Pavan Sathyamurthy
Building Technology Graduation Studio
Truss- TO-GO: A Novel Low-Tech Flax-FRP Technology for the In-Situ Construction of Lattice Structures
Truss-to-GO is a proposal for a novel in-situ fabrication and construction technology for lattice structures such as trusses and space frames, using a continuous Flax-FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) composite technology-based ‘Rope’ that can be compactly transported to the site in a spool and manually ‘woven’ into truss-like shapes and finally cured and rigidified. Such technology is invaluable in the domain of rapid, economical, low-tech, high-structural performance construction, which could be used for remote sites, low infrastructure, disaster relief etc, as water, electricity and other site resources are not required.
The ‘magic rope’ and its joints were carefully engineered as braided flax FRP to achieve the highest mechanical strength, with load testing and validation. Then, a step-by-step scheme for on-site fabrication and required tools is developed.
Finally, a simple ‘audit’ comparison is made between the Truss-to-GO technology and some conventional trusses (steel/wood), revealing that the technology is competitive in weight, embodied energy and carbon.