Innovation: carbon concrete-timber composite module
Conwood frameworks, the hybrid module made of timber and carbon concrete, according to its developers beton design factory, V. Fraas Solutions in Textile GmbH and Laumer Bautechnik GmbH opens up entirely new possibilities in housing construction. The Conwood frameworks product series is a new type of building system in which both timber frame construction and the precast concrete façade are allowed to play out their strong points. The ground-breaking innovation: a 20-mm thick, or thin, carbon-reinforced fine concrete slab is combined with a timber frame element. A durable hybrid element is thus created which meets all the requirements of modern housing construction.
The excellent ratio between element stability and weight is one of the outstanding features of the Conwood frameworks hybrid module. It is made possible by the use of a two-dimensional carbon fabric (SITgrid) from V. FRAAS Solutions in Textile GmbH in combination with an ultra-high-performance concrete. The high-strength carbon grid features a ribbed surface texture to ensure an optimum bond with the surrounding concrete. This is achieved by wrapping the high-performance fiber with a filament of smaller diameter. In contrast to the 48k or 50k yarns usually available on the market, the specially developed high-performance textile is spun from a 96k or 100k yarn, respectively.
The prefabricated elements produced from this material provide numerous sustainable benefits for housing construction: in indoor application, the exceptionally slender hybrid walls offer entirely new creative possibilities. As exterior walls or façades, they impress with thermal and sound insulation, durability, reduced costs of transport and assembly, as well as shorter construction periods.
As recently as November 2016, the carbon concrete technology used in this project was awarded the German Future Prize (Deutscher Zukunftspreis), the Federal President’s Award for Technology and Innovation, which is one of the most important science awards in Germany.
