the view point manufacturing to be able to develop it further. So the problems like water tight, weight and integration in the building could be solved for the end product.
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Braided crystalline geometry (observation): Fully compressed width: D0=17mm Unrestrained width: D=8mm Fully extended width: De=7mm Fully compressed lenght: L0=4mm Unrestrained length: L=9mm Fully extended length: Le=10mm angle b between rhombus side and vertical axis (depending on braiding pattern): Unrestrained angle: =25* cable sleeve Figure 18.4: testing with braided Fully extended angle: e=70* Fully compressed angle: 0=20*
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The same adjustability could be integrated in a tube shaped braided system (keeping the stent design) similar to the innovative robot worm or artificial muscles. In that case width and density of the tube would change according to the needs making use of the same principle of the compression of rhombus corners between specific points. A choice had to be made at this point to proceed with only one of the braided (grid) design solutions. The answer was given by the hierarchy of the goals for the final design. Complex solutions that would sacrifice energy efficiency and effectiveness of the model for more utopian innovations had to be simplified. Keeping the surface (one plane) rhombus grid design, the next step was to focus on improving efficiency and deciding on the way it would finally operate. Adjustability has been already guaranteed by the design of the grid elements, but the final faade system should be able to adjust each of its units separately according to the needs of that specific point. This would be energy and material consuming (and very expensive) if each unit needed a separate sensor.
Figure 19.3: conventional adaptive surface. Motor, sensors etc. to have each element adjustable. Figure 19.4: adjustable too different conditions
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Constant shape change and use of shape memory effect in the project.
As already mentioned the use of a self transforming shape memory sheet as a shading unit has many disadvantages and would also be very expensive both in real life and in this specific project. At this point the decision was made in favor of the use of a shape memory alloy only as the driving force for the sunshade system. High efficiency, self adaptability and adjustability would be absolutely preserved while at the same time only small quantities of the alloy need to be used. This means that not the actual shape change but the forces exerted during the transition from one shape (cold) to the other (warm) will be the main factor for the operation of the faade unit. One basic question however remains: Shape memory alloys have only one shape memory, not two. How is the system going to adapt to constant changes if only transition from cold to warm activates the shape memory effect and not the opposite transition? (see figure) The opposite direction, would in this case never work. The device would be installed on the faade and only move to its memorized austenitic structure/shape once, when temperature exceeds the specified transition point. The original (stable) shape of a warm shape memory alloy will not change into any other shape on its own when cooled down, so even when temperature becomes lower the shape will remain the same.
Heating up
Figure 21.2: one way deformation of memory alloy. Solution for opposite direction has to be found
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15 cm
The answer to this question is that a certain reaction force has to be exerted on the shape memory alloy. This force will deform the material when temperature is below the transition point and the shape memory effect will bring it back to the original shape every time temperature exceeds the transition point. This can be visualized by keeping in mind all the experiments with nitinol, where someone always heats up the deformed alloy to show the shape memory effect, but will have to use its own force to deform it again in cold conditions as it will not deform under cooling. The idea of a reacting force did of course not mean that the requirement for zero energy usage would be overlooked. The needed reaction force had to be precisely calculated through experiments and then found through a force already existing in the structure (weight) or by other no energy consuming parts (preload, springs etc) .
4 cm 15 cm 4 cm 15 cm
KG KG
Figure 22.1: extension of the spring
KG KG
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All the units hang from their top hinge joint which is the only point the unit is actually connected to the frame. (there is also a rail for the bottom joint which however only makes sure the movement is precisely on the vertical axis and that possible windload would not cause problems). This decision was connected to the selection of self weight as a reaction force that would make the rhombus move together with the shape memory polymer. Hanging from the top joint the rhombus self weight helps it fold into a slender shape. Other solutions with more rails or unfolding to other directions for design reasons did not fulfill the requirements. They also required finding another reaction force which would then probably be a preloaded spring force. This solution will be analyzed at a later stage (motion chapter). For the design of the hanging rhombus there was however still one problem. During the motion between completely folded and unfolded state the elements were colliding/interfering with each other, especially when not all elements were moving to the same extend. The folding rhombus becomes longer in the y-axis, which means that it will hit the one underneath it. Putting each rhombus in another plane by moving them perpendicular to the faade (more to the inside or to the outside) also causes problems as the top joint of each unit needs an axis/shaft to attach it to the frame (see figure). The problems also concerns shading units neighboring diagonally (not only in the vertical axis), as they would also interfere under certain conditions. Diagrams and experiments first led to a solution of a frame that has the shading rhombuses alternately on its external and internal side to avoid colliding. However a simpler solution was finally chosen. The two lower rods are bent at a specific point to move within another plane in order to ensure clearance with the other ones (see figure). Motion and driving force The way the rhombus would fold and unfold from a perfect rectangle covering the whole space behind it to a very slender shape that allows sunrays to pass into the building is, as already analyzed, based on the properties of a shape memory alloy, nitinol. Transition from one shape(folded) to the other (unfolded) will happen in response to temperature change. Choice of the proper mixture between Nickel and Titanium makes sure the transition temperature is best suited to the specific environment. Force on the rhombus will be most effective if exerted on the corners/joints. (Proven by experiments and calculations). The shape memory alloy will best work in tensile forces as a design pulling two corners/joints close to each other is much more effective (less material needed, even a thin wire could work) than one pushing two corners away from each other and does not need support to avoid buckling etc. One of the strongest and most effective (less material) structures for this application are tension springs. As a result a nitinol spring has to be used to exert tensile force on two opposite lying rhombus hinge joints. A tensile force can only be created in this case if the alloy remembers its short spring shape (original shape). As previously explained a shape memory alloy of this kind can only exert force (move) during its transition from cold/martensite state to warm/austenite state. This means that the only way to use the tensile force of a shape memory spring in this design is by connecting the top and bottom corner joints of the rhombus. Heat above the transition temperature will thus make the spring shrink and pull the two vertical corners closer to each other. The top hinge is attached to the frame so it will actually raise the bottom of the rhombus until it reaches the perfect rectangle that covers the whole gap.
