Jump to content

Profaku

Development of lightweight profiles and components made of fiber-reinforced plastics for applications in the textile building envelope and window technology. (PROFAKU)

Fast facts

  • Organizational unit

  • Category

    • Federal project
  • Funding source

    Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR)

  • Funding program

    Research initiative ZukunftBAU

  • Duration

About the project

Fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) offer advantages in the production and use in the construction industry that have been given little consideration to date, such as corrosion resistance, durability and low energy consumption during production. The development and construction of profiles was intended to demonstrate the possible use of composite materials in load-bearing structures for modular multi-layer textile building envelopes and for window technology. With the development of profiles and components made of FRP, it will be possible in future to produce load-bearing structures for modular multi-layer textile building envelopes and for window technology. These materials are characterized by a significant reduction in weight compared to conventional materials. Lightweight FRP structures can be assembled into modules in advance and can therefore be integrated into a structured and efficient workflow. Another decisive advantage is the ability to produce constructions with low thermal bridges using FRP profiles. The research results make a significant contribution to identifying future possibilities, bringing the development of the profiles closer to market maturity and verifying their practicability and functionality. The aim of this research project was to develop profiles made of lightweight, fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) and construction methods for the use of these materials in architecture. To this end, profiles were developed for the area of multi-layer textile building envelopes, the mechanical properties were calculated in simulation processes and manufactured using a pultrusion process. Finally, demonstrators for the textile building envelope were constructed and presented to the public. In a further work focus, novel profiles for very slim yet mechanically rigid window frames were developed and produced as mock-ups.

Applicant:
Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. at the University of Bremen
Am Biologischen Garten 2
28359 Bremen

Lead researcher (alternative spokesperson):
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Sobeck (processor)
Prof. Dipl.-Arch. Armin Rogall & V-Prof. Luis Ocanto (responsible)
Dipl.-Ing. Ralf Bäumer (supervisor)

Supervisor at the BBSR:
Guido Hagel

Notes and references

Photo credits

  • Franz Luthe | Franz Luthe
  • Franz Luthe | Franz Luthe

This site uses cookies to ensure the functionality of the website and to collect statistical data. You can object to the statistical collection via the data protection settings (opt-out).

Settings(Opens in a new tab)