Dissolving Structures : Wachs als alleinig tragendes Baumaterial für freistehende Strukturen

Abstract

This master thesis aims to explore the usability of wax as the sole load-bearingbuilding material for freestanding structures. To aggregate knowledge an experimental approach was chosen, in which the dimensions of conducted experiments were iteratively upscaled. Throughout this research 20 experiments were conducted ranging from small boxes with a maximum side length of 10 cm to objects taller than two meters.Since waxes are a heterogenous group of materials it was chosen to conduct the largest part of the experimentation with paraffin wax, the most common and cheapest variant. Beeswax was also experimented with for comparison and as a naturally sourced alternative.Searching for an optimal production process and ensuring efficient material usage throughout the structure were the main foci of this exploration.From the start casting was explored for the production of structures. Further experimentation showed, that fabric formwork can strengthen the material performance by preventing and bridging over cracks in the wax .Additionally it enabled hanged casting, which simplifies the production of larger structures, and the generation of freeform geometries.After cast stress tests were conducted to estimate the yield strength of the hybridmaterial.To support this a digital design process was developed. Using the particle springmethod of Kangaroo 2 base geometries were designed from either surfaces or linenetworks. Then the output was analysed using the Finite Element Method of Karamba3D® and necessary beam-sizes were calculated.Afterwards a sewing pattern for the designed structure was generated.The process of design, assemblage and testing are described for each experiment individually. A summary and evaluation of the outcomes can be found in the resultssection at the end of this thesis.