SYSTEM FOR SHIELDING AND CONTROLLING SUN LIGHT OR THE LIGHT FLOW COMING FROM ARTIFICIAL SOURCES, ESPECIALLY FOR APPLICATION TO BUILDINGS

Data di pubblicazione

23-02-2017

Codice

ABC.16.031.A

Stato

Disponibile

Data di priorità

01-01-1970

Titolare

Politecnico di Milano

Dipartimento

Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering

Autori

Andrea Giovanni Mainini, Alberto Speroni, Lorenzo Vercesi

Descrizione

Adaptive shading device actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) springs, and stimulated by light and/or solar radiation. The system can be divided into four main components: • rotating cylinders, which allow variable solar radiation and/or light through due to their shifting geometry, changing between cylindrical to “hourglass” shape; • thermal box, which captures solar radiation and/or natural light and transforms it into heat, therefore raising the internal temperature inside the box; • SMA springs or shape memory materials, which are hosted in the thermal box and can change their elongation factor under a certain temperature stimulus; • ransmission system, which converts the translation movement from the SMA springs into rotation to the cylinders. The system can also work without thermal box and SMA springs, i.e. consisting of rotating cylinders and transmission system connected to a manual actuator or a motor (e.g. for internal applications).

Campo di applicazione

Suitable for application to building facades, for new-built or as part of a retrofitting. Building types can include commercial, residential, entertainment, culture, etc. The system can adapt various geometry of the building envelope, and can be developed for external or internal installation, as well as within the cavity of a twin skin façade or coupled with a transparent interior wall, as an interior privacy screen among two adjacent rooms.

Vantaggi

• Passive system - no use of energy • Possibility of switching between automatic and manual operation, therefore allowing building users to override the system. • Reduced number of components and complexity • Reduced risk of failure • Reduced cost of maintenance, compared to motorised systems • Noiseless actuation • Customisable to different size and geometry of the facade • Adaptable to various facade systems (wall construction, stick system curtain wall, twin skin, unitised system) • Allows a varying degree of shading across the facade, hence regulating solar radiation and/or light locally, preserving view to the outside • Allows partial shading due to the gradual activation of the actuators, which allows intermediate configuration of the cylinders between the two extreme positions (cylinder and “hourglass”)

Contatto

licensing.tto@polimi.it