Figure 23.1: rhombuses put alternately on different sides Figure 23.2: rhombus lower part bent for overlapping Figure 23.3: three different layers of rhombuses
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Heat from the sun rays heats up the spring, which when cold is elongated to allow a very slender rhombus shape. The spring shrinks in response to heat and makes the shape of the rhombus a rectangle that closes the gaps of the faade. The previously mentioned question still exists. Which is the reacting force to deform/elongate the nitinol spring again and bring the rhombus back to its slender shape when temperature drops? While this question could be generally answered with weight or a counter spring, many experiments and calculations were needed to precisely find out which solution would actually work (see figure). Another side effect of the lack of a reaction force was that the transition would be relatively fast and only within a very small temperature range, as the wire would usually be in its fully extended or fully shrunk position. More experiments were made to observe the reaction force needed to pull the shrunk nitinol spring back to its elongated condition. Is it a constant force or not? Would a counter spring work? Experiments included hanging certain weight from the spring and precisely adjusting it, as well as connecting the nitinol spring to regular springs. To observe the motion of the system the nitinol spring was heated and cooled alternately to change its stiffness and shape. If a certain constant weight worked better than a counter spring, it would mean that the simplest solution could be chosen. Weight of the entire rhombus would be accurately calculated and adjusted to exert this specific force on the spring. In case the counter spring worked better, such a spring could be used to connect the other two (horizontal) hinge joints (see figure). Experiments showed that for this specific nitinol spring 700g of constant weight worked perfectly. The nitinol spring was strong enough to raise 700g to its fully shrunk condition when heated well above the transition temperature and 700g were heavy enough to deform/elongate the spring to its longest shape of 150mm when cooled (spring rates becomes lower, spring becomes softer). The findings of this experiments were very important for the project as they led to the simplest solution. In the real sunshading mechanism self weight of the rhombus would be enough if precisely calculated and adjusted, to move from its folded to its unfolded state only under temperature change without any other power supply or even spring. Weight has to be adjusted according to the spring force but also the other way around works. If the shading element has a predefined weight, a nitinol spring with certain -specific- dimensions (able to produce a specific force) has to be chosen for good operation/motion of the sunshade. The findings of tests with counter springs (or elastic bands) on the other hand were difficult to decrypt. Linear springs are springs giving a straight line force/elongation diagram. The more the spring has to be deformed the more force (analogically in linear springs) is needed. The consequences of these properties on the existing structure were the following. When choosing a regular spring soft enough (lets assume 700g of reaction force only at its fully elongated position) to allow the nitinol spring to reach its highest/fully shrunk position it would not be strong/stiff enough to pull it all the way back when it is cooled down, because shrinkage of the regular spring means reduction of its counter force. On the other hand a strong/stiff spring (lets assume 700g of reaction force only at its shortest position) will succeed in pulling the nitinol wire down to its fully extended position when cold, but will be way too strong to be elongated until the nitinol reaches its shrunk position, considering that forces become bigger and bigger according to Hookes law.
Figure 25.3: Elongated nitinol spring by additional weight
Figure 25.1: expirement with nitinol spring and bottle of water. Adjustment easy by adding water to precicely get the needed reaction force
Figure 25.2: Use of sandbags as reaction force. Precise adjustment of weight possiible. Relatively small volume
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At this point just for collecting more information and alternatives an additional search for constant force springs that do not obey Hookes law began. Springs that produce practically constant force are usually designed as rolls of high yield stainless steel stripes which are at their relaxed state when rolled up and exert an almost constant force when unrolled. The easiest way to find them seemed to be just destroying some measuring tapes. (the ones that roll back when released). Using two relatively strong ones (needs to exert 700g on the lower joint of the rhombus) attached at the two horizontal hinge joints of the rhombus and connecting them does almost work as good as weight (constant force), although it is too much complexity and more points prone to failure under operation.
