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Sarah Awada and Eleana Kakli
This project investigates the curved-crease folding of metal sheets as a design and fabrication technique; the act of folding sheet material along a curve, which results in the bending of adjacent surfaces. A successful result requires a clear understanding of the behaviour of the material, the potential of the method, and the limitations of the means used for the production. In the case of this project, aluminium is the material, folding is the technique, and robots are the medium.
The design is a product of using form-finding techniques to achieve an equilibrium. The understanding of the folding kinematics is essential for the recreation of a double curved surface. The final shape is divided into components that are robotically folded to a specific degree, then assembled together in a running bond arrangement with connections of bolts along their surfaces. This helps to achieve an increased stiffness and allows for the object as a whole to act in a self-supporting manner.