L'alluminio per usi strutturali - Lo Stato dell'Arte

The chapter, according to a forthright interest in metallic leagues, deals with structural uses of aluminium: an application field characterized by strong experimentalism, still unsolved operational issues and, above all, by so few diffused specialist knowledge. The several matters approached deal with taking advantage of many opportunities offered by this material as well as acceptance of what, at now, represent its own limitations. Accordingly, the research work concern the development of defining and specialist informative aspects. Defining informative aspects encompass knowledge about material’s history, about production, specific regulation and bibliographical reference. Furthermore to the aforesaid aspects some common information are added: - technical characteristics (lightness, mechanical resistance, plasticity, atmospheric agents resistance and aptitude for superficial treatments); - production techniques (lamination, extrusion, foundry’s processes, forging); - possible applications and at the same time future modelling for structural employments at the rate of high ratio of mechanical resistance to weight; - technical-design aspects. Specialist informative aspects concern data and usage conditions particularly useful at the design stage. They have been reached from estimative analysis of some study-cases, advisably selected in order to underline innovation aspects that connoting the use of this material and making available useful informative syntheses connected to several design issues. Particularly, research activities took care of structural use of material in construction, and its diffusion, according to the different current employments: looms, reticular systems, panels, structures for wraps and continuous façades. Lastly, the research group analyzed and made available, in an estimative way, some specific informative data on material’s characteristics. All this in reference to some specific effects at the design level and for a qualitative control of the project: data transfer to the construction phase, graphic conventions, pre-sizing, performance during the time, environmental and economic performance.