Residence, designed for a local AIA/Humane Society design competition, was conceived as a study in materiality....A union between conventional Structural steel (welded & bolted) and Carbon Fiber Composite construction (fastened & laminated).
Monday, August 18, 2008
HERITAGE CARBON MILL: PRODUCTION AND MILLING OF CARBON FIBER ITEMS
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WORK.
WWW.CARBONFIBERARCHITECTURE.COM &
BENJAMIN S. EMANUELSON ASSOC. AIA TO
NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURIES OR
HEALTH PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH
CARBON FIBER PROCESSES. RESPIRATORY
PROTECTION, VENTILATION, & EYE & SKIN
PROTECTION ISSUES TO BE PROPERLY
ACCOUNTED FOR DURING ALL PROCESSES
SIMILAR TO THE ONES SHOWN.
In order to properly form the carbon composite shape,
it was deemed necessary that a formwork be created.
This formwork was constructed of 1/4" plexi-glass, and
was shaped using a rigged "heat-brake." (Shown)
The plexi-glass was held in place and heated regularly
across a concentrated axis until flexibility was achieved. (Shown)
Below: The Carbon Fiber primary structural element.
The initial layer was a bi-directional weaving, however the
central-most layers were "uni-directional." The uni-directional
carbon fiber mat resin impregnation is a noticeable challenge
when compared to the bi-directional surface mat.
A second layup, on a second plexi-glass form was also
deemed necessary. (Below)
As the resin heat-cures itself, pushing, pulling,
expansion, and contraction were to take place. This
caused a considerable amount of damage to the plexi
form. It was decided that a better approach would
be to allow initial layers to cool and cure, as they
would be able to absorb many of the inherent stresses.
(Below)
Machining and shaping of cured items was made possible by
using a metal blade (containing carbon fiber itself) within a standard
table saw. Cutting of the material, which is structurally stronger and
lighter than steel, was interestingly much more easy to cut, and
more forgiving to work with, when compared to steel or aluminum.
These are just a few of the related exercises and issues related
to the inherent processes of carbon fiber composite materials.
ACADEMIC THESIS INVESTIGATION & RELATED TEXTS
Throughout the six years I spent in architecture school in Illinois and Arkansas, my interests included many different artistic genres and mediums, studying automotive technology as well as building technologies. This as always been the case. During my last semester in architecture school (spring 2006) I devoted a full 6 credit-hour semester to independently researching Carbon Fiber Composites. To my knowledge, this was an unprecedented reality. In addition to learning to work with the material (e.g. "The Carbon Composite Trade") itself, I produced this paper, which goes into great detail:
Simultaneously, I also produced this paper, which analyzed the history of Gothic Architecture. It has very little if anything to do with the study of carbon fiber composites, with one exception. The Gothic was marked as a time when tensile properties of building materials began to receive serious consideration. Prior to the Gothic, Architectural design was primarily an exercise of compressive force expertise.
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