project C:Structures gerrie hobbelman
About:
Gerrie Hobbelman is a structural engineer and professor with the chair of Building Technology in the Faculty of Architecture at TU Delft. He has written numerous publications regarding architectural structures and structural design and has a vast experience spanning almost 40 years in the field of structural engineering. He was recently nominated for best teacher at TU Delft.
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First meeting:
In first meeting with Mr. Hobbelman the proposal of a double curved inflatable system was discussed. It was both parties opinion that this system presented too many structural difficulties and was generally difficult to implement. The option of a weaved inflatable structure its pattern resembling that of a pantyhose mesh was taken into consideration. Subsequent experiments found this option to be unusable for the project.
Second meeting:
For the second meeting the linear component system was discussed. It is the expert's opinion that this system is far superior than the previously tested concepts.
The expert was presented with the idea of the ground cable anchoring of the linear arches via small slits in the floor. The expert found this solution to be feasible only when having a stable, supporting deck or ground surface to counter the forces that the arch transmits to the ground. Opting to change the moveable floor system into a fixed ground surface will solve the problem of the supports for the arches.
Regarding the materials for the linear component both parties found the option of using car wheel tubes for the inflatables and a composite material of either Kevlar or Nomex for the inflatable frame to be feasible. Most likely due to the high costs for either Kevlar or Nomex a glass fiber reinforced composite material will be used for the frame.
Conclusions:
- the linear system of arches is a viable structural system; the expert found this system convincing and able to achieve the design intent stated in the architectural concept
- having a movable deck system presents a lot of technical difficulties and is generally time-consuming and costly to implement; it is the expert's opinion that this system be taken only as a reference for future projects
- the cable system - anchoring concept was found to be correct and feasible; the expert has expressed his approval for this system
- using car tubes for the inflatables is a viable option; the expert's opinion is that an additional flexible mesh should be used to protect the inflatable component and to give it extra stiffness at high air pressure
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