Architectured Inflatable mateRials for designing functional Shells – MatAIRialS

This project aims at developing novel algorithms to design free-form inflatable shells which are easy to fabricate and able to carry external loadings. To achieve this goal, we will introduce a novel inflatable meta-material (i.e. architectured material), consisting of superimposed planar membranes sealed according to regularly repeated parametric patterns to form a periodic padding once inflated. Tiling these patterns on our inflatable and adjusting their parameters will allow us to locally modulate the geometric and mechanical properties of the structure and in turn to control its final shape. A special focus will be put on the mechanical characterization of our inflatable meta-materials, both numerically and experimentally, and on the demonstration of the usefulness of our algorithms for practical applications through the fabrication of small-scale and civil-engineering-scale installations.