Abstract
In this paper, we present novel techniques and tools for mobile robotic in situ fabrication of fibre reinforced granular structures outdoors. The research focuses on Jammed Architectural Structures (JAS), a material system that combines granular jamming with strategically placed reinforcement creating robust yet fully reversible structures from crushed rock and string. An architectural implementation of robotic fabrication of JAS requires research on the material system to optimize fabrication speed and on the robotic fabrication method to adapt it for mobile robotic fabrication on uneven ground. There is also a need for building strategies to protect the structure from weathering and making it safe for the public. A novel robotic fabrication method with a fabrication speed that is acceptable for experimental construction and enables fabrication of building-scale dimensions on uneven ground is presented. The presented research consists of three experiments: a column built with a novel reinforcement pattern, a wall element built with a novel end-effector and a building that incorporates the findings from the two first experiments built in situ outdoors with a mobile robot. The conclusion is that robotic fabrication of JAS is suitable for outdoor constructions, that it can be used to create enclosed space that is geometrically articulated and allows for openings and that it is suitable for structural and load-bearing elements. Finally, future work on how to increase the lifespan of the material system and how to increase the fabrication speed further is outlined and discussed.
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Photo: Georg Aerni
Photo: Georg Aerni
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Notes
Depending on the distance from the robot arms sixth joint to the center of mass. During fabrication of the Rock Print Pavilion the combined weight of the end-effector and full load of aggregate weighted between 60–70 kg, depending on the robots configuration.
The hopper is lined with neoprene to increase the friction between the aggregate and the hopper. This friction helps to jamm the aggregate inside the hopper when the vibrators are turned off.
TCP speed is limited to a maximum of 0.25 m/s. Acceleration and deceleration can be ignored due to their limited effect on the precision of the tensile reinforcement pattern. The robot is run in manual mode to increase safety with a restricted maximum joint speed and a dead man's switch.
The inverted cycloid curve can be parametrised by a superposition of a line segment (movement of the robot) \(P_{n} \left( {x_{n} , y_{n} } \right), P_{n + 1} \left( {x_{n + 1} , y_{n + 1} } \right),\) and a circle (rotation of the nozzle) in \(x -\) and \(y -\) coordinates:
$$\begin{aligned} &x\left( t \right) = L_{x} \left( t \right) + C_{x} \left( t \right) \hfill \\ &y\left( t \right) = L_{y} \left( t \right) + C_{y} \left( t \right) \hfill \\ \end{aligned}$$(1)where \(L_{x} \left( t \right)\) and \(L_{y} \left( t \right)\) define the \(x -\) and \(y -\) coordinates of the line segment representing the robotic trajectory, and \(C_{x} \left( t \right)\) and \(C_{y} \left( t \right)\) define the \(x -\) and \(y -\) coordinates define the rotation of the nozzle. The line segment from \(P_{n}\) to \(P_{n + 1}\) is given by:
$$\begin{aligned} &L_{x} \left( t \right) = x_{n} \left( t \right) + t(x_{n + 1} - x_{n)} \hfill \\ &L_{y} \left( t \right) = y_{n} \left( t \right) + t(y_{n + 1} - y_{n)} \hfill \\ \end{aligned}$$(2)And the rotation around a circle with radius \(r\) in a counter-clockwise direction from angle \(\varPhi_{n}\) (angle between the normal \(N_{n}\) and x axis) to angle \(\varPhi_{n + 1}\) 1 (angle between the normal \(N_{n + 1}\) and x axis) is given by:
$$\begin{aligned} &C_{x} \left( t \right) = r\cos (\varPhi_{n} + t\left( {\varPhi_{n + 1} - \varPhi_{n} } \right)) \hfill \\ &C_{y} \left( t \right) = r\sin (\varPhi_{n} + t\left( {\varPhi_{n + 1} - \varPhi_{n} } \right)) \hfill \\ \end{aligned}$$(3)Both Eqs. (2) and (3) are parametrized with parameter \(t \in \left[ {0,1} \right]\).
Developed in collaboration with Dr.Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieuere AG.
The cyclic gravel measuring and placing procedure consist of four steps: (1) The vibrators turn off followed by 2.5 s pause to allow their deceleration forcing the aggregate to jam in the hopper. (2) It takes 0.5 s for the shutters to open, dispense the measured aggregate and close. (3) The vibrators turn on for 0.5 s to refill the measuring chamber. 4) The end-effector executes the 3.5 s-cycle in parallel to the robotic movement (see Fig. 9).
The faster fabrication speed depended on the manual gravel placement at the internal gravel positions of the base, and due to compensating for delays related to weather conditions and mechanical failure of the compressor.
The vandalism was caught by the cameras used for monitoring the structure.
In contrary to damages resulting from vandalism. Due to the layer-based nature of the material system, deep surface damages propagate upwards form the damage parts and requires immediate repairs to avoid substation damages on the structure.
Such as weathering based on cyclic wetting, drying and freezing–thawing experiments as well as creep based on cyclic load test.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank their team at ETH Zürich for efforts and support during the planning and execution of the Rock Print Pavilion, especially Michael Lyrenmann, Philippe Fleischmann, Selen Ercan and Sandro Meier. We are particularly grateful for the structural engineering from Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieure AG, Daniel Meyer, Reto Furrer. Furthermore, we would like to thank our cooperation partners at the Institute for Building Materials at ETH Zürich, Prof. Dr. Hans J. Herrmann, Dr. Falk Wittel and Dr. Pavel Illiev. Finally, we would like to thank the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur for the invitation to build the pavilion, the Migros Kulturprozent, Keller Systeme AG, Toggenburger AG, Förderverein Gewerbemuseum Winterthur and Erne AG Bauunternehmung. The ETH Zurich Foundation is founding the research.
Funding
The research presented herein is funded by the ETH Zurich Foundation. Migros Kulturprozent, Keller Systeme AG, Toggenburger AG, Förderverein Gewerbemuseum Winterthur and Erne AG Bauunternehmung sponsored the construction of The Rock Print Pavilion.
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Aejmelaeus-Lindström, P., Rusenova, G., Mirjan, A. et al. Rock print Pavilion: robotically fabricating architecture from rock and string. Constr Robot 4, 97–113 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-020-00027-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-020-00027-8