Surface structure on fibre composites – bobles #3

Culture & Context

The series of experiments was part of a bigger project exploring the potentials of thermoplastic fibre composites for design purposes and considering visual and aesthetic attributes. This to challenge the otherwise commonly used thermo-setting fibre composites predominantly used in e.g. wind turbines and to demonstrate alternative use scenarios. 

Part of this was to explore how to incorporate surface structures and create lively surfaces on the otherwise flat and rigid materials. The experiments played with the surface structures through e.g. shape and depth and thereof ability to be ‘filled’ when being consolidated, ability to mimic the negative structures in the mould, but also if/how a structure affected translucency of the samples. 

Process & Production

The samples were produced through press consolidation in a thermo-press process using a lay-up of four layers of cotton plain-weave textile and eight layers of PLA sheets.  

More information about the process can be found here: Hasling, K.M. (2011). Visual Bio-composites – Establishing New Conditions for an Old Material. In: Hallnäs (ed). Proceedings of Ambience ’11, pp. 152-157. 

The used pressing mould included six different engraved surface structures: 

1. Mesh 

1. Stone  

1. Bobbles 

1. Wood 

1. Particles 

1. Leaves 

In the series, the same mould was used with three different lay-ups of respectively cotton plain-weave textile and PLA sheets: 

1. Unbleached cotton + transparent PLA 

1. Bleached cotton + transparent PLA 

1. Bleached cotton + white PLA 

The samples were produced at the Material section at DTU Risø, as part of an Master’s project from Design & Innovation Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.