Computational Design of Fiber Composite Tower Structures

This paper describes the computational design aspects of large-scale fiber composite tower structures that are fabricated using novel coreless filament winding processes. Current research on coreless filament winding has shown how high-performance composite materials can be used for many architectural scenarios; however, structural typologies for towers have never been tested. Additionally, biomimetic research on the lightweight lattice systems of cactus skeletons has demonstrated the potential for using interconnected multinodal component geometries to make efficient, tall structures. New integrated computational design and fabrication processes are required to utilize multi-nodal components in composite towers. These processes integrate biomimetic principles, structural performance, material organization, and fabrication logic. The goal of this research is to streamline the form-finding process, to more accurately simulate coreless wound geometries, and to develop adaptive fiber simulation processes for winding syntax development and robotic fiber winding. These techniques improved accuracy and control over existing methods of fabrication for coreless wound structures while simultaneously making the process more efficient. The research presented here will describe and showcase the key improvements used in the design and fabrication of a full-scale architectural demonstrator.