Exo-Skins
Self-Actuating, Thermally-Responsive, Laminated Bio-Composite for Retrofit
Sign in and Register
Create an Account
Overview
Abstract
Cost-effective, sustainable, self-actuating, thermally-responsive, bio-composite exo-skins that act like shields or cloaks for existing buildings could reduce the energy demand for existing buildings, achieving the benefits of a retrofit without the complicated and invasive processes of a traditional retrofit procedure.
This paper describes the research to develop an advanced bio-composite to be utilized as an environmental modulating layer for building envelopes in order to reduce energy use. Conceptually and in laboratory tests this material is a laminated, thermally-responsive, self-actuating, advanced bio-composite smart material. Designed in various geometries, this material can be utilized as an applied and independent exterior building layer or exo-skin, responding to environmental conditions in order to create non-invasive retrofitting that can “shield or cloak” existing buildings, in order to modulate heat gains and light, ultimately, improving building energy efficiency. Initial digital modeling and lab-testing, has demonstrated the thermally-responsive dynamic capabilities of the material and the resultant patterns in which it can be designed and deployed as a cloak or shield to achieve energy-use reductions. Laminated smart materials that have been developed thus far are for the large part focused on bimetals or petroleum products. This research is targeted to developing a bio-based smart material alternative from a renewable resource. With a strong agriculture industry, the region in which the authors are located expands the renewable source stream is available on a short and regular cycle.
Authors
Nick Braaksma
Bates Masi + Architects
njbraaksma@gmail.com
Malini Srivastava, AIA
North Dakota State University
malini.srivastava@ndsu.edu
Chad Ulven
North Dakota State University
chad.ulven@ndsu.edu
Keywords
Introduction
Of all sectors, buildings have the largest share of energy use in the United States and therefore a large role to play in efforts to reduce energy use and impact
Access Restricted
Background
Climate Adaptive Building Shells (CAB)
In recent years, high energy performance architecture has split into two alternative directions: active technologies and passive strategies (Loonen 2010, Loonen et al 2013). Active
Access Restricted
Method
This research is based on laminating two materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion together to achieve a bending deformation along the length of the strand when heated. In the
Access Restricted
Data
Sourced from Composites Evolution, a worldwide supplier of composite materials based in Chesterfield UK, Biotex Flax is the base material for the five samples that were tested in the laboratory
Access Restricted
Explanation
Some of the results obtained thus far were surprising especially during the cooling cycle. The laminated bio-composites respond differently to heating and cooling cycles. The cooling cycle changes indicate that
Access Restricted
Conclusion and Future Work
This testing demonstrates that a thermally activated, self-actuating, laminated bio-composite structure could be made. In a sample size of 457.2 mm (18 in) by 50.8 mm (2 in), as much
Access Restricted
Acknowledgements
This early research was completed with seed funding by Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, North Dakota State University. Patrick Simpson (2016 Graduate Research Assistant, Mechanical Engineering) completed the laboratory tests including materials samples.
Rights and Permissions
Bos, Harriette L., Jörg Müssig, and Martien JA van den Oever. "Mechanical properties of short-flax-fibre reinforced compounds." Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing 37, no. 10 (2006): 1591-1604.
Chabba, Shitij, and Anil N. Netravali. "‘Green’composites part 1: characterization of flax fabric and glutaraldehyde modified soy protein concentrate composites." Journal of Materials Science 40, no. 23 (2005): 6263-6273.
Davies, Mike. "A Wall for all seasons+ Uses for glass in building." Riba Journal-Royal Institute of British Architects 88, no. 2 (1981): 55-57.
Drehobl, Ariel, and Lauren Ross. "Lifting the high energy burden in America’s largest cities: How energy efficiency can improve low income and underserved communities." (2016).
Dittenber, David B., and Hota VS GangaRao. "Critical review of recent publications on use of natural composites in infrastructure." Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing 43, no. 8 (2012): 1419-1429.
Erickson, James. Envelope as Climate Negotiator: Evaluating adaptive building envelope's capacity to moderate indoor climate and energy. Arizona State University, 2013.
