Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LIGHTEN (Ultralight membrane structures towards a sustainable environment)
Période du rapport: 2020-11-01 au 2022-10-31
Building constructions and operations show the highest environmental footprint in terms of global energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the latter greater than transportation and industrial activities. The carbon footprint of constructions is increasing, with almost one-third of buildings-related CO2 emissions due to the use of materials. The demand for buildings, floor area and construction materials is growing and expected to double by 2060. Under these circumstances, innovative building technologies employing low-carbon materials are of paramount importance in embodied carbon reduction to lower construction-related CO2 emissions through (i) resource-efficient lightweight building designs, (ii) waste reduction via reuse and recycling, (iii) lifetime extension, and (iv) minimal transportation. Hence, the main challenge in the building sector is seeking and implementing novel construction technologies. A feasible solution towards achieving a sustainable built environment is offered by membrane, or tensile, structures. Recyclable lightweight membranes offer a thinner and greener alternative to glass and other transparent cladding materials, resulting in significant weight savings. They are advantageous in scenarios where the design has to accommodate large unsupported spans with minimal weight. By building better with less material, environmental benefits in the form of reduced energy usage and carbon emissions during production, transportation and installation could be accrued, while simultaneously providing a cost-effective structural engineering solution.
LIGHTEN aims to foster innovative structural membranes in ultralightweight buildings by developing engineering models capable of predicting and optimising their response and performance. The research objectives, which will be achieved through a combination of analytical, numerical and experimental methods, are: (i) characterisation and modelling of the nonlinear thermo-visco-elasto-plastic response of structural membranes, (ii) analyses of failure and instabilities of structural thin films and (iii) design and machine-learning optimisation of lightweight and sustainable membrane structural elements exposed to extreme conditions.
The outcomes of the project will offer new insights into the development of design approaches and building standards for sustainable membrane structures. The objectives will be achieved by equipping the research students with a balanced combination of original research abilities, transferable skills, technical and industry-oriented knowledge, which will maximise their employability in a European market that requires enhanced technological competencies to face the current challenges for sustainable built environment.
The research activities part of WPs 2,3,4 and 5 have been initiated by the ESRs, who defined the experimental testing protocols (D2.1) that enabled to perform the thermo-visco-elasto-plastic characterisation of structural membranes (D2.2 MS6), establish novel procedures for the assessment of their yield strength (D3.2) analytically develop and numerically implement preliminary constitutive models (D2.3). Furthermore, a comprehensive literature review on membrane failure and instabilities was submitted (D3.1) which served to set up analyses on wrinkling and flutter instabilities. Lastly, the numerical research approaches have been initiated by developing hybrid machine-learning models for membrane materials and machine-learning-driven topology optimisation. Network-wide scientific and complimentary training activities were organised in WP6. They included the first two LIGHTEN training schools, one workshop and a series of events for soft skills. These complemented the training that each ESRs has received from their academic and industrial supervisors. The consortium established a Communication, Outreach, Dissemination and Exploitation (C.O.D.E.) plan in WP7. The LIGHTEN website was set up (D7,1, MS4) alongside LIGHTEN social media channels. The ESRs participated in outreach events, while the results of the projects have been disseminated to the scientific community through open-access publications in journals and books, and participation at international conferences. Exploitation activities have been initiated through different actions to involve external academic and industrial stakeholders.