FOLDED PLATE STRUCTURES

What are folded plate structures?

• A folded plate is a long span structure.(Structure with span larger than 20m
can be regarded as long span structure for this span is usually unable to be
achieved by ordinary RC structure.)

• Folded plates are assemblies of flat plates rigidly connected together along
their edges in such a way so as to make the structural system capable of
carrying loads without the need for additional supporting beams along
mutual edges.

• Folded plates distribute load along the surfaces of a plate and along the
seams between the folds, across three dimensions, producing structures
composed of surface and linear elements.
 BRIEF HISTORY
• An initial source of inspiration represents Origami, the art of folding paper.
Even if the beginning of Origami is in China (the land where paper was
invented) the name Origami is Japanese and simply means ´paper-folding´.
The classical/traditional Origami has strict rules and regulations. Folding
figures are created from only one paper square and exclusively by folds –
without cutting, sticking and joining.

• A very simplifying assumption of mathematical Origami is: Paper has zero

thickness. For architecture and structural engineering Origami stands for
the most important folding inspiration and on that account Origami is the
basic principle for the majority of all realized folded structures.

DIFFERENT TYPES:
Tessellation Origami
Origami Tessellations are geometric patterns that can repeat forever
 YOSHIMURA
Origami Hypars : PATTERN
Hyperbolic paraboloids are defined geometrical shapes which can be folded (DIAMOND
very simply. The appearance is dominated by a bigger number of longitudinal PATTERN)
folds and smaller number of facetted folds.

Modular Origami : DIAGONAL

With the modular or unit Origami however are manufactured folded modules PATTERN
which are built up to spatial spaces. The form variety reaches over simple
Platonic bases such as cubes or tetrahedrons up to complex polyhedrons.
HOW DOES IT WORK:

• Folded plates can be made of reinforced steel concrete, steel plate, or both,
in conjunction with and reinforced by , a linear truss system.
• The base of a folded plate is
assembled from a thin steel
reinforced-concrete or steel
surface that is bent to
increase it’s strength and
allow it to span like a beam.
• Folded plates tackle the
primary bending stresses
across their inclined section
with peak stress at the ridge
and rest to the folds.
• The depth of the plate’s folds is proportional to its resistance to bending.
• They can be made of reinforced concrete or steel and also by a mixture of
concrete and terra cotta tiles, in order to reduce the overall weight, or
lightweight polymer (mixture of concrete and fibre, glass). Scored laminated
timber sheets can also be used , resulting in a much lower weight-to-span
ratio.
• This distribution of load through the depth steel reinforced concrete or steel
sections embeds the folded plate with an affective property of pleating and
 BASIC CHARACTERISTICS
• The inclined plates

• Edge plates which must be used to stiffen the wide plates

• Stiffeners to carry the loads to the supports and to hold the plates in line,
and

• Columns to support the structure in the air.

• A folded plate may be formed for about the same cost as a horizontal slab
and has much less steel and concrete for the same spans.
TYPES

THREE SEGMENT FOLDED PLATE:

• This sketch shows a folded plate structure with three
segments for each barrel.
• The end stiffeners are rigid frames rather than deep
girders as in the last example.
• The size of the frames may be reduced by using a steel
tie between the tops of the columns.
• The depth of the shell should be about 0.10 times the
span.
• The maximum slope of a plate should not be greater
 Z SHELL:
• Each of the units above has one large sloping plate and two edge plates
arranged with space between the units for windows.

• The windows are normally open to the north but most of the light is actually
reflected south light.

• Adjacent units should be tied together by structural window mullions.

• In constructing the Z shell, movable forms need only be lowered a short

vertical distance if construction is started on the right and proceeds to the
left.

• The Z shell is not an efficient structural shape since it is discontinuous and

its effective depth is much less than the actual vertical depth.

• Therefore, the spans are

limited in comparison to
the plates having a large
number of units side by
side.
 WALLS CONTINUOUS WITH SHELL:
• In this structure the walls are of tilt-up concrete construction concrete is cast
flat on the floor and raised into place by cranes.

• The walls are designed to be continuous with the roof plates.

• Tilt-up walls usually are joined by poured-in-place columns.

• In this design, columns are not necessary at the junction of the individual side
wall panels because the walls are braced at the top.

• Only a simple grouted key slot is provided.

• The tilt-up panels can serve as their own foundation walls so only a
continuous footing pad is used with a notch to receive the tilt-up panel.

• The tilt-up walls can be

designed for this lateral load
because they are held at the
top by the shell and act as
vertical beams rather than as
cantilever retaining.
 CANOPIES:
• This folded plate has four segments.

• A two segment structure is not desirable because it has very little torsional
resistance.

• If it is absolutely necessary to have a two element system, a torsion member

can be placed in the valley which will carry the unbalanced loads.

• Stiffeners can often be hidden on the top surface so they are not in evidence
and the shell will appear to spring from the vertical column.

