HORIZONTAL THIN CAST PANELS
Horizontal elements, particularly interior elevated surfaces have great potential to be contextually responsive due to the minimal number of obstructions and the minimal activity of interaction with other objects. This gives many opportunities to experiment with the elements and customize according to the program. The research is focused on three areas – material testing, geometry testing and prototyping.

Materials testing concentrated on performance outcomes based on mixtures. Thinness to strength ratios were tested through an ASTM AASHTO T 177 Flexure Test and an ASTM D 1037 Falling Ball Impact Test.  The second area of testing examined the cross-section and how this impacts the spanning capability of panels. By seeking to maximize the length to weight ratio a rigid, formable element can provide structurally independent long span panels. The final area of focus produced several prototypes to demonstrate the findings in the material and geometry testing and fully test at a 1:1 scale. The panel thickness for these two prototypes are both ¼” thick and with the first measuring 8’ x 1.5’ and the second measuring 12’ x 2’.

Team Members
Sidney Carrasco
Arturo Chavez
Marzia Khatun

Industry Partners
CELEB @ UT Arlington
Reynold's Advanced Materials

Files
Horizontal Thin Cast Panels PDF