Innovative Building Forms Determined by Orthotropic Properties of Folded Sheets Transformed Into Roof Shells

Abstract

Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of geometrical and mechanical changes of nominally plane steel sheets folded in one direction, caused by big elastic shape transformations were invented on the basis of the authors' tests, analyzes and computational models of thin-walled folded sheets transformed into shell shapes. Both geometrical and mechanical changes produce significant restrictions in using sheets for shell forms. The deliberate transformations and sheets' characteristics are required to obtain attractive and innovative forms of roof shells and their consistent structures as well as entire buildings. The search for effective solutions related to free forms of buildings and shape transformations of sheets especially in the fields of: shape transformation, effort and stabilization of their walls is necessary due to the high sensitivity of thin-walled open profiles to boundary conditions and loads. A method for shaping such free form buildings that effectively exploit specific orthotropic properties of the transformed sheeting is presented.