• At the wall of the building there should also be a stiffener hidden in the wall
construction.

• Provision should be
made for drainage of the
centre valley.
TAPERED FOLDED PLATES:

• The height of the shells at the centre of the span is the critical dimension
for bending strength.

• Therefore, the structure is not very efficient and not suitable for long spans
because of the excess height required for the large ends.

• Another weak element in this design is the transfer of shear from the small
end of the triangular plate to the large end.

• If a large number of units are used in each span, the transfer of loads may
be difficult.

• A folded plate may be used for

walls as a thin structural
element by casting each plate
flat on the floor and grouting
the joints full of concrete.

• A wall of this type can be made

much thinner than a flat wall.
 EDGE SUPPORTED FOLDED PLATES:

• The usual upturned edge plate can be eliminated and the roof structure can
be made to appear very thin if the edge plate is replaced by a series of
columns.

• The slab between columns must be designed as a beam and it may be

convenient to extend the main roof slab as a cantilever canopy.

• The vertical columns in the end walls at the crown of the gable takes the
reactions of the plates and the horizontal ties may be eliminated.

• Wind loads are taken by rigid frame action in the columns and stiffeners.
 FOLDED PLATE TRUSS:

• There are horizontal ties across the width only at the ends of the building
and the structure acts as an edge supported shell.

• The thrusts from the triangular crossed arches are carried lengthwise to
the ends.

• The top chord of the inclined truss is formed by the ridge member.

• The bottom chords are the ties at the base of the side gables and the
diagonals are formed by the sloping valleys at the intersection of the gables
and the triangular plates.
• The top longitudinal compression
member may require some additional
thickness to form a compression
member of sufficient size to carry the
compression force.

• This is truly a space structure and its

structural action is not as obvious and,
therefore, the architectural appearance
is more subtle than the usual shell
structure.
 FOLDED PLATE RIGID FRAME:

• An arch with straight segments is sometimes called a rigid frame.

• It is not as efficient as the curved arch because the bending moments are
greater.

• Ties across the plates are required at the knees and at the crown in order
to distribute the forces at the ends of each segment.
 FOLDED PLATE DOMES:

• In this category are included all domes made with plane slabs and plates.

• Domes may be constructed with small angles between the plates or with
large angles between plates and the structural action may be considerably
different for each type.

• The obvious advantage of the folded plate dome is that the surfaces are
easier to form because they are flat.

• For slab spans over 16 ft., the shell wall is thicker than a curved surface
because bending must be considered.

• The acoustical properties of a structure with plane surfaces are much

better since the sound rays do not come to focus.
FOLDED PLATE DOME - SQUARE IN PLAN:

• The simplest arrangement of folded plate elements is the square dome.

• The spans of the column centres are limited by the span of the triangular
slab which would get very thick and heavy if the spans are large.

• At the outside edges, a member is required, as in the usual folded plate

structure.
FOLDED PLATE DOME - TAPERED ELEMENTS:

• This dome makes use of tapered folded plates slanting to the centre in the
form of a tent.

• It can be built so that each of the triangular elements is self-supporting

during construction except for possibly a single shore at the crown.

• The forms, therefore, can be re-used many times in contrast to the usual
dome structure.
MULTI-FACET DOME:

• Domes may be constructed with many planes so they resemble the facets
of a diamond.

• The structural problem in designing these shells is to provide enough

angle between the planes so that an actual rib is formed which will be stiff
enough to support the plane surface.

• A dome hexagonal in plan can be made continuous with all the adjacent
units if it is necessary to cover a large area.
TYPES: Folded plates:

System of folded plates can tessselate along horizontal or vertical axes of

growth, to produce horizontal and vertical forms:

• Horizontal tessellation :
Can occur in both of the subsystems (folded plates and truss folded plates),
introducing flexibility primarily in section , given that, in all cases, the
protogeometry is capable of distributing loads along the horizontal axis.
Horizontal tessellation results in shed like structural forms, with variations in Truss folded
sections and plan which are produced by the number of folds in the plates. plates:

• Vertical tessellation :
Can occur in folded plates, given that the protogeometry of a folded plate is
able to respond to the three- dimensional bending moment which is the
characteristic of a vertical structure.
 EXAMPLES:
• ST. JOHN’S ABBEY:
In 1950, Abbot Baldwin Dworschak made an audacious decision resulting in
what art historians have called a milestone in the evolution of the architecture of
the Catholic Church in this country. He contacted twelve exalted architects,
among them was Marcel Breuer. Abbot Baldwin asked the architects to submit a
building design for the second century of Saint John's. As part of his stipulations,
Abbot Baldwin required a design for "building a church which will be truly an
architectural monument to the service of God…The Benedictine tradition at its
best challenges us to think boldly and to cast our ideals in forms which will be
valid for centuries to come."
The plan aims at a clear division between the monastic living quarters and the
educational facilities. The two are connected by the important structures they
both share; the church, auditorium, library, and administration building.