Faruk, Omar, Andrzej K. Bledzki, Hans-Peter Fink, and Mohini Sain. "Biocomposites reinforced with natural fibers: 2000–2010." Progress in polymer science 37, no. 11 (2012): 1552-1596.
Fuqua, Michael A., Shanshan Huo, and Chad A. Ulven. "Natural fiber reinforced composites." Polymer Reviews 52, no. 3 (2012): 259-320.
Holbery, James, and Dan Houston. "Natural-fiber-reinforced polymer composites in automotive applications." JOM Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 58, no. 11 (2006): 80-86.
Jang, Bor Z. "Advanced polymer composites: principles and applications." ASM International, Materials Park, OH 44073-0002, USA, 1994. 305 (1994).
Jawaid, M. H. P. S., and HPS Abdul Khalil. "Cellulosic/synthetic fibre reinforced polymer hybrid composites: A review." Carbohydrate Polymers 86, no. 1 (2011): 1-18.
Joshi, Satish V., L. T. Drzal, A. K. Mohanty, and S. Arora. "Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites?." Composites Part A: Applied science and manufacturing 35, no. 3 (2004): 371-376.
Kroschwitz, Jacqueline I., and Mary Howe-Grant. "Encyclopedia of chemical technology Kirk-Othmer." Wiley & Sons, New York, USA (1991).
Lodha, Preeti, and Anil N. Netravali. "Characterization of interfacial and mechanical properties of “green” composites with soy protein isolate and ramie fiber." Journal of Materials science 37, no. 17 (2002): 3657-3665.
Loonen, Roel. "CLIMATE AOAPTIVE BUILOING SHELLS: What can we simulate?." (2010). Eindhoven University of Technology.
Loonen, Roel CGM, Marija Trčka, Daniel Cóstola, and J. L. M. Hensen. "Climate adaptive building shells: State-of-the-art and future challenges." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 25 (2013): 483-493.
Modin, H. A. N. N. A. "Adaptive building envelopes." Chalmers University of Technology (2014): 18-19.
Mohanty, A. K., Manjusri Misra, and Lawrence T. Drzal. "Surface modifications of natural fibers and performance of the resulting biocomposites: an overview." Composite Interfaces8, no. 5 (2001): 313-343.
Mohanty, A. K., M. Misra, and Gi Hinrichsen. "Biofibers, biodegradable polymers and biocomposites: an overview." Macromolecular materials and Engineering 276, no. 1 (2000): 1-24.
Netravali, Anil N., Xiaosong Huang, and Kazuhiro Mizuta. "Advanced'green'composites." Advanced Composite Materials16, no. 4 (2007): 269-282.
Raman, Mahadev. "Mitigating climate change: what America’s building industry must do." Design intelligence (2009). Retrieved from http://www.di.net/articles/mitigating-climate-change-what-americas-building-industry-must-do/
Ramesh, T., Ravi Prakash, and K. K. Shukla. "Life cycle energy analysis of buildings: An overview." Energy and buildings 42, no. 10 (2010): 1592-1600.
Sherman, Lilli Manolis. "Natural fibers: the new fashion in automative plastics." Plastics technology45, no. 10 (1999): 62-68. Available: www.ptonline.com. [Accessed 20 2 2013]
Sung, Doris. "Smart Geometries for Smart Materials: Taming Thermobimetals to Behave." Journal of Architectural Education 70, no. 1 (2016): 96-106.
Taylor, C., T. Krosbakken, C. A. Ulven, A. Paramarta, and D. C. Webster. "Structural quality biocomposites of treated flax fiber with epoxidized sucrose soyate resin." In International Conference on Composite Materials. Montreal, Canada. 2013.
U. S. residential and commercial buildings total primary energy consumption (March 2012). Retrieved from
United States Energy Information Administration. (2015). Monthly Energy Review 2014. United States Department of Energy.United States Energy Information Administration. (2016). Monthly Energy Review 2015. United States Department of Energy.United States Energy Information Administration. (2015). Monthly Energy Review 2014. United States Department of Energy.
Webster D C, Nelson T J, Paramarta A, Kovash C, Pan X. "High performance, high biocontent thermosets for composites and coatings." 17th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, Bethesda, MD, United States, June 18-20, (2013b) GCE-219.