Bryden Wood’s efforts to develop P-DfMA processes and strategies utilising platform construction and manufacturing approaches have helped to facilitate an understanding of the ways we might achieve our desired goals.. P-DfMA and The Ministry of Justice.
A truss is an assembly, typically made from timber or steel, which forms part of the structural frame of a building.The aim of this project was to produce an automated design tool for a structural building system comprised of a small number of truss assemblies, that could then be mass produced in an automated factory..
The truss system design is an automated, digital workflow which takes client requirements including geometrical constraints and preferred materials, and uses iterative parametric 3D modelling to develop individual truss designs.Structural optimisation and validation are included as part of this process to ensure that the truss meets the required specification.Once complete, these 3D models become a suite of outputs which can drive further analysis of the wider system.
This includes detailed analysis of parts of the assembly process, such as robotic welding cells..In addition, the mathematical modelling and simulation tools (including process simulation models) can then be used to test the proposed manufacturing process and production options, providing stakeholders with more information to make better informed decisions.. Construction automation case study: the fabrication process.
The factory takes square hollow section steel and plate steel as raw materials and fabricates different types of painted trusses.
Using expected market demand as well as the ongoing truss system designs, a process flow for fabrication was developed with initial layouts for arrangement and quantities of equipment.It’s a starting point.
It’s a way in which a client can express their perceived need.Given that the brief charts the course for the remainder of the project it is critical that it is a well-articulated leading document.
An architect’s inability to spend time developing the brief – and in many cases being cast as simply ‘another consultant’ rather than an enabler and driver of a process – means that the most critical part of a project might simply follow the flow of least resistance.Significantly, depending on the project, the sequencing of the steps will vary.
(Editor: Quick Brushes)