Automating Concrete Construction: Digital Design of Non-prismatic Reinforced Concrete Beams

Abstract

The construction industry is responsible for nearly half of the UK’s carbon emissions, mainly due to the large amount of concrete used. Traditional formwork methods for concrete result in prismatic building elements with a constant cross-section, but the shear forces and bending moments that beams have to withstand are far from constant along their length. Up to 40% of the concrete in a typical beam could be removed. An iterative optimisation process has been implemented in a parametric modelling framework to generate and analyse optimal forms for non-prismatic beams that take into account the constraints imposed by the fabrication process, namely the use of fabric formwork. The aim of the resulting design tool is to facilitate the adoption of non-prismatic elements by the construction industry.