Final Design
Development of the system finally led to a relatively simple mechanism using the principle of shape memory and change of spring rate of a nitinol spring actuated by temperature change. The counter effect is achieved by the self weight of the structure. The stainless steel rhombus comprising four rods connected with four hinge joints at their ends and an elastic semi transparent fabric (percentage can vary) between them, can move from a fully folded elongated slender shape to an unfolded rectangular shape. The rhombus hangs from its upper hinge joint which is connected to the basic supporting frame (see figure). The lower joint moves within a rail that ensures that the system is stable and moves accurately on the vertical axis. The frame being exactly behind the hanging rhombuses has holes of exactly the same size and shape of the rhombus in its rectangular shape (fully unfolded), thus letting more or less sunlight enter the building according to the position of the rhombus unit. Movement of the basic rhombus unit between the two extreme positions to shade more or less, is achieved by the tensile forces of a Shape Memory tension spring attached to the top and bottom joint and by the reaction force provided by each rhombus units self weight. Due to properties of the shape memory material Nitinol the spring has a higher spring rate when warm (above a certain temperature set according to the needs) and tends to return to its short shape, thus prevailing over the constant weight of the structure. This forces the rhombus to unfold to its rectangular shape and shade more as the vertical diagonal shrinks. When on the other hand temperature drops under the specified transition point the nitinol spring becomes softer (spring rate drops) and the constant weight force of the structure prevails over it, deforms it and forces the rhombus to fold into its elongated slender shape that let more light enter the building.
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Conclusion
Important advantages like no need for any connections, motors, actuators, control units, power supply, complicated or time consuming on-site installation procedures/adjustments by technicians, have all been already described and comprise the main reason for describing the mechanism as an efficient one that is worth developing and improving. However some drawbacks and possible points prone to failure have to taken into consideration. One important drawback is that the system has to be more developed to be adaptive to the actual sunrays and not only temperature. Whether it is used as an external layer or within an intermediate cavity it will according to the existing design only react to temperature change caused by the sun. The fabric that has to be used within the rhombus is also a part that needs further investigation. It has to be very flexible and at the same time not interfere with the operating system or buckle too much. The springs themselves are also a point to consider as fatigue of metals is always a problem with constant elongation and shrinkage. Nevertheless Nitinol due to its hyperelasticity properties and atomic arrangement shows much higher resistance against fatigue compared to any other regular metal.
Evaluation
Within this project some compromises had to be made due to limitations. These may at the end have consequences on the accuracy of the model in relation to the real structure, but showing the principle and basic operation of the system was the main priority. It has not been easy to find the shape memory alloy with the exact properties to match the desired temperature and the weight of the rhombus unit. The system had to be constructed according to the specifications of the springs that were at that time available on the market for a reasonable price. The spring imposed specific, relatively small dimensions for the rhombus. These dimensions were about 230mmX20mmX3mm for each one of the 4 rods which had to comprise a structure that would exert 700g of force on its diagonally attached spring. Calculating with the densities of different metals for these dimensions, only very thick stainless steel or lead would reach the desired weight to make the system operate by its own weight as it would on real building facade. Stainless steel of the calculated thickness was a difficult material to cut, bend and drill in the building week of this course and lead was also a material with properties that would not help the team with the construction. The only metal that could easily be bent, cut and drilled in the courses workshop was aluminum, which unfortunately is a really light material. This led to adding/hanging additional weight from the bottom joint of each rhombus to simulate the real weight of the structure and provide a reaction force for the springs. The simple solution of hanging sandbags from each rhombus lower joint was used. However seeking for very small and heavy parts (high density) also solutions with lead came to mind. After melting some spare plumber parts in cylindrical aluminium candle casings (calculating density of lead and volume of the candle light it was easy to find the exact weight) with a central hole for attaching to the lower joint, it was found that these lead parts could be a good alternative for the model. Of course more time and machines would make it easy to either find a softer or longer spring, or construct a heavier rhombus of real 1:1 size and weight from the beginning. Calculations and experiments have showed that it is not a difficult task to make the system work with the rhombuses own weight.
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Bibliography
Smart Materials in Architecture, interior Architecture and design Axel Ritter Thermovariable rate springs Stoekel Waram, The magazine of spring Technology Materials, engineering, science, processing and design Ashby M., Shercliff H., Cebon D. Engineering Aspects of Shape Memory Alloys Duerig, T.W., Melton, K.N., Stckel, D. and Wayman C.M.
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