A Multiscale Adaptive Mesh Refinement Approach to Architectured Steel Specification in the Design of a Frameless Stressed Skin Structure

This paper describes the development of a modelling approach for the design and fabrication of an incrementally formed, stressed skin metal structure. The term incremental forming refers to a progression of localised plastic deformation to impart 3D form onto a 2D metal sheet, directly from 3D design data. A brief introduction presents this fabrication concept, as well as the context of structures whose skin plays a significant structural role.

Existing research into ISF privileges either the control of forming parameters to minimise geometric deviation, or the more accurate measurement of the impact of the forming process at the scale of the grain. But to enhance structural performance for architectural applications requires that both aspects are considered synthetically.

We demonstrate a mesh-based approach that incorporates critical parameters at the scales of structure, element and material. Adaptive mesh refinement is used to support localised variance in resolution and information flow across these scales. The adaptation of mesh resolution is linked to structural analysis, panelisation, local geometric formation, connectivity, and the calculation of forming strains and material thinning.