Rupert Soar

Research areas

Current research:

From Swarm Intelligence to Living Buildings: Novel Concepts of Managing Internal Climates - collaboration between NTU, Harvard, Wyss Institute, Nat Centre for Biological Sciences
HFSP Program Grant $1.5m

Previous research:

1) Freeform Construction:

Mega-Scale rapid Manufacturing for Construction

Funding - IMRC £1,250,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Applying Future Industrialized Processes to Construction - CIB2007-193 World Building Congress, 14-18 May 2007, Cape Town, South Africa
• Freeform Construction: Mega-Scale Rapid Manufacturing For Construction - Automation in Construction.

I3Con: Integrated Utility Nodes via Rapid Manufacturing

Funding - EU FP6 £453,664

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Complete information can be found at i3con.
• Construction Processes for the Digital Trinity - ISBN 978-1-897911-32-7

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for Architecture and Construction [archiFORM]

Funding - IMCRC £156,301

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Towards Breaking the Mould, WIC Conf- Digital Architecture and Computing - South Korea, Sept 2006.
• Architectural Freeform Construction: Does the future start here? Procs. CIB W55/65
• Visualisation and RM: A survey of architecture practise in the UK - Procs. at CIB W096 Adaptables Conf, 2 - 5 July 2006.
• Architectural Freeform Construction: Potential Use in Repair for Re-use, Maintenance and Manufacture of Building Components - COBRA 2006 CONF of RICS, ISBN: 978-1-84219-307-4

Bulk Aggregation and Rheopeptic Deposition FC Process [BAiRD]

Funding - IMCRC £95,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Freeform Construction Apps Research, Advances in Engineering Structures, Mechanics, Design and Construction
• Freeform Construction: Mega-scale Rapid Manufacturing for Construction - 2nd International Conference on RM , UK, March 2007

Integrating Design and Process Control for Freeform Construction [CoDesIgn]

Funding -

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Design, Data and Process Issues for Mega-Scale RM Machines used for Construction - AIC, pp923–929.
• Freeform Construction: Mega-scale Rapid Manufacturing for construction Automation in Construction

Application Research for Freeform Construction Processes [PrefCon]

Funding - IMCRC £53,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• The Potential of Freeform Construction - Proc 16th International Symposium on Freeform Fabrication . Austin, Texas, US, 2005
• The Potential for Applying Freeform Processes To Construction - Proc. AEC2005, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2005

Ngim, D.B. (2009) (PhD)

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Design Optimization for Manufacture of Axisymmetric Continuum Structures using Metamorphic Development - IJSS
• Design optimization of consolidated granular-solid polymer prismatic beam using metamorphic development - IJSS
• Structural Optimisation for Freeform Construction Techniques - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University

Godbold, O. (2008) (PhD)

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Implications of Solid Freeform Fabrication on Acoustic Absorbers - Rapid Prototyping Journal
• Fabrication of Acoustic Absorbing Topologies Using Rapid Prototyping - Canadian Acoustics Assoc, Conf 2008
• Investigation of Passive Acoustic Attenuation geometries within Freeform Constructed Structures - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University

Modeen, T. (2008) (PhD)

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Ubiquitous Customization: the use of Rapid Manufacturing in Design and Architecture - Proc ARCOM 05 Conf, pp. 341-351 (vol. 1) ISBN 0-902896-93-8
• Design Ground: An Iconic Tactile Surface, Smart Architecture - ProcACADIA 2005, ed: Ataman, p. 192-199, ISBN 0-9772832-0-8

2) Biomimetics

3D-Mapping of Macrotermes michaelseni Mounds: Lessons for Human Construction?

