Arising Student Consciousness Regarding Structural Properties of Natural Materials with a Structural Challenge Employing Arundo Donax
- 1 Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICAM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Abstract
All our actions claim now sustainable choices, and radical changes in materials need to be made. In this p er spective there is the awareness that nature can help to provid e viable solutions. In particular, the choice of natural materials for structures, perfectly optimized by the structural point of view, can be made. In this paper an experimental teaching experience regarding the structural behaviour of Arundo Donaxreed, made in a Structural course of Design of the Industrial Product of the University of Bologna, is reported. Arundo Donax has been firstly characterized from the mechanical point of view and then used in a structural challenge focusing on the best use of a given quantity of reed for a “bridge type structure” with fixed span and width. The main goals of the course were, on one hand (with mechanical characterization of Arundo), to give students sensitiveness on strength and stiffness of the material, on the other (with the structural chall e nge) w ere to make the student think about the combination of material properties and shape of constructions to reach the best structural performances.
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