Inflatable steel furniture for lighter infrastructure
GENERAL NEWS
A Polish and Swiss design team have perfected a method of creating inflatable steel furniture which could revolutionise the wind energy and construction sectors , writes Magnus Johanson .
The designers – architect , Oskar Zieta , and materials scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology , Phillipp Dohmen – created the engineering technique as a way of making steel-built products lighter and less expensive without compromising on strength . Called free inner pressure deformation ( FiDU ), the technique requires laser cut sheets of steel that are precision shaped up to plus or minus 0.1mm of error . These 1mm-thin sheets of high-strength steel are then robot-welded to ensure precision of production .
Part of the furniture
The concept was initially tested with the manufacture of furniture , and Zieta Prozessdesign has a range of ladders , chairs and stools . The three-legged Plopp stools which Zieta designed are produced as rolledup tubes of thin steel sheet . These can then be inflated via a simple valve to form a solid , lightweight and stylish seat . Due to steel ’ s inherent strength and the innovative FiDU technique , the award-winning Plopp stool can hold more than two tonnes .
As the pressurised air only needs to range between 0.1-50Bar , the furniture made using this method can be inflated using a bicycle pump . Unlike existing hydroforming methods used in the automotive sector , FiDU doesn ’ t rely on a mould to shape the steel during inflation so this can even be done at home . This means that the metal will deform as it inflates , according to its natural characteristics , making each piece ’ s individual contours unique even though they all come from the same identical design .
While the concept of flat-pack furniture changed the face of interior shopping forever , the FiDU method offers even more convenience at a fraction of the weight . Uninflated Plopp stools take up almost no space compared with a fully formed piece . This has the knock-on effect of significantly lowering the costs and emissions associated with transport .
Dohmen says that the choice to go with steel was based on several factors . Strength was a key aspect , but accessibility and cost were also crucial . The design team experimented with other materials , but steel ’ s flexibility meant that it could be easily cold-formed .
An inflatable steel future ?
Dohmen sees opportunities that stretch far beyond furniture . With the design team ’ s experience in architecture , its research focuses on construction and housing applications , with success constructing a small bridge using an inflatable steel structure .
Using the innovative FiDU technique , the award-winning Zieta Plopp stool can hold more than two tonnes . Image : Zieta Prozessdesign .
The team has also designed and built a small wind turbine . Dohmen says that many current wind turbine blades are made of plexiglass or carbon-fibre , with each twometre-long blade costing € 600 . Steel blades made using FiDU cost € 25 and have greater durability . The application of steel-built technology here could significantly lower the cost of adopting renewable wind power .
Dohmen and Zieta are developing a crash barrier that would run alongside highways . Unlike in other applications , these would be pressurised so that they offer the same deformation that current barriers exhibit , helping to absorb impacts and keep drivers safe . Dohmen says this could be done with a fraction of the material , massively lowering the environmental footprint of the world ’ s highways .
It is clear that this technology , powered by the qualities of steel , has the flexibility to be applied almost anywhere . Indeed , it is the inventor Zieta ’ s dream to utilise FiDU for constructions in space , where its ultra-light and compact design would be suitable . n
Zieta Plopp furniture .
All images courtesy of Zieta Prozessdesign .
Article courtesy of The World Steel Association ( worldsteel ).
ISMR July / August 2021 | sheetmetalplus . com | 9