Kinetic Shades: Designing a Shape-Morphing Device with Bistable Laminates and Shape Memory Actuators
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 4
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in kinetic systems made with smart materials that can adapt to changing environmental conditions. This paper describes design research to develop and improve the design of a holder unit that is the basic component of a kinetic bistable shading system. The holder comprises four bistable flaps and linear actuators with shape memory alloy (SMA) springs. The linear actuators force the bistable flaps to snap into their opened and closed positions. Two experimental studies were conducted: (1) a study to find an adequate SMA and biasing springs combination for a linear actuator; and (2) a shape optimization study. The first study aimed to find an adequate configuration for the linear actuator, which has both SMA and biasing springs. In the study, data obtained by image analysis were analyzed statistically to understand which combination of SMA and biasing springs resulted in the largest displacement. The second study used topology optimization to obtain a 25% reduction in the total volume of the holder unit compared to the initial design, resulting in a lighter kinetic structure. The paper describes the two studies conducted, highlighting the resulting improvements in the holder unit for the kinetic screen.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing and the Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems (LimC2) for supporting this work.
References
Addington, M., and D. Schodek. 2005. Smart materials and new technologies—For architecture and design professions. Oxford, UK: Architectural Press.
Barozzi, M., J. Lienhard, A. Zanelli, and C. Monticelli. 2016. “The sustainability of adaptive envelopes: Developments of kinetic architecture.” Procedia Eng. 155: 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.029.
Emam, S. A., and D. J. Inman. 2015. “A review on bistable composite laminates for morphing and energy harvesting.” Appl. Mech. Rev. 67 (6): 060803, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032037.
ESMAP (Energy Sector Management Assistance Program). 2014. Improving energy efficiency in buildings. Mayoral guidance note; no. 3. Energy efficient cities. Washington, DC: ESMAP.
Fiorito, F., M. Sauchelli, D. Arroyo, M. Pesenti, M. Imperadori, G. Masera, and G. Ranzi. 2016. “Shape morphing solar shadings: A review.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 55: 863–884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.10.086.
Formentini, M., and S. Lenci. 2017. “An innovative building envelope (kinetic façade) with Shape Memory Alloys used as actuators and sensors.” Autom. Constr. 85: 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2017.10.006.
Jagtap, S. P., B. B. Deshmukh, and S. Pardeshi. 2021. “Applications of compliant mechanism in today’s world—A review.” J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 1969: 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1969/1/012013.
Kelly, A., R. Davidson, K. Uchino, N. Shanmuga Priya, and M. Shanmugasundaram. 2018. “7.18 smart composite materials systems⋆.” In Comprehensive composite materials II, edited by P. W. R. Beaumont and C. H. Zweben, 358–363. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
Körner, A., et al. 2018. “Flectofold—A biomimetic compliant shading device for complex free form facades.” Smart Mater. Struct. 27 (1): 017001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665X/aa9c2f.
Lele, A., V. Deshpande, O. Myers, and S. Li. 2019. “Snap-through and stiffness adaptation of a multi-stable Kirigami composite module.” Compos. Sci. Technol. 182: 107750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2019.107750.
Lienhard, J., and C. Gengnagel. 2018. “Recent developments in bending-active structures.” In Proc., Int. Association for Shell and Spatial Structures Annual Symp., 1–8. Madrid, Spain: International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures.
Lienhard, J., S. Schleicher, S. Poppinga, T. Masselter, M. Milwich, T. Speck, and J. Knippers. 2011. “Flectofin: A hingeless flapping mechanism inspired by nature.” Bioinspir. Biomim. 6 (4): 045001, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3182/6/4/045001.
Schneider, M., E. Fransén Waldhör, P.-R. Denz, P. Vongsingha, N. Suwannapruk, and C. Sauer. 2020. “Adaptive textile façades through the integration of Shape Memory Alloy.” In Proc., Acadia 2020, Distributed Proximities. CUMINCAD. Accessed September 15, 2021. http://papers.cumincad.org/data/works/att/acadia20_360.pdf.
Vazquez, E., and J. Duarte. 2022a. “Exploring the impact of geometry and fibre arrangements on daylight control in bistable kinetic shades.” J. Facade Des. Eng. 10 (1): 55–74. https://doi.org/10.47982/jfde.2022.1.03.
Vazquez, E., and J. P. Duarte. 2022b. “Bistable kinetic shades actuated with shape memory alloys: Prototype development and daylight performance evaluation.” Smart Mater. Struct. 31 (3): 034001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665X/ac5014.
Yi, H., D. Kim, Y. Kim, D. Kim, J.-s. Koh, and M. J. Kim. 2020. “3D-printed attachable kinetic shading device with alternate actuation: Use of shape-memory alloy (SMA) for climate-adaptive responsive architecture.” Autom. Constr. 114: 103151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103151.
Zhang, Z., Y. Li, X. Yu, X. Li, H. Wu, H. Wu, S. Jiang, and G. Chai. 2019. “Bistable morphing composite structures: A review.” Thin-Walled Struct. 142: 74–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2019.04.040.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 4, 2023
Accepted: Jul 6, 2023
Published online: Aug 28, 2023
Published in print: Dec 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jan 28, 2024
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.