Funding - EPSRC £421,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Understanding Large-scale Passive Ventilation and Mound Regulation in Macrotermes michaelseni Mounds as a Template for Sustainable Construction Methods - ICE2008, Durban, South Africa, July 2008
• Beyond Biomimicry: What Termites Can Tell Us about Realizing the Living Building - I3Con, pp219- 237, ISBN 978-1-897911-32-7

Cognitive Trap Threshold in Macrotermes michaelseni Termites

Funding - ARO Neuro Program £50,000

Journal Publications and Outcomes:

• Bio-inspired Emergent Construction - proc 2005 IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium (SIS 2005)

3) Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Tooling and Rapid Manufacturing

Design Limits for Laminate Tooling for High Pressure Die Casting

Funding - EPSRC

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Design Limits of Un-bonded Laminate Tooling for Pressure Die-Casting - Proc Inst Mech Eng, Part B.
• Finishing Laminate Tooling with Stereolithography E.D.M. Electrodes - fifth Eu Conf on RP and Manuf, pp87-106
• Processing & Application of Rapid Prototyped Laminate Production Tooling - second Nat Conf on Developments in RP & Tooling pp 65-77
• Design of Laminate Tooling for High Pressure Die-casting - SPIE Rapid Product Development Technologies, pp198-210, ISBN: 0819423122
• Deflection and the Prevention of Ingress within Laminate Tooling for Pressure Die-Casting - SFF Symp 1997, pp307-317
• Laminate Tooling for the Production of Prototype Pressure Die-Cast Dies - TCT Conf 1998, pp332-343

Innovative Manuf of Rapid Die-Casting Tooling by Laminating for the Automotive Industry, IMI RADICAL

Funding - EPSRC GR/M75068/01

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Bonded and Un-bonded Laminated Tooling for Rapid Tooling within the Die-casting Industry - Trans. of NADS 2001 Congress pp 415-422
• Analysis of cooling channels performance for cycle time reduction using RM and CFD - Int J of Comp Int Manf

Norwood, A.J. (2007) (PhD)

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Surface Temperature of Tools in High Pressure Die-casting of Aluminium - Inst of Mech Eng
• A New Fatigue Test Procedure for Die Casting tool materials - Inst of Mech Eng, Part B
• Thermal Fatigue of Rapid Prototype Metallic Materials - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University

Enhanced RM: Applied Research and Modelling using 3D Printing

Funding - IMCRC £47,249

4) Smart Metal Structures by Ultrasonic Object Consolidation

A Model for Plastic Flow Phenomenon in Embedded Continuous Reinforced Fibre Composites by DFUOC

Funding - EPSRC/JGS £253,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Plastic Flow and Work Hardening of Al alloy substrates during UOC Fibre Embedding Process - Mat Sc & Eng A
• Characterization of Process for Embedding SiC Fibers in Al 6061 O Matrix through Ultrasonic Consolidation - J. Eng. Mat. Tech
• Thermomechanical Analyses of Ultrasonic Welding Process using Thermal and Acoustic Softening Effects - MechMat

Direct Fabrication of Smart Metal Structures by Ultrasonic Object Consolidation (DFUOC)

Funding - EPSRC £60,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Optimum Process Parameters for Ultrasonic Consolidation of 3003 Aluminium - J of Mat Proc Tech, ISSN 0921-5093
• Control Parameters for Aluminium 3003 under Ultrasonic Consolidation - Proc. thirteenth SFF Symp., 2002, pp. 199-211

Induced Plastic Deformation of Ultrasonic Consolidated Aluminium Alloy Specimens

Funding - IMCRC £50,000

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Characterisation of Aluminium Alloy 6061 for the Ultrasonic Consolidation Process - Mat Sc & Eng A
• Fabrication of Metal-Matrix Composites and Adaptive Composites using UOC Process - Mat Sc & Eng A

Plastic Flow in Metal Matrices Around Continuous Reinforced Fibre Composites by DFUOC

Funding - IMCRC £42,905

Journal publications and outcomes:

• A Model for Weld Strength in Ultrasonic Consolidated Components - IMechE Procs. Part C
• Method for Embedding Optical Fibres within Aluminium Matrix via Ultrasonic Consolidation - Applied Optics, pp. 6325-6333

Kong, C.Y. (2005) (PhD)

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Investigation of ultrasonic Consolidation for Embedding Active/Passive Fibres in Aluminium Matrices - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University

Johnson, K. (2006) (PhD)

Journal publications and outcomes:

• Adaptive embedded Ti structures by Ultrasonic Consolidation - Doctoral Thesis at Loughborough University

Press expertise

• Biomimetics
• Digital Fabrication
• Additive Manufacturing
• 3D Printing
• Construction Technologies
• Termites and Swarm Agents